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Five Ways to Wellbeing
Evidence suggests there are 5 steps we can all take to improve our wellbeing. Here are a few simple ideas we can use in our everyday context:
Connect
- Take the time to be with your family.
- Build relationships – strengthen old ones or broaden new relationships.
- Arrange a day out with friends.
- Switch off the TV and play a game with family/friends.
- Phone people or write a letter.
- Join a new club or activity.
- Have lunch with a colleague or peer, perhaps someone you don’t usually get time to talk to.
- Make the most of technology – video chat apps like Skype and FaceTime are a great way of staying in touch with friends and family, particularly when abroad.
Keep Learning
- Learn to cook a favourite dish that you have never eaten at home
- Visit a gallery or museum and learn about a person or period in history that interests you.
- Take on a new responsibility at work or a CPD course
- Do a DIY project you’ve been meaning to do
- Sign up for a course online, or an evening class
- Rediscover an old hobby that challenges you, whether it’s making models, writing stories, sewing, card making, baking.
Give
Giving can take lots of different forms, from small everyday acts to larger commitments.
Today, you could:
- Say thank you to someone for something they have done for you.
- Phone a relative or friend who needs support or company.
- Ask a colleague how they are and really listen to the answer.
- Offer to lend a hand if you see a stranger struggling with bags or a pushchair.
This week, you could:
- Arrange a day out for you and a friend or relative.
- Offer to help a relative with DIY or a colleague with a work project.
- Sign up to a mentoring project, in which you give time and support to someone who’ll benefit from it.
Be Active
- Go for a walk or run
- Take the stairs not the lift
- Cycle
- Dance
- Gardening
- Play a game
- Swimming
Notice
- Clear the clutter – notice your workspace
- Get a plant for your desk
- Take some time to notice nature – mountains
- Notice the everyday – reflect on your experiences
- Mindfulness practises – Headspace or Calm apps
Useful Links:
https://www.healthysuffolk.org.uk/projects/5-ways-to-wellbeing
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/improve-mental-wellbeing/