Daily Habits
Every day of the Challenge, participants walk 9,000 steps PLUS choose ONE habit from these four categories. These categories represent the core pillars of mental wellbeing.
CONNECT
LEARN
CREATE
REST
Participants can do the same habit every day or mix it up, the goal is building sustainable practices, not perfection.
CONNECT
Build and maintain meaningful relationships
Social connection is one of the strongest protective factors against mental health challenges. Loneliness and isolation increase suicide risk, while meaningful relationships provide support, purpose, and belonging.
Daily Habit Examples
- Call or video chat with a friend or family member (10+ min)
- Have a meaningful face-to-face conversation (not small talk)
- Send a thoughtful message to someone you care about
- Eat a meal with others without phones at the table
- Join a community activity (sports, hobby group, volunteering)
- Attend a social event or gathering
- Help someone with something they need
- Have coffee or lunch with a colleague
- Play a game with friends or family
- Join an online community discussion on something you care about
Learn
Engage your mind and develop new skills
Continuous learning keeps our minds engaged, builds confidence, and creates a sense of progress and achievement. Learning new things releases dopamine and creates neural pathways that support mental resilience and cognitive health.
Daily Habit Examples
- Read for 20+ minutes (book, article, something educational)
- Listen to a podcast episode about something new
- Watch a documentary or educational video
- Practice a new skill (language, instrument, coding, etc.)
- Take an online course or tutorial
- Learn something about a topic you know nothing about
- Try a new recipe and cook something unfamiliar
- Research something you've always wondered about
- Teach someone else something you know
- Journal about something you learned today
- Attend a workshop, webinar, or class
- Read about mental health, wellbeing, or self-improvement
Create
Express yourself and make something
Creative expression is a powerful outlet for processing emotions, reducing stress, and building self-esteem. Creating something - anything - activates reward centres in the brain and provides a sense of accomplishment. You don't have to be "good at art" to benefit from creativity.
Daily Habit Examples
- Write in a journal (thoughts, gratitude, goals, stories)
- Draw, sketch, paint, or colour
- Take photos and edit them
- Cook or bake something from scratch
- Play music (instrument, singing, making beats)
- Build or fix something (woodwork, repairs, crafts)
- Garden or work with plants
- Write poetry, songs, or creative writing
- Work on a creative hobby project
- Design something (graphics, layouts, plans)
- Dance or choreograph movement
- Organise or decorate a space in your home
Rest
Intentionally recharge your mind and body
Rest isn't laziness - it's essential for mental health. Chronic stress and burnout are major risk factors for depression and anxiety. Intentional rest allows our nervous system to recover, improves sleep quality, and builds resilience against stress. Note: This is ACTIVE rest, not passive scrolling.
Daily Habit Examples
- Meditation or mindfulness practice (guided or unguided)
- Deep breathing exercises (5-10 minutes)
- Gentle yoga or stretching
- Take a bath or long shower
- Sit in nature without your phone
- Get 8+ hours of quality sleep
- Take a proper lunch break away from your desk
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Sauna, ice bath, or temperature therapy
- Massage or self-massage
- Lie down and listen to calming music
- Digital detox hour (no screens)
- Spend time with pets without multitasking
How to Choose Your Daily Habit
Every day of the Challenge, participants walk 9,000 steps PLUS choose ONE habit from these four categories, the core pillars of mental wellbeing. Do the same habit every day or mix it up. The goal is building sustainable practices, not perfection.
Option 1
Consistency (Recommended for Beginners)
Pick ONE habit from ONE category and do it every day for 31 days. This builds a strong habit and makes the Challenge simpler.
Example: "I'll call someone I care about every day" (CONNECT).
Option 2
Rotation
Rotate through the categories on a schedule.
Example: Monday/Thursday = CONNECT, Tuesday/Friday = LEARN,
Wednesday/Saturday = CREATE,
Sunday = REST.
Option 3
Intuitive
Each morning, check in with yourself and ask: "What do I need today?" Choose the category and habit that feels most needed. This requires more self-awareness but can be very effective.
Option 4
Deficit Focus
Identify which category you're weakest in and commit to it for the whole month. If you're isolated, focus on CONNECT. If you're burned out, focus on REST. If you're feeling stuck, focus on LEARN or CREATE.
