Mental Wellbeing

BHAWANA LAMICHANEY

Wellbeing refers to a state of feeling good and functioning well. Life can be stressful and under pressure where anyone can start to feel less good and function less well.  Where the risk to experience mental health issue and related health problems will increase. The world is facing an unprecedented challenge as it deals with the new Corona virus and governments take extreme lengths to attempt to limit its spread within their populations. Everyone in society is feeling the impact of both the virus and these measures.  The feeling of uncertainty, lack of control and relentless media coverage is creating a sense of overwhelm, anxiety and fear.
But there are lots of positive things we can do to boost and maintain our wellbeing. Research tells us that these positive emotions do two important things. Firstly they BROADEN our perspective and capacity to learn, innovate, find solutions and see the bigger picture. Secondly, they BUILD our psychological, emotional, social and physical resources (including our immune systems) so we have more resilience and mental toughness to get us through the tough times. Fundamentally they make us stronger.The New Economics Foundation (NEF), by looking at research and hard evidence from 400 scientists from all over the world. The idea was to find five evidence-based activities you can do daily to support your wellbeing and resilience. A bit like eating five portions of fruit or veg each day!
Introducing five ways to well-being: The Five Ways to Wellbeing activities are simple actions people can do in their everyday lives that can improve emotional health. All five of these suggestions are free, easily achievable and applicable to everyone’s life regardless of their circumstances. Many of us will already be doing some of the ‘5 ways’ some of the time without even being aware of it. Even small things can enhance wellbeing: whether it’s getting out and about, doing a good deed, or learning to do something new.
The Five Ways to Well-being are to:
• Connect
• Give
• Be active
• Take Notice
• Keep Learning
Connect: Connecting with others is important as feeling like we are part of a community gives us a sense of belonging, and the opportunity to give and receive support. Connect with people, your family, friends, colleagues and neighbors. Speaking to people over the telephone or online can help, but there’s nothing like being in the company of others to boost your mood.
Give:  giving to others can have a positive effect on ourselves as we feel a sense of pride and can connect with 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 make new friends.
Be active: Being active boosts our wellbeing by causing chemical changes in our brain which can positively change our moods. We can also set ourselves challenges and meet our goals, which can give us a sense of achievement. Get active, take a walk, go cycling, join a dance class, go swimming or play a game of football. Find an activity that you enjoy and make it a part of your life. Anything that raises your heart rate – even cleaning the house – can help.
Take Notice: taking notice of the present moment can help us to be more in tune with our thoughts and feelings and the world around us and can help us spend less time and energy dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. Be more aware of the present moment, including your feelings and thoughts, your body and the world around you. Some people call this awareness ‘mindfulness’ and it can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges.
Keep Learning: give yourself a sense of achievement and a new confidence. Why not sign up for that cooking course, start learning to play a musical instrument, learn a new language, or figure out how to fix your bike?
The Five ways to Wellbeing can sound simple when listed out, but may be more difficult to achieve when you try. None of these things can be achieved overnight, but if you start small and build up your motivation and abilities, you will start to notice benefits in your wellbeing. These are proven techniques to help boost your general wellbeing and they are things we can all incorporate into our daily lives. If you want to make your mental health and wellbeing a priority, following these ways of well-being is a good place to start. It also found that happy people have stronger social relationships than less happy people this may be because social networks promote a sense of belonging and wellbeing. There's also evidence that wellbeing can be passed on through relationships. Being around people with strong mental wellbeing can improve your own mental wellbeing.
It’s important to remember to start small and to find what works best for you!
Make a pledge to yourself to do something positive for your own wellbeing.
Wellbeing is important to everyone! Your wellbeing is important!
(If you are reading this, follow @miss _mental on Instagram for more information. Email: missmentalsikkim@gmail.com)