What Daily Habits Can Improve My Mental Health?
Reduce anxiety, increase clarity, and take charge of your well-being.
In this episode, Motivational Speaker Bart Walsh shares six powerful habits that can help you regain control of your mental health and create a more fulfilling life. These aren't complex strategies or quick fixes, they're simple, deliberate actions that can make a significant impact when practiced consistently.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- The surprising impact of morning sunlight on your mood and energy
- How movement can reorganize your brain and boost resilience
- The power of a daily brain dump to clear mental clutter
- A simple breathing technique used by Navy SEALs to calm the nervous system
- The crucial link between your diet and mental clarity
- Why human connection is more important than ever in our digital age
Key takeaways:
- Discover why getting sunlight first thing in the morning can set you up for a better day
- Learn how physical activity can be more effective than medication for mental health
- Understand the importance of "closing your thought loops" through journaling
- Master a breathing technique that can shift your state in just two minutes
- Recognize the impact of whole foods on your mood and cognition
- Embrace the power of genuine human connection in combating loneliness
Remember, mental health isn't fixed in crisis mode. It's built in the in-between moments. By incorporating these habits into your daily routine, you're taking proactive steps towards a stronger, more resilient mind.
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Transcript
Welcome to the Show Team.
Speaker A:My name is Bart Walsh.
Speaker A:I am a keynote speaker.
Speaker A:I am also a fitness expert.
Speaker A:And today I want to start somewhere a little bit unexpected.
Speaker A: many people walking around in: Speaker A:And look, this may or may not be you listening today.
Speaker A:And even though we are trending in the right direction of mental health awareness and addressing the issue, we do not talk about this stuff enough.
Speaker A:Mental health struggles are not the exception anymore.
Speaker A:They seem to be the norm.
Speaker A:So, parents, you are not alone.
Speaker A:When you feel frozen in place with pressure of having to provide to your family professionals, you are not alone in feeling like you are drowning in a sea of expectation and pressure.
Speaker A:And any human out there, you are not alone.
Speaker A:You are not the only one constantly feeling bleak down or even just that little bit anxious.
Speaker A:These feelings are common.
Speaker A:We never asked for them.
Speaker A:But they are there.
Speaker A:They are not our fault.
Speaker A:But if you want something different, if you want something better, we need to take responsibility for how we feel.
Speaker A:Especially if it's not our fault.
Speaker A:We need to take our power back so that we can make change.
Speaker A:And that, that is what I want to talk to you about today.
Speaker A:Today is not about pathology.
Speaker A:It's not about medication or diagnosis or therapy.
Speaker A:I am certainly not a doctor, do not confuse that.
Speaker A:But today is about six daily practices.
Speaker A:Small, deliberate and very human things.
Speaker A:Things that can shift your life, things that can keep you from spiraling and that can build a baseline of mental strength.
Speaker A:If you take anything away from today's episode, I want you to share it.
Speaker A:I want you to share it with someone who may need to hear these messages or you think may need to hear these messages.
Speaker A:Share it.
Speaker A:Subscribe to the show and let's dive in.
Speaker A:The first habit is to get started.
Speaker A:Sunlight into your eyeballs.
Speaker A:If you are waking up and reaching for your phone first thing in the morning, before you've done anything in your day, you, my friend, are not setting yourself up, your body or your brain for a great start.
Speaker A:Rather, I want you to find time in your morning to find direct sunlight.
Speaker A:Morning sunlight exposure tells your brain to stop producing those sleep hormones that's done.
Speaker A:And to start producing those water awake hormones.
Speaker A:These help improve your mood, your energy, and of course help you sleep later in the day.
Speaker A:And do not discount this.
Speaker A:The best thing you can do for your sleep is to set yourself up for a good morning, align your rhythm to make it easier to fall asleep later in the day.
Speaker A:And look, here's how it works.
Speaker A:The light enters your eyes and hits your receptors in your retina.
Speaker A:Here's a fun word that I found.
Speaker A:These cells are called intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells Then signal your brain's internal clock to align to your circadian rhythm, the rhythm of wake and sleep.
Speaker A:And this then affects your sleep, your digestion, your hormone regulation, immune function and mood.
Speaker A:Again, do not discount the power of your circadian rhythm and consistent wake and sleep cycles.
Speaker A:And so this can obviously help with your disrupted sleep.
