Mental Health Tools to Improve Wellbeing and Reduce Stress in 2019
Ready to discover wonderful mental health tools which can help you reduce stress, increase happiness and improve wellbeing in 2019?
I’ve shared all my favourite mental health tools, including journals, books, meditation aids, helpful apps, and more!
READING + WRITING
In 2019, I’ll be using two journals: Saint Belford’s “Curation” (affiliate link) and Lavendaire’s “Artist of Life Workbook”. These two journals complement each other wonderfully without being too overwhelming. I love that they are both unique and really help you go deeper into setting powerful goals and encourage you to reflect in meaningful ways.
2019 Curation by Saint Belford
In 2018, I used my Saint Belford journal every single day. I wrote a simple to-do list at the start of the day and at the end of the day, I wrote down my favourite memory from the previous 24 hours.
I also really enjoyed the habit tracker – each week I wrote down activities I wanted to do most days for that week (usually yin yoga, drinking 5 glasses of water, doing some kind of exercise and meditating) and I ticked them off if I completed them each day.
I often used the weekly “drawing board” to brainstorm ideas and write about things I wanted to achieve in the week ahead.
I absolutely love that I can flick through my 2018 journal and read over all the different things which happened – it was a big year as my partner and I moved house, welcomed a second dog into our family, travelled to Europe and became engaged. I’m so happy that I have a beautiful keepsake of all these memories and the journal is holding up incredibly well (even with daily use and travel!) so I’ll be able to read over it for years to come.
The only thing I missed in the 2018 version was a monthly spread to get an overall look at my appointments/catch ups with friends/travel etc. However, Saint Belford have added this feature into the 2019 Curation and I’m so, so excited about the addition!
I also really like the new colours of the 2019 Curation – I’ll be using the Cherry Blossom version.
This is a fantastic journal to help you stay organised and also set intentional goals, track your habits, focus on self-care and write to-do lists.
Artist of Life Workbook by Lavendaire
My favourite features of the beautiful Artist of Life Workbook include the holistic goal setting section and the monthly reviews. In the goal setting section, you’ll be prompted to set goals in a variety of areas, including health, career, home, money, adventure (and more!). The monthly reviews help you reflect in simple and meaningful ways.
I love that this journal encourages you to improve your wellbeing by looking at so many different aspects of life and thinking about less conventional topics, like creativity, home and relationships.
The Artist of Life Workbook is a journal which will guide you to understand yourself more. I particularly enjoyed the prompts about my values, strengths and passions – these sections helped me dive deeper into who I am now and how I can grow in meaningful ways.
And there are a great variety of fun activities, like reflecting on achievements in 2018, creating a mantra, writing about gratitude and choosing a theme for the year ahead.
In terms of aesthetics, this journal is gorgeous. The pale green vegan leather cover is stunning and the pages within are great quality to write on.
I’m super excited to use this journal in 2019 to bring my goals to life!
BOOKS
Here are some of the books on my reading list for the year ahead. You might also like to keep an eye out for my book about mindfulness, meditation and self-care. It’s called The Mindful Kind and will be available in Australian bookstores and online from February 18th, 2019.
I’m currently halfway through reading these books and look forward to completing them in the New Year:
Lost Connections by Johann Hari (my favourite book in 2018)
And these are the books on my reading list for 2019!
MEDITATION TOOLS
Self-Compassion Meditation Album
I created this self-compassion meditation album to help people create some space to feel (and process) challenging emotions such as stress, anger, frustration, anxiety, fear, jealousy and loneliness. The meditations are also designed to facilitate kinder, more compassionate self-talk and less judgement and criticism.
Self-Compassion Meditation Album
This meditation album also comes with a bonus meditation journal, which will help you understand your relationship with self-compassion and develop a regular meditation practice.
Click here to find out more about it!
Combardis Elixirs Aromatic Mists
I’ve been using the aromatic mists from Combardis Elixirs for years and I still find them to be a really useful mindfulness tool. If I’m feeling particularly overwhelmed, I’ll choose a mist and spray it around me, taking some time to simply close my eyes, enjoy the fragrance and repeat one of the affirmations which come attached to the bottle.
*You can use the discount code “rachaelkable” to receive 10% off!
Mala Beads
While they may seem like a simple meditation tool, mala beads can actually be incredibly helpful in focusing your mind while you meditate. If I’m finding it difficult to concentrate during a meditation, I like to use my mala beads because the texture of them in my hands helps me stay more focused and feel less scattered.
You can learn more about using mala beads here.
Meditones by Tahlee Rouillon
I absolutely love listening to the meditones by Tahlee Rouillon. I simply put my earphones in, press play and enjoy the beautiful music. At the end of a long or stressful day, I like to hop into bed and lie with my legs up the wall while I listen to a meditone track.
APPS
Fresh Body Fit Mind
I signed up for the Fresh Body Fit Mind app by Amanda Bisk to start a regular yoga practice at home and I’ve been using it for several months now. Amanda regularly adds new classes and I love that she offers plenty of guidance throughout them. My favourite class is Happy Hamstrings – it has made such a difference for me! Especially working from home, I enjoy using the app halfway through my day to stretch out my body and just get moving.
AN UNCONVENTIONAL MENTAL HEALTH CARE TOOL
Indoor plants
In mid-2018, I bought my first indoor plants (a peace lily and Philodendron Selloum) and realised I wasn’t quite the black thumb I always thought I was! I re-potted them in white pots from Bunnings and learned how to care for them properly by reading articles online. They began to flourish and I soon added to my plant collection with a Boston fern, Fiddle Leaf Fig tree, Snake plant, Aspidistra and Monstera Deliciosa (some of these I divided into two, so altogether I now have nine indoor plants.
You might be wondering what this has to do with mental health?
Various studies have shown that spending time around nature can help boost mental health by reducing stress and depression and creating higher levels of happiness.
I believe indoor plants also offer some wonderful opportunities to practice mindfulness. When I go around and check my plants each day and water them every week or two, I feel completely immersed in the present moment. I don’t need to try to be mindful – it just happens easily!
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my favourite mental health care tools for 2019. These are all tools I’ve personally used and loved myself and I think they can genuinely help improve wellbeing and decrease stress.
