We can all fall off the health wagon from time to time, including me (many times), which is why I try and adopt the five ways to wellbeing to keep me as holistically healthy as possible.
So here’s how to…
Evidence suggests these 5 steps can help us all take to improve our mental wellbeing.
If you give them a try, you may feel happier, more positive and able to get the most from life.
- Connect – connect with the people around you: your family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. Spend time developing these relationships.
I’ve really found this important, especially recently, as I’ve been adjusting to single parenting, moving house and shared childcare.
A support network has been vital to keep me going from fun nights out to a shoulder to cry on to dancing and chatting lots… I’m so grateful to those around me online and offline.
And an important part of connecting is also helping others too because “no man is an island.”
- Be active – you don’t have to go to the gym. Take a walk, go cycling or play a game of football.
If you’ve followed my journey, you’ll know how vital exercise has been to me. I really believe in feel-good fitness and that “anything is better than nothing.” So just get outside and start walking. I never regret when I’ve been active.
- Keep learning – learning new skills can give you a sense of achievement and a new confidence. So why not sign up for that cooking course, start learning to play a musical instrument, or figure out how to fix your bike?
I love learning as it helps me to grow. As I am super busy at the moment, my favourite way to learn is by listening to podcasts whilst I am walking or running or even cleaning at home. I love learning about business, health and positive mindsets.
- Give to others – even the smallest act can count, whether it’s a smile, a thank you or a kind word. Larger acts, such as volunteering at your local community centre, can improve your mental wellbeing and help you build new social networks.
I started my career in journalism as a volunteer and campaigner. By giving to those in need, I hadn’t realised at the time, but I was helping myself too. I still love working in a range of communities so that I am aware of the issues that a wide variety of people face. My goal is to use my media skills to give a voice to these communities.
Whilst my own life has been fairly turbulent recently, I haven’t felt i have a lot to give but just by the act of donating a bag to charity a week, I feel as if I am at least doing small things to help.
- Be mindful – be more aware of the present moment, including your thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you. Some people call this awareness “mindfulness”. It can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges.
Mindfulness is a big one for me as I try to multi-task all the time but a lot of research shows that there is no such thing as multi tasking and that actually we are just switching tasks. So we aren’t doing anything that well.
I like to do challenges and being active to help concentrate my brain. But also just sometimes focusing on the world around us really can help. From gazing at the trees to listening to noises no matter how subtle.
I love yoga, Pilates and meditation to help me do this as it takes a while for my brain to switch off, I am sometimes better in a controlled environment. At a recent health event, I tried chocolate meditation which was indulgent and brilliant at focusing on your senses.
WATCH MY VLOG ON THE FIVE WAYS TO WELLBEING FOR MORE EXAMPLES…
Source: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/improve-mental-wellbeing/