You’re so right. So, what’s the four-pillar approach? What are the pillars?

First of all, to create our bespoke toolkit we have to look at the fundamentals. I always think of wellbeing within the context of four pillars: better sleep, less stress, more energy and boosting mood. If you’re sleeping the best you can and you’ve got your stress in check, you can make a material impact on your energy levels, and therefore your mood is also something you have control and balance over. That’s a reassuring and empowering place to start.

Start to notice where you might be lacking in these four key areas:

Sleep: Is your sleeping schedule inconsistent or disjointed? Do you find that your brain feels suddenly awake when it should be winding down to sleep? Do you only ever sleep lightly and struggle to reach deep sleep? Or perhaps you sacrifice sleep during the week under the guise of ‘catching up at the weekend’?
Stress: How often do you check in with yourself to see how stressed you’re really feeling? Have you identified the core contributors to your stress levels? Where do you notice your stress manifesting itself, eg in your emotions, thought patterns, sleep or digestive health?
Energy: Do you have enough natural energy to get you through the day, or do you rely on vices like coffee or energy drinks to get you through? Do you find yourself lacking the energy or motivation to do anything after work or at the weekend? Have you overcommitted yourself to the point of burnout?
Mood: Are you constantly chasing a mood boost through means like shopping and booking holidays, only to find the spike dip as soon as those activities are over? Do your negative emotions overtake or outweigh your positive ones? Are you really in tune with your own core values?

One Good Thing: why you need to create your own 4-pillar wellbeing kit for better mental health