There Is More Than One Way to Work on Your Mental Health
A broader way of thinking about wellbeing
Many people come to therapy believing that seeing a psychologist is the only way they can improve their mental health. While therapy can be a valuable and meaningful part of healing, it’s rarely the whole picture.
Mental health doesn’t exist in isolation. It is shaped by our biology, our relationships, our environment, and the rhythms and demands of everyday life. For some people, therapy feels like the right place to begin. For others, it may feel too overwhelming, inaccessible, or simply not what they’re ready for at that point in time.
That doesn’t mean improvement isn’t possible.
A helpful way of understanding this is through a biopsychosocial model of wellbeing — the idea that psychological, physical, and social factors all interact to influence mental health. Therapy is one pathway within this model, but it’s not the only one.
Mental health isn’t one lever — it’s a system
When anxiety, depression, or trauma symptoms are present, people often look for the solution. In reality, mental health is more like a system than a single problem to be fixed.
Shifts in one part of life often create changes elsewhere. Sometimes, supporting mental health doesn’t begin with insight or emotional processing — it begins with strengthening the conditions around us.
A useful question to ask yourself might be:
“What part of my wellbeing feels most available to work on right now?”
The answer doesn’t have to be therapy.
Psychological wellbeing: therapy as one option
Therapy can provide a space to explore patterns, process emotional experiences, and work through past or present difficulties. For many people, it becomes a central pillar of change.
But therapy also requires emotional energy, safety, and capacity. During periods of high stress, burnout, or low mood, those resources aren’t always available — and that’s okay.
Not being ready for therapy doesn’t mean you’re avoiding your mental health. It may simply mean another pathway feels more accessible at this time.
Social wellbeing: connection as regulation
Humans are fundamentally relational. When connection decreases, mental health often follows.
Improving social wellbeing doesn’t have to mean deep conversations or large social commitments. It might involve:
increasing gentle, regular contact with others
joining a class or community group
spending time around people, even without pressure to engage
reconnecting with someone who feels safe
A sense of belonging, routine, and shared experience can be stabilising in ways that don’t require insight or emotional exploration. For some people, community itself becomes part of the intervention.
Physical wellbeing: the body matters
Mental health is closely linked to the body. Sleep, nutrition, movement, and gut health all influence mood, energy, and emotional regulation.
When anxiety or depression are present, “self-care” can feel unrealistic or overwhelming. But small, achievable shifts can reduce strain on an already stressed system, such as:
eating more regularly
improving hydration
gentle movement or stretching
getting some daylight
prioritising sleep where possible
These changes aren’t about optimisation or discipline — they’re about supporting the body that’s carrying emotional distress.
Movement as an entry point
For some people, talking isn’t the place to start — movement is.
Walking, strength training, yoga, Pilates, dance, or team sports can all support mental health by creating rhythm, regulation, and a sense of momentum. Movement can help shift emotional states and reduce anxiety without requiring verbal processing.
For many, movement becomes the bridge that later makes therapy — or other forms of support — feel more accessible.
Hormonal health and mental wellbeing (especially for women)
For many women, mental health symptoms are closely connected to hormonal changes. Life stages such as puberty, postpartum, perimenopause, and menopause can significantly affect mood, anxiety, sleep, and emotional regulation.
In these phases, focusing on hormonal health — often in collaboration with a GP or other health professionals — can meaningfully support mental wellbeing. For some women, addressing hormone-related factors is a necessary part of stabilising mental health, rather than something separate from it.
This is another reminder that mental health is not only psychological.
Considering the broader life context
It can also be helpful to look beyond individual symptoms and consider whether aspects of your broader life context are contributing to how you’re feeling. Factors such as work demands, job satisfaction, financial pressure, relationship dynamics, caregiving responsibilities, or a chronically overfull schedule can place a significant load on mental wellbeing over time.
For some people, supporting mental health may involve reassessing expectations, reducing commitments, creating more space for rest, or making changes within work or daily routines. For others, it may mean seeking more connection, purpose, or alignment in how their time and energy are spent. These kinds of shifts are often overlooked, yet they can have a meaningful impact on emotional health.
Choosing what feels possible
One of the most important ideas in a biopsychosocial approach is choice.
If your mental health isn’t where you want it to be, you don’t need to address everything at once. You might ask yourself:
What feels least overwhelming to work on right now?
Which area of my life has the most room for change?
For some people, the answer will be therapy.
For others, it may be food, movement, connection, routine, hormonal health, or life structure.
For many, it’s a combination that shifts over time.
There is no hierarchy of “right” ways to work on mental health.
When therapy fits into the bigger picture
When therapy is part of a broader system of support — rather than expected to do everything — it often becomes more sustainable and effective. When social, physical, and lifestyle factors are also supported, therapy can deepen, integrate more easily, and feel less overwhelming.
Therapy doesn’t need to carry the full weight of change.
Final thoughts
Mental health improvement is not linear, and it’s not one-size-fits-all. You are allowed to approach it in ways that suit your capacity, your stage of life, and what feels possible right now.
Therapy is one pathway — not the only one, and not always the first.
Sometimes the most meaningful starting point is simply noticing where strain exists, and choosing one small, supportive shift.