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The 80/20 principle, or rather the Pareto principle, is a potent principle that can change your way of thinking in relation to mental health. It indicates that about 20 percent of the causes bring about approximately 80 percent of the effects. Within the context of mental well-being, this will imply that few habits, thoughts, or actions tend to make up much of your stress, anxiety, happiness, or calm.

For example:

• It could be that 80 percent of the triggers of your stress are 20 percent of your triggers (such as some individuals, thinking patterns, and scrolling through social media).
• Only 20 percent of self-care practices (walking around every day or having a good sleep or doing mini-mindfulness sessions) can be nearly 80 percent of what brings you peace.
• The right number of interactions or boundaries in a relationship or in everyday life can make most of your emotional balance.

Application: To use it, follow the direction of what makes the needle really change your mood in less than a week. Target the most important 20 registered items (high-impact habits) and decrease or cut the low-value drains. This will ensure that you do not attempt to put your hand in everything, and you will end up doing less but feel much more. The ratios are not necessarily precise (it may be 70/30), but the attitude towards the leverage points is what is important. The initial suggestion made by many specialists is to simply write down or meditate over what your personal 20% is.