Everyday habits for wellbeing

Small things you do most days can shape how you feel over time. A walk, a good night's sleep, a call with a friend or a moment of noticing what went well will not change your life overnight. But habits like these add up, and many have research behind them.

This page covers everyday habits linked with better wellbeing, with badges that show how strong the evidence is. It also explains, in plain numbers, how big the effects of "positive psychology" exercises really are. They help some people a little. They are not a cure, and they are not a substitute for treatment when you are depressed.

What helps, at a glance

The badges show how strong the research is. See how we rate evidence.

Move your body

WHO advises adults to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week, such as brisk walking. It also says muscle-strengthening activity benefits everyone. For adults, regular activity lowers symptoms of depression and anxiety and supports wellbeing, thinking and sleep.¹ Yet about 31% of adults worldwide, around 1.8 billion people, do not get enough.¹

For adults 65 and older, the CDC adds balance activities to the 150 minutes and two days of muscle work. If health problems limit you, the CDC says to be as active as your abilities allow. Some activity is better than none.²

Protect your sleep

Sleep and mood are closely tied. A 2021 review pooled 65 trials with more than 8,600 people. Treatments that improved sleep led to medium-sized improvements in overall mental health, including depression and anxiety, and smaller improvements in stress.³ The more sleep improved, the more mental health improved.³ That suggests better sleep can be a cause of better mental health, not just a result of it.

Helpful habits include a steady wake-up time, daylight in the morning, less caffeine late in the day and a calm wind-down before bed. See Healthy sleep habits and Sleep, mood and anxiety. If poor sleep lasts for months, ask about CBT for insomnia.

Spend time in nature

A survey of 19,806 adults in England asked how much time they had spent in natural places for leisure in the past week. Time in their own garden did not count. People who spent at least 120 minutes in nature were more likely to report good health and high wellbeing than people who spent none.⁴

• The benefits seemed to level off at about 200 to 300 minutes a week.⁴
• It did not matter whether the time came in one long visit or several short ones.⁴
• The pattern held for adults over 65 and for people with long-term health conditions.⁴
• Only about 1 in 3 people in the survey reached 120 minutes.⁴

This was a one-time survey, so it cannot show cause. Healthier, happier people may simply get outside more. The link was also not seen in every group of people.⁴ Still, two hours a week is a modest, pleasant goal. A local park or a walk by water is an easy place to start.

Stay connected

The CDC describes social connection as having the relationships you want, feeling that you belong, and having the support you need. Strong relationships may lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia, depression and anxiety. Connection also helps people manage stress and keep up healthy habits.⁵

You do not need a big social life. A weekly phone call, a regular coffee with a neighbor or time at a faith group or senior center all count. See Ways to feel more connected and Loneliness.

Practice gratitude

Gratitude exercises ask you to notice and name things you are thankful for. A 2016 review of trials found that gratitude exercises improved psychological wellbeing compared with doing nothing, by a small amount.⁶ Compared with other neutral activities, the boost was smaller still. Gratitude exercises worked about as well as, but not better than, other active psychological exercises. They did not clearly reduce anxiety.⁶

1. Once or twice a week, write down three things that went well or that you are thankful for.
2. Be specific. "My neighbor brought in my mail" works better than "my neighbor."
3. Add why it mattered to you, in a few words.
4. If it starts to feel like a chore, do it less often or try a different exercise.

Be kind

A 2020 review pooled 201 studies with about 198,000 people. It found a modest link between helping others and wellbeing. The link was stronger for a sense of meaning and purpose than for pleasant feelings. Informal helping, such as helping a neighbor, was linked with more benefit than formal roles. Older and retired people who helped others reported better physical health.⁷ This kind of review shows a link but cannot fully show which comes first.

Small acts count: a thank-you note, a phone call to someone who is alone, holding a door, sharing a meal. See also loving-kindness practice and Meaning and purpose.

Savor good moments

Savoring means slowing down to notice a good moment and enjoy it fully. Think of the first sip of morning coffee or a grandchild's laugh. In a pilot study, 111 adults aged 60 and older practiced savoring for one week. Those who did the exercises faithfully reported more resilience and happiness and fewer symptoms of depression, up to three months later.⁸ This was one small pilot study, and the gains showed up mainly in people who did the exercises faithfully, so the evidence is limited.

To try it, pick one ordinary pleasure each day. Pause, notice it with all your senses, and stay with it a few breaths longer than usual. Telling someone about a good moment is another way to savor it. Our Mindful Moments tool and mindfulness week 4 can help.

Limit doomscrolling

Doomscrolling means scrolling through bad news or upsetting posts for a long time. After the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, researchers surveyed about 4,700 U.S. adults. Some people took in six or more hours a day of news about the bombings. They had more acute stress symptoms than people who had been directly exposed to the bombings.⁹ The authors suggested that hours of repeated exposure to coverage of a disaster may prolong stress.⁹

Cutting back may help. In a small trial, 154 adults with an average age of about 30 were split into two groups by chance. One group stopped using social media for a week. The other carried on as usual. The break group had better wellbeing and less depression and anxiety after the week.¹⁰ The study was short and the group was young, so more research is needed.

1. Pick set times to check the news, such as once in the morning and once in the evening.
2. Turn off news alerts on your phone.
3. Choose one or two trusted sources rather than endless feeds.
4. Notice how you feel after scrolling. If you feel worse, take a break and do something with your hands or body.

How big are the effects?

Many of the habits above, such as gratitude, kindness and savoring, are called positive psychology interventions. It helps to know how much they do.

• A 2013 review of 39 trials with 6,139 people found small effects. Wellbeing improved a little, and depression eased a little. Some of the benefit lasted three to six months. But study quality was generally low, and there were signs that studies with good results were more likely to be published.¹¹
• A 2019 reanalysis of earlier reviews took into account that many trials were very small. Small trials tend to overstate effects. After this correction, the effect on wellbeing was small but still measurable, and the effect on depression was usually not clear.¹²

What this means for you. These exercises are low-cost and low-risk, and some people find them helpful. Think of them as small nudges, not treatments. Habits with stronger evidence, such as physical activity and better sleep, deserve a place too. And if you have depression, these habits work best alongside proper care. See Self-help for depression.

Putting it together

You do not need to do everything. Pick one or two habits that appeal to you and fit your life.

1. Choose one habit from this page that feels doable this week.
2. Make it small and specific, such as "a 15-minute walk after lunch on Monday, Wednesday and Friday."
3. Link it to something you already do, like your morning coffee or an evening phone call.
4. Track it, with a calendar or our Activity Garden.
5. After two weeks, check in. Keep what helps, change what does not, and add one more if you like.

Planning small, meaningful activities is the core of behavioral activation, a well-tested approach for low mood.

When habits are not enough

Habits support wellbeing, but they cannot fix everything. See a doctor or mental health professional if low mood, loss of interest, poor sleep or worry lasts more than two weeks. Also reach out if it makes daily life hard. Our depression check-in and Well-being check can help you decide.

Education only. This page is general information written from the sources listed. It is not medical, legal or financial advice and does not replace a doctor, therapist or lawyer who knows your situation. How we write and check pages.