One of the first steps to beginning a daily routine for better mental health is to learn to pause. This pause doesn’t just mean creating a stop from what you’re doing - though that’s a big part of it - it means giving yourself the space to feel what you’re feeling, notice what you’re noticing, and to ask yourself, “what do I actually need right now?”. This first step sets you up to be able to enter the remainder of the process with an open mind and a calm and safe internal atmosphere.