If you’ve ever scrolled through self-help articles, you’ve probably come across the usual mental health advice: get enough sleep, exercise, meditate. All solid tips, but let’s be real—sometimes, they just don’t cut it. When life feels overwhelming, you need something different, something that shakes up your routine and helps you reconnect with yourself in unexpected ways. The good news? There are plenty of unusual yet effective unexpected ways to boost your mental well-being. Here are eight approaches that might surprise you.
8 Unexpected Ways to Boost Your Mental Well-Being
1. Start a “Bad Art” Journal
Forget perfection. Grab a notebook, some colored pencils, and make the worst art you possibly can. Scribble nonsense, draw stick figures with ridiculous expressions, or just splash paint around like a toddler. The goal isn’t to create something beautiful—it’s to express yourself without judgment. There’s something oddly liberating about creating for the sake of it, without any pressure to be good. The process itself can help you process emotions, release tension, and rediscover a sense of playfulness that adult life often strips away.
2. Write Letters You’ll Never Send
Your brain is a noisy place, filled with thoughts you sometimes don’t even understand. Writing letters—without the intention of sending them—can help clear the clutter. Whether it’s a letter to your younger self, an apology you never got to give, or an angry rant directed at someone who hurt you, getting those thoughts onto paper can be cathartic. It gives you a space to be honest with yourself without fear of judgment. And sometimes, just seeing your emotions in writing is enough to bring a sense of closure.
3. Try Different Stress Relievers
If you’re looking for ways to handle stress that don’t involve the usual advice, there are plenty of alternative options that take a more natural, low-key approach. Something as simple as deep belly breathing can actually signal your body to chill out, easing tension and slowing everything down. Sound therapy, using frequencies like binaural beats or Tibetan singing bowls, has been shown to ease tension and enhance relaxation. Herbal remedies offer additional support. Ashwagandha is an adaptogen known for balancing stress hormones, and THCa is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in raw cannabis; the composition of THCa diamonds ensures a potent, natural option for calming the mind and body.
4. Rearrange Your Space, Even If It’s Just a Little
Your physical surroundings impact your mental state more than you realize. You don’t need a complete home makeover—just moving your furniture around, adding a new lamp, or swapping out old decorations can create a fresh energy in your space. There’s a reason why people feel rejuvenated after cleaning their room or switching up their desk setup. Small changes can break you out of mental ruts and make your environment feel more intentional, which, in turn, helps your mind feel clearer.
5. Talk to Yourself—Out Loud
This one might sound a little strange, but hear me out. Talking to yourself in the mirror, narrating your actions, or even giving yourself a pep talk can be surprisingly efficient being an effective unexpected ways to boost your mental well-being. It externalizes your thoughts, helps you process emotions, and—bonus—can make you laugh at how ridiculous you sometimes sound. Studies even suggest that speaking to yourself in the third person can provide emotional distance, helping you handle stress better. Instead of just thinking, “I’m so overwhelmed,” say, “You’ve been through worse, and you’ll get through this too.” It makes a difference.
6. Try a “Silent Day”
Life is just loud—between social media, music, nonstop conversations, and all the random noise we barely notice. But have you ever actually gone a whole day without talking? It’s weird at first, maybe even uncomfortable, but after a while, it does something to you. You start paying attention in a way you didn’t before, noticing little details, and realizing how much you use words just to fill space. Quiet moments give your brain a breather being one of the effective unexpected ways to boost your mental well-being.
7. Adopt a “Weird” Hobby
There’s something oddly refreshing about picking up a hobby that has absolutely nothing to do with your daily life. Try birdwatching, start collecting weird old postcards, learn to juggle—whatever feels random and fun. The stranger, the better. It gives your brain a break from all the usual stress and reminds you that life isn’t just about checking off to-do lists—it’s about messing around, being curious, and enjoying things just because.
8. Be Bored—On Purpose
Modern life is designed to keep us entertained at all times, but here’s a radical idea: let yourself be bored. No phone, no background noise, no distractions. Just sit with your thoughts and see where they go. Boredom isn’t a bad thing—it’s where creativity and self-reflection thrive. Some of the best ideas come from moments of stillness. Give your brain the space to wander, and you might be surprised by what you discover.
Final Thoughts
Mental health isn’t some formula where the same thing works for everyone, and honestly, the best fixes are typically those you’d never think to try. It might be rearranging your space, talking to yourself like a weirdo, or getting way too into a random hobby—just do something to shake things up. Stay open, mess around with different ideas, and don’t get stuck on what “self-care” is supposed to look like. Sometimes, the strangest approaches end up making the biggest difference.
A part of the effective unexpected ways to boost your mental well-being, discover a wealth of practical tips and insights for a healthier, balanced life at HSE Smart Solutions, your trusted hub for well-being and lifestyle guidance.