--- description: Life hacks for even the most stressful days title: How to Stay Mentally Strong When You're About to Crack image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7ee083ce29378b1c/69887c965f570f0963b1f8da/mental-health-egg-crack.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [motto](/tag/motto/) ## motto Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 5 Ways to Stay Mentally Strong When You Think You're About to Crack by [The Editors of Motto](/author/the-editors-of-motto/) ## The Editors of Motto Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 8, 2016 8:26 PM CUT  Cconceptual cracked egg Cconceptual cracked eggpchyburrs—Getty Images/RooM RM by [The Editors of Motto](/author/the-editors-of-motto/) ## The Editors of Motto Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 8, 2016 8:26 PM CUT Everybody has those work days that no amount of coffee, chocolate or wine can seem to fix. Whether you’re recovering from a too-short weekend or pushing through the end of a too-long work week, it’s hard to keep your brain decluttered and calm. Prioritize self care with these easy tips and refresh your mind without missing your deadlines. If you’re in the office, leave your desk for a second to stand in a power pose and take in some deep breaths. Make a quick to-do list so you can visualize your tasks to make them seem less daunting and then plan for a night of TV watching, cooking or coloring to get your mind off of everything. You’d be surprised what a difference it can make. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4212291/stay-mentally-strong-health-tips/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4212291/stay-mentally-strong-health-tips/"},"headline":"5 Ways to Stay Mentally Strong When You Think You're About to Crack","datePublished":"2016-02-08T20:26:42.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T09:01:48.213Z","description":"Life hacks for even the most stressful days","url":"https://time.com/4212291/stay-mentally-strong-health-tips/","keywords":["motto","Health Care","Mental Health","video"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7ee083ce29378b1c/69887c965f570f0963b1f8da/mental-health-egg-crack.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"The Editors of Motto","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/the-editors-of-motto/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7ee083ce29378b1c/69887c965f570f0963b1f8da/mental-health-egg-crack.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"548298909","caption":"Cconceptual cracked egg","creditText":"pchyburrs—Getty Images/RooM RM","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/motto/","name":"motto"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4212291/stay-mentally-strong-health-tips/","name":"5 Ways to Stay Mentally Strong When You Think You're About to Crack"}}]}] ```