Every year on 10 October, World Mental Health Day invites us to reflect on how we look after our inner life, our thoughts, feelings, resilience and connections. What if this year, instead of seeing it just as an awareness day, you used it as a launch point, a day to begin or recommit to your own mental health journey?
Mental health changes over time, and looking after it is something we keep doing rather than something we finish. Some days will feel harder, some lighter, but each step matters. If you are reading this, maybe today is your signal to begin. And if you are further along, it might be time to deepen or refresh your path.
Where to start
- It is never too late or too early. Whether you have struggled for years or only recently noticed something is off, you can begin from where you are.
- You get to define what “journey” means for you. It might include therapy, self-reflection, small daily habits, group support or creative expression. It does not have to be dramatic to be meaningful.
How to mark this day meaningfully
Here are gentle, evidence-informed ways to begin or renew your journey. You can pick one or more that resonate with you:
- Pause and reflect: Spend 5-10 minutes writing or thinking about this prompt: “What would I like my mental health to look like in six months’ time?”
- Choose one micro habit: a short breathing exercise, a daily walk, saying “no” to something unhelpful, or a gratitude check each night. Consistency matters more than intensity.
- Reach out: Tell someone you trust, a friend, family member or colleague, that you are focusing on your mental health. Talking to people you trust can help.
- Learn a tool: Try a simple grounding, mindfulness or self-compassion exercise, for example, noticing three things you can see, hear or feel right now.
- Seek professional support: If you have recognised ongoing distress, therapy or counselling can offer tailored help. Taking that first step is brave and a meaningful commitment to yourself.
Why therapy can help your journey
Therapy offers more than fixing problems. It builds skills, awareness and self-compassion. In this practice, we draw on approaches such as CBT, ACT, compassion-focused work and Cognitive Analytic Therapy. Here is how they can support your journey:
- CBT and ACT help you understand and shift patterns of thinking and behaviour that may be holding you back.
- Compassion-focused therapy nurtures kindness towards yourself when uncertainty, self-criticism or shame emerge.
- Cognitive Analytic Therapy helps you trace relational patterns, how you relate to others and yourself, and rewrite unhelpful cycles.
When therapy is part of a broader journey, alongside daily practices, self-reflection and social support, it becomes anchored in your life, not something separate or exceptional.
A short exercise for World Mental Health Day
You might like to use this small ritual today, or adapt it:
- Sit quietly for a minute or two and breathe.
- Think of one intention you want to carry forward, for example, “cultivate self-kindness”, “seek help when overwhelmed” or “notice small acts of joy”.
- Write it on a small card, or set a note or reminder.
- Tell yourself, “Today is the first day of my journey,” and imagine one small step you will take this week in support of that intention.
World Mental Health Day is a good moment to take stock. If you are thinking about therapy, fill in our short online form and we will suggest the Clinical Psychologist best suited to you.
If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or ending your life, please don’t wait for a therapy appointment. We are not a crisis service. If you need urgent help, call NHS 111 (option 2), contact your GP, or call Samaritans free on 116 123, any time. In an emergency, call 999.