Speaker A:It can help with your high anxiety, it can help with your brain fog and your propensity for negative thoughts.
Speaker A:Thoughts.
Speaker A:It can help every aspect of your life.
Speaker A:So tomorrow morning, action needs to start now.
Speaker A:Tomorrow morning, I want you to try your absolute hardest to not open Instagram.
Speaker A:Instead, consider opening your door.
Speaker A:Stand outside for five minutes and let your brain know that the day has begun.
Speaker A:And this especially seems so base and it seems so petty and it seems so small, but it can have an absolutely enormous impact to your life wholesale, if it's done with consistency.
Speaker A:Because here's what'll happen.
Speaker A:If you wake up in the morning tomorrow, you say, hey, I'm going to listen to this guy on this podcast.
Speaker A:I'm going to get some sunlight.
Speaker A:And then you're like, I don't notice anything.
Speaker A:I'm not going to do it again.
Speaker A:Do not do that, Please remember, this has to be done with a relentless, relentless consistency.
Speaker A:And I can guarantee you, you get morning sunlight in your eyes.
Speaker A:And hey, if it's cloudy, that's okay too.
Speaker A:Just get outside.
Speaker A:If you get morning sunlight onto your skin, into your eyes for, hey, weeks, three weeks, four weeks, feel the difference.
Speaker A:And then that will want you to do it again and again and again and again.
Speaker A:And hey, if you can't get up the first thing in the morning, whenever you can, the earliest time you can to get outside, that is going to help.
Speaker A:The second habit is move your body.
Speaker A:Baby.
Speaker A:Trauma that doesn't move festers.
Speaker A:Stress that isn't released, it sinks in in movement, especially rhythmic, non competitive movement like walking or lifting.
Speaker A:Hint, hint.
Speaker A:Is one of the most reliable tools for regulating your entire nervous system.
Speaker A:And remember, your nervous system doesn't just control your muscles, your brain, it's the central governor of your nervous system.
Speaker A:Your body and your mind are completely integrated.
Speaker A:And look, there's this great study I found from Princeton that showed exercise reorganizes your brain.
Speaker A:It changes the way that your brain fires, the way that you connect neurons and connect Pathways.
Speaker A:And this can make you more resilient to stress.
Speaker A:And this is one thing that get to me going.
Speaker A:The relationship between physical resilience, the strength and fitness of your body and mental resilience, they are so intrinsically connected.
Speaker A:And so when it comes to your mental health, one of the best things you can do, the first port of call is to get this your body stronger.
Speaker A:And when it comes to your brain and reorganizing the way you think, it's not necessarily temporarily, these changes can be permanent.
Speaker A:I like to think of it as installing a different operating system.
Speaker A:Now if you skip your movement, mental stress accumulates, emotional reactivity spikes and your ability to handle pressure, it diminishes.
Speaker A:You become a balloon with nowhere to release your air.
Speaker A:So if you are one of the growing cohorts of humans that are feeling anxious, depressed or just numb beige gray about life, this is a really great place to start.
Speaker A:Move your body, release the tension and let your nervous system feel safe again.
Speaker A:And I cannot tell you how powerful this is.
Speaker A:Even me, who's been exercising consistently for geez, 15 years now.
Speaker A:Strength, cardio, everything under the sun.
Speaker A:I notice the days I don't get my training in.
Speaker A:And look, some days need to be rest days, of course they do.
Speaker A:But even those days I notice a difference in my body in the way that I think and the way that I respond to other people.
Speaker A:It takes such a small thing someone can say to set me off if I don't have that physical resilience into my body that day.
Speaker A:And there was a great study out of the University of South Australia, I believe a few years ago now.
Speaker A:It was a meta analysis and it was comparing physical activity and traditional mental disorder medication, SSRIs, and the efficacy of each and what they found that exercise as an intervention was more powerful than any medication that you can give someone who has depressive or anxious thoughts.
Speaker A:It is the most powerful thing you can do.
Speaker A:And if you want to go down this route and you sort of don't know where to start, put a goal to it.
Speaker A:When people come to me and they want to get fitter and stronger in the gym, the best thing I can do is say, hey, I want you to get as strong as possible.
Speaker A:You see that barbell over there?
Speaker A:I want you to be able to lift as much weight as you can on that barbell for these four or five lifts.
Speaker A:So set a goal to it.
