How to stay healthy despite it all

Get real about where you're at, and start small when setting new routines. You can build good mental health habits just like you can build muscles. (Oh, and unclench your jaw.)

Photo illustration by Will Lanzoni/CNN

Real talk: I was the head writer for CNN's 5 Things newsletter (Sign up here to make our bosses happy!) for a few years, which meant I got up every day at 3 a.m. only to have my face immediately melted off by all of the horrors of the world. I also worked on a morning show right out of college and would regularly go out the night before and slide right into work without going home. My favorite quick meal was boxed mashed potatoes, with water and a can of tuna stirred in. I had raging untreated ADHD and slept with no top sheet. Basically, I was feral. 

I am now in my 30s, and though I've figured most of it out, I've had to repair several physical ailments that arose from my deranged sleep and living habits. 

Why am I telling you this? Because you are not sleeping enough. I just know it! You need to take care of yourself and actually heed all of that old health advice you always hear. TRUST ME, the ghost of bad decisions past! Here's how to get started.

Turns out, a lot of what society would have us believe about diet, exercise and sleep doesn't hold up under scientific scrutiny. And even if you've managed to avoid internalizing the most common health myths, some less obvious misconceptions might have crept in. 

Case in point: You know you need to get more sleep (please do not make us resort to threats), but your bedtime habits might be counterproductive. For starters, try your best to ditch your nightly TikTok scroll. Blue light really can do a number on you, including cutting off production of melatonin, the hormone that regulates your sleep-wake cycle.

Similarly, it's not breaking news that cooking at home is generally better for you than eating out, but you may be short on ideas for how to make it cheap and easy. Change your outlook on food prep by finding some fun social media accounts to follow for inspiration (grain bowls, anyone?), or if all that advance slicing and dicing isn't your thing, try keeping a stash of frozen veggies, proteins and precooked rice you can toss together for a last-minute weeknight meal. 

If you can't sleep, you should stay in bed until you can.

Fiction, actually! Sleep experts say staying put could train your brain to avoid sleep while in bed. Instead, get up and do something boring, like laundry, until you're sleepy.

Establishing a routine can make sure you have the best possibility of a good day. The secret? Start small. Pick one healthy thing and do it every day for a while. Then, pick another. String them together. Look, a routine!

Habit-building tip: Behavioral scientist Katy Milkman, author of "How to Change: The Science of Getting From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be," suggests strategies like "temptation bundling," where you build in a little treat to make a boring task enjoyable — like binge-watching a favorite show while you meal prep. 

One of the biggest mental health scams is people saying happiness comes naturally. Sometimes it doesn't! We all need a little help — often from a professional therapist or trusted resources — to feel well psychologically. It's also something you can practice on your own through mental hygiene, a routine that can help relieve stress and improve your overall well-being. 

Just 15 minutes a day of any activity that brings you calm — drinking coffee, positive self-talk, stretching — is all you need to kick-start this habit. "This is the mental health equivalent of brushing your teeth before you need a root canal," said Dr. Broderick Sawyer, a clinical psychologist in Louisville, Kentucky.

Mix things up to keep your mental hygiene practice effective, perhaps by incorporating some mindful time in nature. Some call it "forest bathing," but in reality it may just be "suburban sidewalk bathing" or "front-stoop bathing." And you should probably do it clothed.

Alcohol is straight up not good for you, sorry. Studies have said so. And take it from us: When you look back on the parties and good times of your youth, you will literally never think, "Gee, I wish I would have drunk more." Ever. You don't need to teetotal, but trying a strategy like giving up (or reducing) alcohol for a month could help you reset and reframe your relationship with booze.

Millie Gooch, founder of the Sober Girl Society, shares her story of finding a healthy balance with alcohol in her 20s.

CNN

Brooklyn-based chef Sophia Roe grew up in a traumatic environment, dropped out of college twice and worked in a toxic job. Roe says her anger and sadness manifested physically, to the point she couldn't even get out of bed. It took a lot of hard conversations (and the help of professionals) to get to a place where she could be honest with her feelings and realize "anger is not the same thing as being strong." That, she says, was the key to being happier and healthier.

Now, Roe journals, kickboxes, practices open communication with loved ones and cries when she needs to — sometimes even blocking out time for that in her calendar.

Austin Steele/CNN

Select one small, healthy practice you'd like to make a habit and try to do it every day for a week. Keep track of how it makes you feel. 

Ask yourself: What am I not doing (that I could do) to make myself feel good, physically and emotionally? When do I feel my best? Let us know what's working for you!

Questions? Feedback? Songs of praise? Message the Life, But Better team at adulting@cnn.com. Most of us are adults, after all.