Four Practical Ways to Improve Your Mental Wellness

At Intuit, maker of TurboTax and QuickBooks we encourage our employees to bring their unique experiences, empathy and ideas to work. We also strive to be an inspiration to other corporations and believe in doing our part to strengthen the diversity of future and current talent in our communities and around the world.

Mental health is an important topic for all of us, no matter who you are. Although we all have a lot going on in our lives right now, the extraordinary circumstances we’re living through make it even more important for us to take stock of our mental wellness. Just ask the CEO of Whil, Joe Burton, who sat down with Intuit’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Scott Beth to share practical ways to reduce stress, increase resilience and improve sleep and performance with our employees around the world. 

“We get better at the things we practice most. We need to create a brain that’s an optimist. It turns out being an optimist adds years to your life. Mindfulness helps us tilt more towards being positive, and happier:”

– Joe Burton, CEO of Whil

We’ve rounded up some of our favorite tips on how to devote a few minutes each day to boosting your own mental well-being, or even improve someone else’s.

Talk with someone

• Have a virtual chat with friends or family about challenges you’re facing to help keep things in perspective.
• Be there for the people you care about when they need support. Just making your presence known can have a big impact on a person who’s feeling alone.
• Get confidential support through qualified mental health professionals, such as virtual counselling sessions.

Take care of yourself

• Treat yourself to a self-healing activity, like a meditation or mindfulness session.
• Learn to relax and reduce stress by finding activities that make you happy. While these activities may look a little different these days, try to carve out some time for yourself.
• Join a live or on-demand virtual fitness class, watch an online cooking demonstration, enjoy a virtual gardening lesson or connect with friends and start a virtual book club

Take a mental health day

• When an hour or two of relaxation isn’t enough, take some extra time to fully rejuvenate.
• Dedicate a day to revisiting an activity you enjoy, like running, drawing or baking. If a full day feels intimidating, first start with a few hours to let yourself decompress.
• Try taking a break from the news and social media. Explore a few hours each day when you turn your electronics off or find a phone app to help keep you accountable.

Reach out to others

• Check in with an elderly neighbor to see if they need help with getting groceries or tending to other errands that can be done from a safe distance.
• Engage in some volunteer activities or find ways to give back. Even if you’re sheltering in place, there are plenty of safe ways you can continue to make a difference. Ideas include giving to the organizations you love and helping small businesses by buying gift cards or writing an online review. 
• Touch base with people you know who are living alone. A lot of us are feeling pretty isolated these days—even a quick check-in can lift someone’s spirits.

While we’re all navigating new and different situations in our professional and personal lives, just remember that your mental health is important too. It’s okay to feel stressed right now. As our CEO, Sasan Goodarzi, reminds our team, remember that, “no matter what comes our way, believe that tomorrow will be a better day and that this too will pass.”