The importance of Mental & Emotional Wellbeing

Back in January, I introduced the concept of the Seven Healers of Nature—the core pillars I believe support long-term health and vitality. At the time, I admitted that mental and emotional wellbeing often gets left off the list. But after this month’s post, I think you’ll agree: it absolutely deserves its place.

Yes, nutrition, water, movement, sleep, and sunshine are essential—but if we’re not tending to our mental health and emotional resilience, the rest can only carry us so far. You can eat the perfect diet, train like a pro, and still find yourself exhausted, run down, and burnt out if stress is running the show.

What I’m Seeing in Clinic

After nearly two decades in practice, I’ve seen countless presentations of stress-related illness. While my clinical focus is sports nutrition, I work with clients from all walks of life. And more and more, I’m seeing the same underlying issue: we’re too busy, too wired, and too out of balance.

Our minds are racing. Our to-do lists are endless. And all too often, this chronic stress begins to show up in our physical health:

• Frequent colds or slow recovery
• Digestive complaints
• Hormonal disruption
• Persistent fatigue
• Stubborn weight gain (especially around the middle)
• Poor physical performance—even for well-trained athletes

The Questions I Always Ask

There are two questions I ask almost every new client:

1. How stressed do you feel, on a scale from 1 to 10?

2. What do you do to relax or unwind?

The answers are usually telling.

The first is often answered with a sheepish laugh or sigh, followed by, “About as stressed as everyone else.” The second tends to be even more revealing—something like, “I used to read/meditate/go for walks, but I haven’t had time in ages.”

Sound familiar?

The Elephant in the Room

Mental and emotional wellbeing isn’t optional. It’s not a “nice to have if there’s time.” It’s foundational. It influences your immune health, sleep, metabolism, mood, memory, digestion, and even your ability to lose weight or gain strength.

So this month, I’m inviting you to prioritise this missing pillar. Let’s stop treating stress like a badge of honour and start treating it like what it really is—a major health risk.

This Month’s Challenge: One Thing a Day

Your challenge this month is simple: Do one thing every day that supports your mental or emotional wellbeing.
Just one. It doesn’t have to be fancy. It just has to be for you.

Here are a few ideas to get started:

• Journal or keep a gratitude list
• Walk or cycle without a destination or goal
• Have a bath or foot soak
• Try a short meditation or breathing exercise
• Light a candle or use essential oils
• Book a massage or give yourself a hand rub
• Read something purely for pleasure
• Go for a bushwalk or watch a sunset
• Dance in your living room
• Visit a friend for a coffee and chat
• Do a jigsaw puzzle or pick up a creative hobby
• Spend time with a pet
• Say something kind to yourself out loud
• Watch a feel-good movie
• Go tech-free for an hour
• Talk honestly with someone you trust—about life, yourself, your stress

If your first thought is “I don’t have time,” then this challenge is exactly for you.

Start Small, Stay Consistent

Just like training for a race or overhauling your nutrition, mindset work is a process. You don’t go from zero to zen in a week. You build it—slowly, steadily.

Start with five minutes a day. If that feels like too much, start with one. The trick is consistency. And like everything else in life—if it’s not scheduled, it probably won’t happen. So set a reminder. Block it out in your planner. Put a post-it on your bathroom mirror.

Create space for your mind and emotions, just like you do for your physical health. Because in the end, they’re all connected.

Remember . . .

There’s no gold star for pushing through stress until you break. There’s no glory in burnout.
But there is strength in pausing. In choosing to care for your inner world just as much as the outer one.
So this month, let’s honour that strength.

What’s your “one thing” today?