5 Ways to Wellbeing

These were originally produced by The New Economics Foundation which was commissioned by the government to develop evidence based actions to improve personal wellbeing. You can find out more here. We've addressed each of the five below...

Connect
Make connections with other people; these could be friends, family, colleagues or people that are part of a club or faith community. There may be existing relationships you can spend time developing, or there may be new relationships you could begin to invest in. It can be helpful to connect with those further away through different means, such as letter writing, phone calls, Skype etc. It can also be beneficial to connect to something 'greater,' which could be faith based, or getting out into nature. Pets count too!

Learn
Learning can of course take place in a classroom / college environment, but it can take place in less conventional ways too. Reading could be a way to teach yourself, about anything from history, or wild flowers. Teaching yourself how to play a musical instrument from YouTube videos, and watching documentaries on a topic of interest are others. Of course signing up to a walk to learn more about your local area, or to an evening course at the local college are also great ways to keep learning. Through learning we can gain confidence and a sense of achievement

Active
This one is all about getting the body moving. It doesn't have to be a traditional workout - it's anything that requires more movement than usual, gets you up, and gets the blood pumping. Being active can mean different things to different people. Anything from walking the dog, closing the curtains and dancing to your favourite tunes, taking part in virtual sport via a games console, starting the morning with some stretching, and joining in a community litter pick can count. It doesn't have to be something that takes a lot of time - it could be as simple as taking the stairs instead of walking. Get active and cross something off your to-do list at the same time by hoovering or washing the car!

Notice
When we start to slow down, we tend to notice more, and when we start actively trying to notice more, we start to slow down. This is one is all about being present in the current moment and being fully engaged and/or aware of your surroundings and any activities you are taking part in. In doing this, our troubles tend to fade into the distance and anxiety gremlins tend to take a back seat. In a way, slowing down to notice can give us a bit of a break.

Give
Giving to others can help us to feel good ourselves - everybody wins! Sometimes its easy to think of things that will boost others up; other times less so. It can be the smallest gesture, starting from a kind word, or text message letting someone know you're thinking of them, to more time-heavy gestures such as spending time with someone who could do with a visit or a hand with something. We can also give to our wider community through helping, whether that''s financial donations or volunteering our time - this would come with the added benefit of connecting with others, and perhaps learning too.

The mental health charity Mind have some great suggestions of how to incorporate the 5 Ways to Wellbeing into everyday life on their website here.