What is Wellbeing?
Wellbeing is about feeling good and working well and includes an individual's experience of their life; and a comparison of life circumstances with social norms and values.
Simply put, it’s about ‘how we are doing’ as individuals, communities and as a nation, and how sustainable that is for the future. It is sometimes referred to as social welfare or social value.
Why is wellbeing important?
Wellbeing is essential to our health and overall happiness.
Having a strong and well-adapted sense of wellbeing can help us overcome difficulties and help us achieve our goals in life. Research has shown that a greater sense of wellbeing relates to increased physical benefits, such as lower incidences of heart disease, stroke and sleeping problems, and with increased productivity and creativeness in both employment and personal lives.
Basically, having high levels of wellbeing helps us to be the best versions of ourselves.
Five Ways to Wellbeing:
Connect
There is strong evidence that indicates that feeling close to, and valued by, other people is a important human need and one that contributes to doing well in the world.
It’s clear that social relationships are critical for promoting wellbeing and for acting as a buffer against mental ill health for people of all ages.
With this in mind, try to do something different today and make a connection.
· Talk to someone instead of sending an email.
· Speak to someone new.
· Ask how someone’s weekend was and really listen when they tell you.
· Put five minutes aside to find out how someone really is.
· Give a colleague a lift to work or share the journey home with them.
Be active
Regular physical activity is associated with lower rates of depression and anxiety across all age groups. Exercise is essential for slowing age-related cognitive decline and for promoting well-being. But it doesn’t need to be particularly intense for you to feel good - slower-paced activities, such as walking, can have the benefit of encouraging social interactions as well providing some level of exercise.
Today, why not get physical? Here are a few ideas:
· Take the stairs not the lift
· Go for a walk
· Walk into work - perhaps with a colleague – so you can ‘connect’ as well
· Get off the bus one stop earlier than usual and walk the final part of your journey
· Organise a sporting activity
· Have a kick-about in a local park
· Do some ‘easy exercise’, like stretching, before you start your day
Take notice
Reminding yourself to ‘take notice’ can strengthen and broaden awareness.
Studies have shown that being aware of what is taking place in the present directly enhances your well-being and savouring ‘the moment’ can help to reaffirm your life priorities.
Heightened awareness also enhances your self-understanding and allows you to make positive choices based on your own values and motivations.
Take some time to enjoy the moment and the environment around you. Here are a few ideas:
· Get a plant for your home
· Have a ‘clear the clutter’ day
· Take notice of how your friends and family are feeling or acting
· Take a different route on your journey to or from work or the shops
· Visit a new place for lunch or dinner or a coffee
· Meet up with friends or family
· Take photographs
Learn
Continued learning through life enhances self-esteem and encourages social interaction and a more active life.
Evidence suggests that the opportunity to engage in work or educational activities particularly helps to lift older people out of depression.
The practice of setting goals, which is related to adult learning in particular, has been strongly associated with higher levels of wellbeing.
Why not learn something new today? Here are a few more ideas:
· Find out something about your colleagues or friends
· Sign up for a class
· Watch the news or read a book or read the newspaper
· Play a new game
· Research something you’ve always wondered about
· Learn a new sign
Give
Participation in social and community life has attracted a lot of attention in the field of wellbeing research.
Individuals who report a greater interest in helping others are more likely to rate themselves as happy.
Research into actions for promoting happiness has shown that committing an act of kindness once a week over a six-week period is associated with an increase in wellbeing.
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