Three simple ideas to support mental health
What do you do when you want to relax? Many of us use passive means, such as social media or streaming movies, to help us unwind after a long day. However, there are benefits to finding ways to actively relax, including keeping your brain sharp!
Reading benefits our brains in many ways:
- It supports empathy and understanding.
- Narrative absorption lets our brain process ideas in new ways.
- Reading on paper (rather than a screen) may improve comprehension and strengthen pathways to learning. (Read more about this in Psychology Today.)
So, how do you get started?
Idea 1: Non-committed reading
It’s a big ask to suggest you start reading books if it’s not already something you do often. However, if you like the idea of reading or want to make reading part of your daily life, here are some ways to get started and make the habit stick:
Don’t force yourself to read things you are not actually interested in.
Just because you think a certain book should be good to read, if you don’t like it, stop and find a new book. You’ll kill your reading habit quickly by forcing yourself through a text that doesn’t speak to you.
Read books you’ve borrowed from friends.
This can add a lot to your engagement with a book: you’ll be inclined to complete it so you can chat about with your friend. The benefits are two-fold: You’ve read something new and you’ve been social by meeting to talk about it. Plus, it’s cost-effective!
Start with a short story collection.
Short stories give you the satisfaction of completing a whole story in much more quickly than it takes to finish a book. This satisfaction can build momentum to keep you reading and help you feel good about your success!
Step 2: Journal… I’m serious!
Everyone recommends journaling it seems. But why? Here are some reasons why writing out your thoughts and daily activities can be helpful for improved mental health.
Clarity in a confusing world
Sometimes thoughts rattle around in our heads, getting more jumbled every minute. Taking a few minutes to write down your thoughts can help you see more clearly. This might be as simple as making a list of everything you need to do in a day. Or it could be a complex recording of events or concerns. Whatever you choose to write, this simple act may be the key to figuring out what steps to take next.
A chance to notice your growth
If you start journalling regularly, you give life to older versions of yourself. Sometimes reading an old journal and seeing how far you’ve come is a way to see evidence of growth when you feel stuck or frustrated. It can also show your perspective has changed or
In lieu of another person
When no one else is available, a journal can receive your ideas, rants, frustrations, joys, and life news. Once the thoughts exist outside your head and on the page, you might feel a similar catharsis as if you’d told a person. A bonus: writing everything down might help you prioritize what you share with others and let go of the small things.
Step 3: Poetry as a coping mechanism and time to dream
Poetry is much more than saying things in an artsy way. Reading poetry is a chance to get lost in imagery and see the world from new perspectives. Some poems are meditative: even if you don’t know exactly what they mean, they give you time to reflect and embrace words. And writing poetry is the of knowing your own soul. I'll tell you why:
It helps you become a dot-connector
The practice of grouping ideas together, comparing and contrasting concepts, and understanding it all through your own eyes is a fast track to clarity. Be as simple or complex as you like, poetry lets you parse the world around you.
Is the thing you’re writing about annoying or vexing? Does something feel great or invigorating? When you are trying to express your thoughts, the right world can make things click into place. Taking the time to check a dictionary or thesaurus adds to your focus, too.
Keeping up mental health and acuteness
The times I’ve neglected my intellectual needs the most are the times that I've struggled the most with deciding on a way forward. My hope is that these ideas help you pick up some engaging and mentally active habits to make the most of your days. Even better is if new reading and writing habits help you get through the hard times. Literacy is the practice of understanding and being understood. Getting comfortable with these tools can lead to greater self-awareness!
What literacy strategies have worked for you in hard times? Do you have any journaling prompts that would suit someone new to the practice? Is there a poem or story that helps you find balance?
About the author
Matthew Nault has been a United for Literacy volunteer since the fall of 2025 and was hired as the facilitator for UFL’s Building Reading Skills with ELL Support program in Nova Scotia. He is an innovative and creative instructor and program developer. He has a degree in linguistics from Saint Mary’s University.
