Sir John Kirwan reveals his six pillars for better mental health

Sir John Kirwan has shared the six things he does every day to look after his mental health during a chat with The Morning Rumble, and it's real simple.

The former All Black and mental health advocate has spent decades talking openly about his own struggles, and reckons looking after your head doesn't need to be complicated.

"I have six pillars," JK explained, breaking down the habits he sticks to every single day.

1. Actively relax your brain

"I've got a monkey brain. It's always on the go," JK admitted. His solution? Finding something that properly switches his brain off.

For him, that's playing guitar (badly, apparently), reading a book or cooking. Basically, doing something that gives your brain a break from the constant noise.

2. Keep learning something new

JK reckons it's important to challenge your brain outside of work. He's currently trying to learn how to read music.

It doesn't have to be anything massive. Just something that keeps your brain ticking over that's got absolutely nothing to do with your day job.

3. Connect with people and nature, not just your phone

JK says he connects in three ways: through his phone, nature and other people.

But he noticed his phone was starting to take over, so he's ditched notifications and waits 45 minutes after getting out of bed before switching his phone on.

He also makes time to sit down with a coffee, without his phone getting an invite.

"Boredoms a beautiful thing, but now we're filling it with the phone."

4. Move your body

Good news if you're not exactly a gym junkie. JK says movement doesn't have to mean smashing out a workout.

Walking, gardening or simply getting up and moving around all count. The important thing is making movement part of your day.

5. Find something to enjoy every day

"What are you going to enjoy today?" JK asked.

It might be starting a new book, having a glass of wine with your partner or doing something small that makes you happy. Nothing flash required. Just having something to look forward to.

6. Practice gratitude

This one took JK a bit of convincing. When his psychiatrist first suggested gratitude around 25 years ago, he wasn't exactly sold.

"Piss off that doesn’t work," he recalled telling her.

At the time, he was struggling so much that he couldn't see what he had to be grateful for.

His psychiatrist asked whether he'd managed to get out of bed that morning. When he said yes, she told him to be grateful for that. These days, before going to sleep, JK thinks about three things that are great in his life. And he's disciplined about sticking to all six habits.

"I do six of those things every single day."

Why JK is pushing mental health education through Mitey

During the chat, JK also opened up about why he helped create Mitey, a mental health education programme for Kiwi primary school kids. Despite spending more than 20 years advocating for mental health, he admitted he'd reached a point where he felt he'd failed.

"Our suicide rates are still going the wrong way," he said.

After bringing together a group of people to rethink the approach, they landed on the idea of teaching mental health skills much earlier. JK initially thought secondary schools should be the priority, but was told tamariki needed those skills before they got there.

The result was Mitey.

And some of the responses from kids have been pretty emotional.

JK recalled a nine-year-old boy approaching him and handing over his pocket money.

"JK, I love Mitey and my mum really suffers."

A pretty powerful reminder of why he's doing it.

If you or someone you know is struggling, you can check out a bunch of mental health resources here.