I am not going to delve into the stigma attached to wellbeing and associated mental health issues, nor am I going to attempt to convince someone of the importance of this or point out the benefits to their business or personal health again. I am going to assume that as you're reading this, you already buy in or are exploring the possibilities that there may be something in all this wellbeing stuff!
So, what is Wellbeing all about and how can you improve it?
I have broken this down into 5 topics which will allow you to identify specific activities that you can do to support an improvement in your overall wellbeing. They are:
1) Connect
So many of our needs are met through creating and maintaining connections with other people; we order our thought processes, grow our understanding, check our mindset and broaden our perspectives just through sharing with our friends or colleagues. Make time in your calendar to let this happen, connect with someone you haven't seen for a while or just meet a friend for coffee for no other reason than you want to! And whilst we're on the benefits of healthy connections make sure you identify and minimise the effects of toxic people, you know who they are and you know how they make you feel! Remove that negativity or reduce the opportunity for impact and increase the positive connections to improve your mindset and wellbeing!
2) Take Notice
Have you heard of mindfulness or living in the moment? One of the key questions to ask yourself is, What feeds your soul and charges your batteries? Different things work for different people, it could be a walk in the woods or a trip to the beach, listening to music or playing your favourite sport. Watching the TV may be your default switch-off but take note of what your super-charger is and try to make more time and space for this in your life. It's not selfish, it's self-management. After all, if the batteries dry up the machine stops working! Just stop every now and again and take more notice of what you need.
3) Learn
Those little grey cells work best when exercised! Not only will this contribute to your sense of personal growth and improved mental health, it has also been proven to slow the degenerative effects of cognitive decline from conditions like dementia. So how can you exercise your brain? Daily puzzles, learning a new language, trying a new hobby or looking up words or background to sayings when you come across them. In today's day and age where 90% of the population have a smart device upon their person, there is no excuse for not doing a little bit of learning every day!
4) Give
There is a lot of focus on the return on investment you feel for a random act of kindness. There's just an innate knowledge that doing good deeds is just... Good! Helping people out and giving a little back contributes to our wellbeing in a big way so identify where you can get your fix - is it doing a bit of voluntary work, helping with a beach litter pick? Donating and buying some stuff from a charity shop or helping a stereotypical elderly person across the street? Giving your time and attention to people can be just as valuable so remember to look around and see what you can give and who needs it.
5) Be Active
The links between physical health and our mental health are clear, a healthy body affects a healthy mind! This doesn't have to be about joining the gym though, it is about looking at our lifestyle and identifying any small changes which would contribute towards an improvement in our physical heath. Could you walk to work or to the shops for your lunchtime sandwich instead of taking the car? Could you have a bike ride to the pub with your family at the weekend? Could you go further afield for a change of scenery and a longer walk for the dog? Can you use the stairs once a day instead of the lift or get off the bus one stop earlier? Any of these tiny things could actually make a difference to your levels of daily activity and improve the health of body and mind.
If you want to learn more there are loads of articles on the internet and even smartphone apps which will give you different activities each day that link into one of the above 5 areas and support your desire to improve your wellbeing. If none of these ideas float your boat, why not do a bit of research of your own and see if you can find something different to suit?
Good luck!