Speaker A:Don't just move for the sake of being movement.
Speaker A:That might be a great place to start, but long term, let's Put a goal to it.
Speaker A:Let's get you as strong as possible in three or four lifts.
Speaker A:We might approach that in another episode.
Speaker A:In fact, if you have any questions about how you want to approach fitness for mental health.
Speaker A:Hello, artwolsh.com write in, ask your question.
Speaker A:We'll be doing a few Q and A episodes down the track.
Speaker A:Habit number three is to do a daily brain dump.
Speaker A:I want you to write things down.
Speaker A:Your brain is not just a storage container for memories.
Speaker A:It is a problem solving machine.
Speaker A:But when it's overloaded with deadlines, regrets, social media, static and unsaid arguments, it can't think and process clearly.
Speaker A:Have you ever found yourself emotionally snapping at something so trivial?
Speaker A:Dads out there.
Speaker A:Has this happened to you?
Speaker A:This happened to me.
Speaker A:This morning.
Speaker A:Lysander wanted a smoothie.
Speaker A:I made the smoothie, spent time doing it.
Speaker A:I was under a lot of time pressure.
Speaker A:I gave it to him and he didn't want it and I lost it and I immediately regretted it.
Speaker A:But look, that action, that snapping is probably not the thing you're snapping at.
Speaker A:There's probably something else that's probably overflow in your brain.
Speaker A:Journaling has been shown.
Speaker A:And when I say journaling, don't just switch off.
Speaker A:But particularly dudes out there, I know it seems so small and petty and weak, but hear me out.
Speaker A:Journaling has been shown to reduce rumination, reduce those thoughts, reduce that overload in your brain and improve your overall capacity.
Speaker A:It offloads the emotional nervous system and gives the logical part of your brain space to breathe.
Speaker A:So a daily brain dump, just writing something down, where you just sit and write everything that's circling around your mind unfiltered, is one of the simplest tools for restoring that mental clarity and helping your mental health almost acutely.
Speaker A:And look the way I discovered the power of this, I call it closing your loops.
Speaker A:Closing the thought loops in your mind the way I discovered it is a really interesting story.
Speaker A:When I had cancer, it was so aggressive that they needed to cut it out for one, but also cut a wide margin around the cancer.
Speaker A:And at first the surgeon thought that my voice box was going to have to be removed because it sat in the margin of that cancer.
Speaker A:So for about three days, I thought I was going to lose my voice.
Speaker A:I thought I had seven days left to speak everything that I wanted to speak.
Speaker A:And at a loss, I decided to write everything down.
Speaker A:I wrote down every single thing that I ever wanted to say to anyone because I knew in seven days time I would speak those last words and look this part of the story has a pretty happy ending.
Speaker A:This is my voice.
Speaker A:We found another way around it.
Speaker A:I got to keep my speech, thank Christ.
Speaker A:But the process of writing everything that was going in my head in an almost impossible situation that helped.
Speaker A:That made that situation just that little bit better.
Speaker A:So much so.
Speaker A:That's something that I do to this day.
Speaker A:I do exactly this.
Speaker A:Most days.
Speaker A:I'll take the stylus out of my Galaxy S23 Ultra, and I'll just write down the thoughts that are going through my head.
Speaker A:It takes about two or three minutes.
Speaker A:I normally do it before bed.
Speaker A:And that gives me peace, that gives me space, that puts these esoterics and thoughts that were in my head into an arbitrary place in reality.
Speaker A:But putting them there helps my brain just go, ah.
Speaker A:So if you've never tried this before, do it.
Speaker A:But again, do it with consistency.
Speaker A:Whenever you're feeling too much, whenever you're snapping at the kids, whenever you can't sleep, just get a pen, get a piece of paper, get your stylus and close your thought loops.
Speaker A:Write down what's in your head and give them somewhere to go.
Speaker A:Daily habit number four is breathe, but with intention.
Speaker A:Here is something amazing.
Speaker A:Inhaling activates your sympathetic nervous system.
Speaker A:This is your fight, flight, or freeze nervous system, or fawn.
Speaker A:Exhaling activates your parasympathetic nervous system.
Speaker A:Your rest and digest mode.
Speaker A:So when we're in the middle of a workout, when we think we're under threat, our breath is often high up in our chest and we're panting because we want to take in more oxygen to protect our body.
Speaker A:Cause we're in survival mode.
