6 good habits every creative should develop, to protect your mental health

After you visit the bathroom, you wash your hands. It's a simple habit that has probably saved you from serious illness at some point in your life. So, as World Mental Health Day approaches, it's worth asking: are you as serious about protecting your mind as your body?

After all, the demanding nature of our work can take a significant toll on our mental health. As artist and designer Liam Hopkins puts it, "In the creative industry, your mind is your most valuable tool. So you need to nurture it like any craft and protect your mental space as fiercely as your art."

The good news is that, just as hand-washing protects our physical well-being, there are specific habits that can protect you from mental health problems, such as anxiety, lack of confidence and perfectionism, too.

In this article, we'll examine six good habits that every creative needs to follow. We'll also include insights we've gained from discussions with our followers on social media. (To see all of these, check out these chats on Threads, LinkedIn and X.)

1. Set clear boundaries

As creatives, we want to be people-pleasers. But sometimes that translates as 'pushover'. So, one of the most important habits to forge is setting clear boundaries with your clients. That means clearly defining the scope of a project, clarifying which services you will and won't provide, detailing what times you will and won't respond to emails, and so on.

Doing so prevents you from getting overwhelmed because you've taken on more than you can handle. It boosts your self-esteem because it's a sign that you value your time, energy, and well-being. Plus, it fosters respect from others and prevents misunderstandings and conflicts, leading to more fulfilling relationships.

In the words of Lorenzo Fruzza, chief design officer at Havas London: "Learning to say 'no' can be a game-changer. I think designers' value can too often be wrapped up in fixing and solving problems, making it really hard to say no to a brief you just don't have the capacity for. But that first step of saying no is liberating. It establishes a boundary for your co-worker and, more importantly, for you."

2. Focus on the seven areas of life

When we talk about 'work-life balance', the focus is often narrowly on the number of hours we work. But we also need to think carefully about how we spend the hours we don't.

Self-help experts often talk about the seven areas of life, all of which are considered essential components of a balanced existence. They are Career, Relationships, Physical Health, Mental and Emotional Health, Spiritual Growth, Financial Stability and Fun and Recreation. (If you have a problem with the notion of 'Spiritual Growth', you can reframe that as something like self-discovery and connection).

Do you have clearly defined goals in all of these areas? Most of us don't. If you can take the time to define them, though, it can really boost your mental health.

Why? Because then you'll be able to break down your goals into achievable steps and steadily work towards them. This will provide you with a sense of direction and purpose in life. It will also stop you from obsessing about why you're "not successful" or why others are supposedly "doing better" than you and refocus your energies on something positive rather than negative.

As artist, design lecturer, and D&AD judge June Mineyama-Smithson says: "I used to beat myself up for the things I hadn't achieved, but I've flipped my thinking. Now, I remind myself that I'm a work in progress and have the power to change. It pushes me to take action instead of staying stuck."

3. Be disciplined and self-controlled

You might associate happiness with being chilled and Zen, following your heart, and going with the flow. But in practice, most creatives find it's the opposite. Boring, though it may sound, producing good work, learning new skills, solving problems, and achieving goals are more likely to make us feel calm and contented.

Those things all require, above all, discipline. As Tom Tootal, founder of creative agency Bandstand, puts it: "Whilst life is full of spinning plates, it's important to focus on one task at a time. So stay disciplined and singularly focused." Again, that might sound a bit boring, but it really does work.

As Beccy Owen, founder of Studio Resolve, says: "I believe calm, happiness and success come from focus and self-control. So, better mental health can be achieved through reducing distractions, learning to control your impulses and feelings, and prioritising your workload correctly. Anyone can master self control: it's never too late."

4. Eat well, exercise and relax

Physical and mental health are inexorably linked. Yet the life of a creative doesn't always make that easy. "The busy-busy nature of today's world, often pertinent in our industry, means we cram in crap food and crash out after a 12 or 14-hour day," says illustrator Ben Tallon. "That means we overlook nutrition, physical activity and release, and idling. Yet when we strike a balance in these areas, we're far more creative, and we'll likely do better quality work in less time, enabling us to keep up this cycle."

That doesn't necessarily mean having to kill yourself at the gym, though. Maybe it just means not sitting in the same spot, doing the same thing, for several hours daily.

As designer Ana Kárina Caetâno says: "Spending time with family, going to parks, visiting exhibitions, and chatting with friends are key moments for disconnecting and recharging. It's important to carve out spaces for relaxation to avoid burnout."

5. Make things for yourself, not clients

While the hustle of client work can be addictive, it's easy to lose touch with the pure joy of creation. So, another good mental health habit is to regularly make things for yourself rather than for clients.

"I read in Ben Tallon's wonderful book Creative Condition that 'you have to make time to be creative to be creative'," says Mandy Barker, founder and creative director of Sail Creative. "And it's so true. It's easy to put up barriers of time, space and perfection. But sometimes it's as simple as picking up a pen and paintbrush and doing mark making, removing the pressure."

Brand identity designer Abhinav Yadav echoes this sentiment: "Do something for yourself," he urges. "Life is weird; a creative's life is weirder. Often, in our quest to solve problems for others, we forget that at the frontier of our lives, we are our own clients. Someone painted because they liked painting. Someone wrote because they liked writing. So, learn how to bake, sketch, and do anything you want. But do it for yourself, and keep it to yourself."

6. Share your feelings

In 2024, we're often told that if we're suffering from poor mental health, we should find someone to talk to. But you shouldn't wait to reach rock bottom before doing so. Even in the good times, it's important to open up about your feelings, good and bad, to others. Sometimes, you won't even realise you're having a problem until you start talking about it.

And you shouldn't have to look too far: most creatives have mental health challenges of one kind or another. As senior designer Alice Milner puts it: "Realising you're not in it alone has been huge for me. It can be tough to open up about feeling anxious or overwhelmed, but when you do, you often find that others are dealing with similar things. Just talking to someone can lift the weight, and you might even help someone else who needs it, too."

Illustrator Alex Foxley agrees. "Anxiety and depression have been no stranger in my life, and I've learned that being open about it is crucial," he says. "There's nothing worse than facing those struggles alone. By being honest with yourself, your partner, friends, and clients, you not only take some of the weight off your shoulders but also create a space for connection. You'd be surprised by how many people are navigating similar challenges."

Conclusion

Protecting our mental health as creatives is not just about self-care; it's about sustaining the very source of our creativity. It couldn't, in short, be more important. Just as we've developed daily habits to protect our physical health, from washing our hands to brushing our teeth, it's vital to forge habits that protect our mental health, too.

So, make it a habit to set clear boundaries for clients at the start of each project and keep checking and enforcing them. Decide on your goals across all seven areas of life and break these down into regular, achievable steps. Stay disciplined with your creative work and develop good habits of exercise, eating, and relaxation. Regularly create things for yourself and find someone to share your feelings with regularly, good and bad.

As we approach World Mental Health Day, let's commit to incorporating these habits into our daily routines, fostering a healthier, more supportive, creative industry for all.