World Mental Health Day 2025
Mark World Mental Health Day With These Supportive Practices
October 10th, 2025, is World Mental Health Day, an annual day dedicated to mental health awareness and resources around the globe. This year’s theme is “Access to Services – Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies”. At a time when humanity is confronted with many different humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters, the ripple effects can be felt across the world, whether you’re directly impacted or not. The theme asks us to take stock of how these events influence our mental state, whether we have the resources to sustain our mental health in the face of these challenges, and how we can help ourselves and others to heal.
At Yogi, we believe wellbeing starts within, and cultivating a mindset rooted in peace, clarity, and harmony can begin with small rituals. Here, we draw on insights from a psychologist and mindfulness coach, along with the latest scientific research, to deliver three accessible, actionable ways you can support your mental wellbeing every day.
Take mindful breaks
If you’re anything like us at Yogi, your life is busy juggling work schedules and family and social commitments. Sometimes there just isn’t time in the day for a yoga class or run. The good news is if short breaks are intentional and mindful, they can still support wellbeing. Vanessa Hansch, a mindful work coach and founder of Y2B, a company focused on fostering wellbeing in the workplace, recommends creating a routine where you integrate five- to 10-minute breaks throughout the day.
Stand up from your desk and give your eyes a rest from any screens. Start with several rounds of deep belly breathing, practice self-massage on your shoulders or neck, or create some fluid movement, such as a series of sun salutations. Everyday tasks can also become opportunities to practice mindfulness if we devote our full attention to them. Explore stillness and ground yourself in the present moment as you brew and slowly sip a stress relief tea, bringing your awareness to each movement and sensation.
Acknowledge your feelings
Sometimes even a small disappointment or setback during the day can take a toll on your mood. When you find yourself overwhelmed, try acknowledging and allowing the emotion. “I call it curious attention,” says Zolezzi. “Research shows that naming the emotion we’re feeling reduces the impact of the emotion by 30 percent, especially when we sit with what we find without being “hooked” or reacting.” If you can get out outside for a short walk while practicing this, even better, because spending time in nature is linked to benefits including restoring cognitive function and reducing stress and cortisol levels, according to a 2021
published in The Journal of Positive Psychology. study
Make time for movement
“Emotions start in the body,” said psychologist Nina Zolezzi in a recent mental health workshop with Yogi. Our bodies create physical sensations that send signals to our brains through the vagus nerve, which the brain interprets as an emotion, sending a response back to the body, xplained Zolezzi, whose practice is rooted in neuroscience. Learning to regulate stress in our bodies through deep breathing, either during sustained exercise such as running and yoga or simply walking, can have a positive effect on our mental state.
Exercise influences the brain by triggering the release of neurotransmitters such as endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine, which help regulate mood and emotions, according to a 2024 study in Physical Activity and Nutrition. Exercise also reduces inflammation and improves sleep quality, both of which have been shown to have a positive effect on managing depression. If you’re short on time, keep a resistance band or Bosu ball in your office or living room for sporadic, short intervals of movement. Also known as “exercise snacks”, research shows that mini, five-minute bursts of movement throughout the day can be more beneficial for your health than an hour-long workout session.
Get social in your community
If you’re an extrovert, you might not realize that what comes naturally to you is benefitting your health. A 2023 U.S. Surgeon General report and the World Health Organization have noted that feelings of loneliness and isolation can be as detrimental to our mental and physical health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. On the flip side, fostering social connection reduces inflammation, the risk of chronic disease, and feelings of anxiety and depression, according to the World Health Organization.
If you’re struggling with your mental health, you might not feel like being social, but chances are meeting up with a friend for coffee or dinner will leave you recharged and uplifted. Becoming involved in your community through joining a special interest group such as knitting, hiking, or a book club forges new connections if you’re feeling disconnected from family or your current friend group. Social connection linked to altruism is shown to be particularly beneficial to our mental health, so volunteering is also a great path to explore.
Five-minute check in
If you’re looking for somewhere to start right now, try this five-minute guided breathing exercise or check out a short meditation on Headspace or Calm.
If you’re struggling with your mental health or someone you care about is, reach out and speak to someone.