Three Daily Practices to Definitely Do When Going Through A Difficult Time

There’s a lot of heaviness in the world right now, and if you’re feeling it, you’re not alone. I hope this article gives you a few simple ways to steady yourself and find moments of lightness.

In this short post, I'll share three evidence-based habits you can start implementing in your day that can bolster your resiliency and support your mental wellness - they don’t take a lot of time and you can start including them today.

When depression or low mood takes hold, we slide into a heightened focus on the negative. So, we need small, intentional practices to help rebalance this tendency and create moments of lightness, especially when we're going through difficult times. Hope, after all, is something we can cultivate, something we can train our brain's to notice. ​

The 3 Practices to Bring Into Your Every Day

1. Balance the Negativity Bias with a Morning Reflection

Our brains are wired to scan for threats, especially when we’re feeling down. To counter this, start each morning by noting one good thing happening in your life or around you. This isn’t about ignoring struggles or pretending everything is fine—it’s about balance. Because, Even in difficult times, positive moments still exist. Recognizing them helps retrain the brain to see a fuller, more accurate outlook.

2. Gratitude As An Anchor

Each evening, write down three things you’re grateful for and why they mattered to you. This isn't about forced positivity—it’s about gently shifting focus to see more clearly. Here's the really cool part: once this becomes a habit, your brain starts scanning for positive moments on its own—because it knows you’ll be reflecting on them later. This simple shift strengthens the neural pathways that support resilience and well-being over time.

3. Moments of Awe

Awe connects us to something larger than ourselves and can offer a sense of perspective, even during tough times. Maybe it's noticing a beautiful sunset or the Northern Lights, watching a majestic bird in flight or a silly thing your pet tends to do. Or listening to your tunes and imagining how much fun that artist must have performing their songs and offering them out to their fans. Even a brief moment of awe can remind you that beauty and wonder exist alongside struggle.

These practices won't take too much of your time each day. Building resilience doesn’t need to require huge, life-changing actions - these small, consistent shifts can have a lasting impact.

I invite you to try these three habits for the next two weeks with an observer’s mindset:  notice how you feel, what shifts (even subtly), and what feels different as you engage with these practices.

To set yourself up for success, consider creating a small reminder - a note on your phone, a sticky note on your mirror, or an alarm labeled "Morning Reflection" or "Gratitude".  And, if you give it a try, I’d love to hear about your experience! Drop a comment and let me know what you noticed along the way.

Interested in a deeper dive into strategies that can buffer against symptoms of depression? Check out my free audio mini-course Depression: Strengthening the Four Domains of Symptom Reduction

References:

• 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self (2014), by Dan Harris
• The Psychology of Gratitude (2004), edited by Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough 
• The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Depression, (2017), by Kirk D. Strosahl and Patricia J. Robinson​