4 Ways to Care for Your Mental Health in a Busy World
4 Ways to Care for Your Mental Health in a Busy World
Featuring insight from Shannon Treadwell, LPC
Owner, From Within Counseling and Consulting LLC
The Rush and the Reckoning
The modern world doesn’t make rest easy. Our calendars stretch, our minds race, and somehow, we are always the first thing we cross off the list.
As Shannon Treadwell, LPC, owner of From Within Counseling and Consulting LLC, reminds us, neglect is often born from love — but misplaced.
“I believe the biggest reason people neglect their mental health when life gets busy is that caring for themselves does not seem that important when life pressures come. We often neglect ourselves first to accommodate responsibilities and others because it’s seen as the right and unselfish thing to do. But honestly, taking care of yourself is the best way you can be there for others and show up as your best self.”
This World Mental Health Day, let’s turn that narrative around. Caring for yourself isn’t selfish — it’s wise. It’s how you build the strength to care for others well.
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Check In with Yourself Every Day
Your mental health doesn’t just unravel overnight. It frays in the quiet — when you’re too busy to notice what you’re feeling.
“My favorite small ways to protect my mental health day-to-day are doing small five-minute check-ins, asking myself questions like: How am I feeling so far today? What has gone well today? What would I like to improve on?”
Shannon treats this like a daily conversation with herself — not a task, but a point of connection.
“I ask these at the middle or end of my day as a review. I also work very hard to separate work from home life by creating time to decompress between both — even if it’s just 5 or 10 minutes to reset and shift mentally.”
“I find one little joy in each day and make that my opportunity to practice gratitude. The shift in my thought process instantly changes my mood to a happier place.”
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Practice Mindfulness in the Moments You Already Have
The word Mindfulness can sound heavy — like another thing to squeeze into your already packed schedule. But Shannon redefines it in a way that feels doable, real, and refreshingly human.
“Mindfulness is so important and honestly boils down to just being present in the moment. If you are in your car at a stoplight, can you appreciate the sound of the birds, children’s laughter in the park, or a good song on the radio?”
“It can even be enjoying that first sip of coffee in the morning while the house is quiet, or savoring the moment of hugging your spouse or kids as you all leave for the day. Being in the moment and embracing it — outside of it being just the routine — that’s all Mindfulness really is to me.”
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Know the Signs — and Give Yourself Permission to Rest
We often don’t recognize burnout until it’s already in full swing. But the signs whisper long before they scream.
“You can tell you’re approaching burnout or emotional exhaustion when you notice an increase in frustration or irritability with day-to-day tasks — having a short fuse. Or when you start to dread work each day.”
“Changes in sleep patterns are another clue — and when you don’t ever feel rested, even after sleeping well, that’s a sign your mind and body are crying out for a pause.”
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Make Yourself a Priority — On Purpose
When life gets busy, self-care is often the first thing to go — but it’s also the one thing that holds everything else together.
“My one piece of advice would be to review your day-to-day tasks, adjust, and make the time. Often, we can find time, but our habits and routines are things we feel we can’t break.”
“People say, ‘I’ve got to sweep and mop every day.’ But couldn’t you go from every day to maybe three days a week — and use that extra time for yourself?”
“We have to see ourselves as a priority and know that it isn’t being selfish — it’s being wise. When we give ourselves that time, it helps not only us, but everyone attached to us. It’s an opportunity to model for our family that it’s okay to take time for self.”
Final Reflection: Peace, From Within
Caring for your mental health doesn’t require perfection — just presence. A few minutes of reflection. A deep breath at a red light. Permission to do a little less so you can feel a little more.
“Taking care of yourself,” says Shannon Treadwell, “is the best way you can be there for others and show up as your best self.”
And that’s what World Mental Health Day is really about — remembering that every act of care, no matter how small, ripples outward. Because peace doesn’t wait for you to slow down, it starts when you finally do.
Take five quiet minutes today — no phone, no pressure — and ask yourself, “How am I, really?” You don’t need to fix anything. Just notice. That noticing is where peace begins.
Be sure to connect with Shannon Treadwell, LPC the Owner, From Within Counseling and Consulting LLC
Website: www.fromwithincounselingllc.com
Follow her on Instagram HERE and Facebook HERE
And join us on November 20th for our November Community Conversation Surviving the Season: Finding Balance & Brightness During the Holidays
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