If you brush your teeth every day, have a cup of coffee each morning or shut off your phone before you go to sleep, you may not realize it, but you’re practicing a ritual.

Rituals are a common part of our daily lives and can help us relax, reduce stress and anxiety, and focus. They become a habit.

So, what if we were to develop rituals that have to do with our mental health?

“Rituals can be helpful in the same way that meditation can be helpful,” said Dr. James Ashworth, executive vice chair, vice chair of clinical services and medical director of psychiatric services at Huntsman Mental Health Institute.

In a press release, Ashworth said rituals provide a sense of stability in an uncertain future, allowing us to focus on what is within our control.

Mental health rituals can include everything from daily prayer, meditation, exercise, adequate sleep, setting healthy boundaries and developing healthy relationships.

In “The Rituals We Share,” which is part of a public service campaign called “Love, Your Mind,” professional athletes share their pre-performance rituals and encourage viewers to adopt rituals that will help clear their minds, elevate performance and better handle stress.

“Rituals tie in with beliefs, values, scripts and schemas, which people draw on for strength,” said David Eldredge, a licensed clinical social worker at Huntsman Mental Health Institute. “People find predictability in ritual patterns and create practices to help them obtain desired outcomes.”

Dr. Jason Hunziker, division chief of adult psychiatry at Huntsman Mental Health Institute and consulting psychiatrist for the Utah Jazz, said it’s important to surround yourself with positivity, learn how to center yourself, and adopt habits and rituals that will lift you up and keep you going.

That’s not always easy to do.

“Set realistic goals — goals you can achieve,” he said. “Also understand that nobody is perfect, but that doesn’t change the fact that we didn’t do our best.”

Hunziker said when he knows he’s going to have a challenging day, he hooks up his karaoke machine and sings for a couple of hours.

“I have a set of songs that gets me back in focus and helps me feel recharged to handle whatever comes my way,” he said.

The bottom line: Rituals can help us cope with mental health challenges, a problem which has increased substantially across the country as well as Utah.

According to a State of Mental Health America report, nearly 60 million Americans experienced a mental illness during the past year, including 29.68% of Utahns (or 675,000 people), placing the state at the top of the list nationwide. In addition, 7.12% of people in the state had serious thoughts of suicide.

Anxiety is the most commonly reported form of mental illness, followed by major depression, post traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and schizophrenia.

A large percentage of these people — 55% of American adults — are unable to access mental health treatment, with cost being one of the biggest barriers. Other reasons include people believing they can resolve their own mental health problems, not having enough time or not knowing where to seek help.

The report also shows 19.1% of Utah children have been affected by a mental illness in the past year.

One reason the state has such high mental health problems has to do with a lack of mental health professionals. The state has fewer providers per 100,000 people compared to the national average.

Eldredge said our brains are constantly changing, based on how we use them.

“This serves as a powerful reminder of the impact our thoughts can have on our brain’s development,” he said.

Ashworth said there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to creating a ritual. They are as distinctive as the person creating them and they can change over time.

He added that rituals are not just habits. They require awareness, intention and repetition — steps to lift us up and keep going.

William Smith, chief administrative officer at Huntsman Mental Health, said he tries to get at least 15 minutes of sunlight each day.

“Getting a few minutes of sunlight first thing in the morning has several benefits for health and well-being,” Smith said. “Sunlight helps regulate your body’s internal clock, known as the circadian rhythm, which controls sleep patterns. Exposure to natural light in the morning signals your brain that it’s time to wake up, making you feel more alert and energized. It can also improve your mood by increasing the production of serotonin, a hormone that makes you feel happy.”