Today we’re chatting with Lisa Bruton, psychotherapist and spokesperson for the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). She runs a private practice in the centre of Reading, and alongside this is a guest tutor at the University of Oxford.

Hey, Lisa! If you could recommend One Good Thing everyone can do to improve their mental health, what would it be? 

Reach out to someone – through a phone message, a voice note, a phone call, an email or even something in the mail.

Interesting. Why is this your One Good Thing?

It is a rapid and low-effort/high-reward gesture that we can easily build into our daily lives and feel better in the process.

How exactly should we reach out?

Don’t overthink it. Think of one person – friend, family member, a former colleague, for instance – and just send them something. It could be a playful photo, a song, a memory of them you had that day, something funny that happened to you, a personal update or a simple but genuine “How are you?”

What are the benefits of doing this? 

We feel better when we connect with other people and do something altruistic – this is well documented. We are recovering from the lockdown period when it was harder to spend time with people, and this is a quick and easy way to reboot our connections. 

It allows for more person-to-person communication, rather than the general updates we may hear about from following friends on social media. It also directs our attention towards other people, and we know this is good for our mental health.

Are there any pitfalls people encounter when they try to reach out to someone? How can we avoid them?

We could procrastinate, let shyness hold us back or worry if we do not receive a response. The key here is: just do it. Don’t overthink it. Choose any names that come to mind. Also, hold in mind how nice it is for you when someone spontaneously gets in touch with you and uses that as a driver. 

Finally, try to not be attached to an outcome – you may receive a response or you may not – but generally, people appreciate being thought about. Hold this in mind.

How do you personally do your One Good Thing? 

There is one friend that I regularly send notes, cards and letters to and many people that I keep in touch with on an ad hoc basis, but I know now that to let them know I am thinking of them builds on our friendship, even if we don’t see each other in person that often. I don’t wait to ‘get it perfect’, but rather just put something out there and trust that the intention will be well received. 

And how has doing this changed your life for the better?

It helps me stay connected with other people and redirects me if I start to over-focus on myself. It gives me a sense of friendship around me even if many of my friends live far away. It has helped me transition into a time of my life where we may not spend a lot of time in each other’s presence, but we can still share what is going on in our lives and let friendships mature and thrive. 

Main image: Unsplash; Stylist