Speaker A:And sometimes when you breathe without thinking, guess which one usually wins the stress one.
Speaker A:When we're in the middle of a workout, when we're in panic mode, when we're having an anxiety attack, our inhale is often taking more time than our exhale, stimulating our sympathetic nervous system, our fight or flight nervous system.
Speaker A:But intentional breath work flips that script.
Speaker A:It teaches your body that you are safe and that you are here and that you are okay.
Speaker A:And you've probably heard this story before, but the Navy SEALs do this a lot.
Speaker A:They are taught a technique called box breathing that calms their nervous system before combat.
Speaker A:And if it works for them, I can guarantee you it's going to work for us as well.
Speaker A:And it's a really simple technique that I'll quickly go through now.
Speaker A:So try this for me.
Speaker A:Inhale for four counts.
Speaker A:1, 2, 3, 4.
Speaker A:Hold for four.
Speaker A:1, 2, 3, four.
Speaker A:Then exhale.
Speaker A:For seven.
Speaker A:1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7.
Speaker A:Do that for two minutes and you'll feel the shift in your state.
Speaker A:Now, traditional box breathing is normally 4, 4, 4, 4.
Speaker A:In for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4.
Speaker A:I like the longer exhale to promote that parasympathetic nervous system, that relaxing of the nervous system.
Speaker A:Honestly, try it, try it right now and you'll feel the difference.
Speaker A:And for some of you out there, this could be the foundation that your mental health is built on.
Speaker A:And one thing that obviously helps as well with the breath is exercise.
Speaker A:But I won't harp on that drum too much.
Speaker A:If you teach your body to transport oxygen better through cardio training, through conditioning, you can have more control over your breath and more capacity of your breath.
Speaker A:And in fact, this is something I do in the middle of workouts.
Speaker A:If I'm doing an interval session where I'm getting my heart rate up really high and then trying to bring it down in my rest periods, I'll focus on my breath, focus on that exhale to try and bring that heart rate down faster.
Speaker A:Habit number five is feed your brain.
Speaker A:Now, your brain is an organ of your body, in case you didn't know that, and it feeds off what you feed it through your mouth.
Speaker A:Processed food doesn't just make you feel sluggish, it doesn't just slow you down.
Speaker A:It dulls cognition, it destabilizes mood, and it inflames your gut.
Speaker A:And your gut, that's where over 90% of your serotonin is made.
Speaker A:Inflame the gut and you'll inflame your mind, serotonin being a positive and happy hormone.
Speaker A:Now, I'm not saying that you need to eat kale for breakfast.
Speaker A:Far from it.
Speaker A:Take it from me, I'm not a kale fan.
Speaker A:I've been there.
Speaker A:But if your diet is beige and you're struggling with your mental health, well, maybe those two things are connected.
Speaker A:Whole foods, especially ones high in omega 3 fibre and antioxidants, particularly fibre, in my opinion, they support the healthy gut microbiome, they support the bugs.
Speaker A:They help reduce systemic inflammation.
Speaker A:Inflammation all over your body, not just in your gut, that means your brain as well.
Speaker A:And they ensure a stable blood sugar level, which in turn stabilizes your mood and helps your cognition team.
Speaker A:Do not underestimate.
Speaker A:You are what you eat.
Speaker A:You literally are.
Speaker A:So if you skip good food, you increase the risk of brain fog throughout your day, you increase the propensity of mood swings, you may increase your fatigue and long term cognitive decline and I still can't believe there are so many people out there that haven't connected what they eat with how they feel and even how they look.
Speaker A:A lot of corporates will come to me saying, hey, I want to have more clarity in the presentation room, I want to have more confidence.
Speaker A:I want to feel better throughout my day.
Speaker A:And one of the places I'll start is just what they're eating.
Speaker A:And if they either skip breakfast, which I know a lot of you out there do, reconsider that, have a look at the research, or they're having a breakfast that's just a piece of white toast with some Vegemite.
Speaker A:There's an easy fix there.
Speaker A:We add in a bit of protein, we add in some good fats, we add in some low GI carbohydrates, some whole foods, some good fibre, and all of a sudden, they can almost feel an instant shift in their cognition.
Speaker A:They're speaking clearer, they're speaking more confidently, and they can solve problems better.
Speaker A:And it's not just adults, it's also with kids.
