Owning Your Mental Wellness Journey: Why Consistency Is Key

For most of my adult life, I’ve been lying to myself about my mental and emotional well-being. Above all, I didn’t want to be different. I wanted so badly to be the guy who could go out, have a few drinks, eat junk, and then wake up the next day, put in zero effort on my mental wellness, and still function perfectly. But the reality is, that’s just not me.

It took me years to finally accept that I’m wired differently—not in a bad way, just in a way that’s not like everyone else. I often compare it to being a Type 1 diabetic, but mentally. I know it’s a rough analogy, but it gets the point across. On days when I do the work I know I need—checking in with myself regularly—I feel great, even better than great. But on days when I just roll out of bed and hope for the best, things don’t go as well. Just like a diabetic needs to maintain their health, I need to maintain my mental wellness. When I do, I’m good. When I don’t, things go south quickly.

I recently caught up with a colleague who was key in our early customer research. She reminded me that this is exactly what so many people had figured out and why we decided to build Hanu. Through those early customer interviews—after lots of trial, error, and setbacks—people realized they needed a daily plan, accountability, and guidance to stay on track. The more people I speak with, the clearer it becomes: this is the reality for many of us. And the saddest part is how often these issues go undiagnosed or untreated when so much of it is preventable.

So What Do You Mean by Different?

I'll keep this short. By "different," I mean that some brains are wired in their own unique way. It could stem from childhood trauma, abuse, environmental factors, or even adult experiences—who really knows (there is a way to find out BTW, just cannot cover that in this article). The key point is that some people's emotional “home” (to borrow a term from Tony Robbins) tends to lean toward fear, anxiety, worry, or scarcity. Meanwhile, most of us would prefer our brains to be wired for peace, calm, optimism, and abundance.

Different doesn’t mean bad—it just means that some of us don’t wake up, jump out of bed, and start radiating rainbows. For some, it takes effort to move away from the emotional home we’re used to and work toward the one we want. I see it as a spectrum, not a black-and-white thing. Everyone’s somewhere on that scale. The farther from where you want to be, the more work its going to take (generally).

Learn, Let Go, Commit, and Ask for Help if Needed

Throughout my journey, I tried everything. Seriously, everything—supplements, anti-anxiety meds, therapy (you name the type, I’ve done it), meditation, yoga—the whole spectrum. And to be clear, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with any of these things. In fact, experimenting with all of them was incredibly valuable. Many of these practices are still part of my routine today, and honestly, some things you just need to experience to really learn.

What I struggled with was twofold: 1) sticking to a program, and 2) admitting I needed one in the first place. To be clear, a "program" doesn’t have to be complicated—it could be as simple as a 10-minute morning routine. But the key is consistency. Accepting that regular maintenance is essential to a healthy routine, and understanding that for me, poor functioning comes from neglecting that maintenance, took time.

And finally, when in doubt, seek help. It could be from a coach, mentor, therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist. The bottom line is it’s okay to ask for and accept help, whether directly or indirectly. My own stubbornness was a huge roadblock to feeling better.

Build a Mental Wellness Plan

By now, you’ve probably accepted that you’re a little “different.” If you’re one of those people who wakes up radiating rainbows every day, feel free to stop reading. 🙂 But for the rest of us, the next step is to create a personal mental wellness plan, stick to it, hold yourself accountable, and be ready to adapt, adjust, and iterate as you learn more about yourself and discover new wellness strategies.

Building a plan is both an art and a science, but the key is to make it something you can actually stick to. Research shows that mornings are the best time to implement routines. So, no matter what else you do throughout the day, make sure to include something—even if it’s short—in your morning routine. As for what to include, that’s where experimentation, expert advice, and tools like Hanu come in handy. Some popular options include affirmations, meditation, prayer, visualization, acceptance, breathwork, and gratitude (also known as vitamin G).

Start by prioritizing a morning routine, add an evening pre-bed ritual, and bonus points if you can fit something in during the day. That’s a solid foundation to build on!

Commit Like Your Mental Wellness Depends on It

Let’s go back to my Type 1 Diabetic analogy—this is where it gets tough. You need to commit and treat this as a lifelong plan. You won’t ever stop; it just becomes part of your daily routine. And honestly, it’s a positive part! If you’re thinking, "I’ll do this for a few weeks, maybe a few months, and then I’m healed," think again. Consider the gym: if you worked out for a few weeks or months and then stopped, would you stay fit? Probably not. The same applies to your mental wellness. You’ve built a plan, now it’s time to go to the mental gym every day, because if you stop, you risk slipping back to where you started.

But here’s the good news: this should feel empowering! It’s a positive habit, not a chore. Don’t think of it as work—it’s just what you do to be the best version of yourself.

How Hanu Can Help

Hanu is a mental and emotional wellness tool designed to strengthen the mind-body connection. It lets you track not only the work you’re doing for your mind, but also what you’re doing for your body and your sleep. It becomes the core of your wellness journey, allowing you to experiment, monitor your progress, and gain valuable insights through our AI engine.

Like I mentioned earlier, you don’t have to go through this alone—let Hanu be your guide.