Three Small Things

May is Mental Health Awareness Month — a time to pause, reflect, and prioritize taking care of ourselves from the inside out. Life as a university student moves fast. Deadlines, responsibilities, and the pressure to perform can make it difficult to prioritize mental health.

But here's the thing: improving your mental health doesn't always require big, sweeping changes. Often, it starts small. Small, consistent actions practiced daily can meaningfully shift how we feel, how we cope, and how we show up for ourselves and others.

This month, we're inviting our campus community to try just three small things. That's it. Three things you can weave into a day that's already full. No extra time, no special equipment, no perfection required.

1. Step Outside for Ten Minutes

It sounds almost too simple, but spending even a brief amount of time outdoors can have a measurable impact on your mood and stress levels. Natural light, fresh air, and a change of scenery give your nervous system a chance to reset.

If you are on campus here at Concordia Texas, you know we are absolutely spoiled for nature. Spend time outside observing the preserve, take a walk on Tornado Trail, or simply wander around campus taking in all the blooming wildflowers for at least 10 minutes a day.

If you aren’t on campus, you don't need to go for a long walk or find a scenic trail. Step outside wherever you are and let the sun hit your face. Observe the nature around you, listen to the birds, watch the clouds, and take deep breaths of fresh air.

Try this: Set a reminder on your phone once a day that simply says "go outside."

2. Name One Thing You're Feeling

Emotional awareness is one of the most powerful and most underrated mental health tools we have. Research in neuroscience has shown that simply naming an emotion can reduce its intensity. Therapists call this "name it to tame it," and it works.

You don't need to journal for an hour or process your feelings out loud with someone (though both of those are great too). Just pause once a day and ask yourself: What am I actually feeling right now? Not "fine." Not "stressed, I guess." Something more specific: frustrated, lonely, overwhelmed, grateful, numb, hopeful.

That moment of honest self-awareness creates a tiny but important gap between you and your emotions; it gives you just enough space to respond rather than just react.

Try this: At the end of each day, name three emotions you felt. No explanation needed. Just notice.

3. Take a Few Minutes for Reflection, Prayer, or Gratitude

One of the most accessible and meaningful things you can do for your mental health costs nothing and takes only a few minutes, but its effects can ripple through your entire day. Whether it looks like a brief meditation, a time of prayer, a gratitude practice, or quietly repeating an affirmation that grounds you, intentional inward reflection is a powerful anchor for a busy life.

Research consistently shows that gratitude practices in particular are linked to lower levels of stress and depression and higher levels of overall well-being. But beyond the science, there is something deeply human about pausing to connect with yourself, with something greater than yourself, or simply with what is good and true in your life right now.

This practice doesn't have to look any particular way. It can be religious or secular, silent or spoken, structured or completely free form. What matters is that it's intentional, a moment you carve out just to be still and present.

Try this: Each morning or evening, choose one of the following and spend just three to five minutes with it: write down three things you're grateful for, repeat an affirmation that speaks to something you need to hear, sit in a few minutes of quiet meditation or deep breathing, or spend time in prayer in whatever form feels meaningful to you. Notice how it sets the tone for what comes next.

A Final Note

None of these things will fix everything. They are not meant to. If you are struggling with something deeper, such as persistent sadness, anxiety that won't quit, thoughts that scare you — please reach out to our Counseling Center. That's what we're here for, and you don't have to be in crisis to make an appointment.

But for the everyday weight that all of us carry, small things matter more than we give them credit for. Choose one of these to try this week. Then try another. And notice, over time, what starts to shift.