Speaker A:If we feed kids a nice whole food, high in protein, high in good fat, high in good quality carbohydrate breakfast, high in everything, you'll see a difference in their behavior.
Speaker A:Not just in the morning, but throughout the entire day.
Speaker A:Do not sleep on this one for your mental health as well.
Speaker A:And habit number six is my favorite.
Speaker A:And if I'm honest with you, it's the one that I need to do more of.
Speaker A:It's talk to a real human.
Speaker A:Loneliness is the new epidemic right at our doorstep.
Speaker A:And a lot of us don't realize we're right there right now.
Speaker A:Studies show chronic loneliness has the same effect on mortality as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
Speaker A:A bit outlandish, but it's harmful.
Speaker A:We can't deny that.
Speaker A:And look, here's the hard truth.
Speaker A:We are now living in a world that has trained us to avoid connection.
Speaker A:We text instead of calling.
Speaker A:We ghost instead of explaining something, we scroll instead of speaking.
Speaker A:We are quick to cancel.
Speaker A:People, loved ones, mothers, fathers, siblings, out of our lives.
Speaker A:And then we wonder why we feel so invisible ourselves.
Speaker A:I once had a guy come up to me after a keynote presentation and look, this guy was.
Speaker A:He was tough as nails.
Speaker A:Toughest guy I've ever seen.
Speaker A:Tattoos, beard, the whole lot.
Speaker A:And he told me something to the tune of mate.
Speaker A:I haven't told anyone.
Speaker A:I was struggling.
Speaker A:And your story, it made me realize I don't actually have to go through this alone.
Speaker A:And then this man cried.
Speaker A:A man who I don't Think has cried in decades.
Speaker A:He cried right in front of me, with people all around us.
Speaker A:And then I started crying too.
Speaker A:It was a bit of a mess.
Speaker A:But sometimes we just need someone to tell their story first.
Speaker A:And for me, I'll happily be that person for anyone.
Speaker A:The more I get on in this life, the more I understand that humans aren't meant to struggle alone.
Speaker A:And even though we're living in a life that curates loneliness, that curates us being by ourselves and doom scrolling or watching the next episode of Netflix, we still need to understand the importance of humanity, particularly in an AI world.
Speaker A:So here is your habit.
Speaker A:I want you to initiate this connection, even though it's uncomfortable, even though it's hard.
Speaker A:I want you to send the message, make the call, ask someone to grab a coffee, meet in person.
Speaker A:Connection doesn't always feel natural at first, but it is always, always, always worth it.
Speaker A:And again, this becomes so much more apparent to me as we become older.
Speaker A:We're stuck in this bubble of being a parent, looking after a kid, being with your family almost two, four, seven, doing your work, absolutely seeing people there.
Speaker A:But often we put to side meaningful connections with people that we love, meeting up with our friends, understand how they're going, meeting up with our family and asking questions that aren't just surface and aren't just about the football.
Speaker A:And it's becoming much more important to me.
Speaker A:So team, I want to sum up everything for you here.
Speaker A:If you are struggling with your own thoughts, you don't need to rebuild your life today, but you do need to do something.
Speaker A:And these habits I've mentioned, they're simple, they're boring, they're unsexy, they will not go viral, but they are what will save you when everything starts to fall apart.
Speaker A:Mental health isn't fixed in crisis mode.
Speaker A:You, it's built in the in between moment.
Speaker A:It's built before we fall off that cliff.
Speaker A:So choose to build.
Speaker A:Choose even one of these habits and own it.
Speaker A:Choose one habit at a time and choose better.
Speaker A:Timo, thank you for listening to the show today.
Speaker A:It means a lot to me that one, you made it this far in the episode.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker A:But two, hopefully you're taking away some tips or even some conversation starters with other people.
Speaker A:And if you did enjoy it, I want you to share it.
Speaker A:I want you to share it on socials.
Speaker A:Why don't you share it with someone who needs to hear it?
Speaker A:And if you've got a story or a question you want to say, write in.
Speaker A:Hello, artwallis.com I do want to do a few question and answer episodes in the future, and I need your input.
Speaker A:So don't be a stranger.
Speaker A:Reach out.
Speaker A:Ask me your questions, give me some success stories, give me your troubles.
Speaker A:And hey, we will work through them together.
Speaker A:Thank you for listening.
Speaker A:Take your step and choose better.
