Five ways to wellbeing
The 5 Ways to Wellbeing are practical steps that anyone can take to help manage stress, boost their wellbeing and keep feeling happy.
There are so many ways to practice the 5 ways but below are some ideas for how you can try them out without even having to leave the house!
Connect
Our relationships with other people are really important for keeping us happy and healthy. If we’re at home there are lots of ways that we can build connections with friends and family.
· Spend time online – message a friend or start a group chat.
· Pick up the phone – messaging is great but sometimes it’s helpful to hear someone’s voice!
· Face to face – video chats can be a great way to feel more connected to someone far away.
· Keep the convo going – plan with a friend to watch the same movie or tv series so you can catch up about it later.
· Find your crowd – use social media to find positive online communities that share your passions.
· Put it in the post – write a postcard or letter to surprise someone you care about.
· Take a trip down memory lane – look through old photo albums with your family.
· Roll the dice – board games can be a great way to connect with family and you can play online versions with far away friends too.
· Explore the app store – mobile games like Heads Up or Words with Friends are great for getting people together.
· Connect with consoles – online video games let you hang out, chat and have fun with your friends.
· Start a project – making something together can build bonds with a sibling, parent or friend e.g. building, baking or blogging!
· Put up pictures – having favourite photos of your friends and family can be a great reminder of the connections in your life.
· Share your feelings – take time to talk about the important stuff with your family and friends.
Be Active
Physical activity doesn’t just keep our bodies healthy, it also helps our mental wellbeing. Have a look through the ideas below to see how you can stay physically active at home!
· Youtube yoga – there are loads of video guides online for how to get into this mindful workout craze
· Clean up – even a bit of hoovering, dusting and tidying up can get you moving and feeling good.
· Dance like no one’s watching – put on your favourite song and move to the beat!
· Step to it – if you have stairs in your house or building run up and down them and you’ll quickly get your heart pumping.
· Planking challenge – look online to learn this super easy way to work your core.
· Take a few minutes – there are lots of youtube videos and apps with daily workout routines lasting for 5-10 minutes that leave you feeling like you’ve just hit the gym.
· Bake some bread – kneading dough will give your arms a proper workout.
· Ad break – when you’re watching tv use the breaks to get up and move your body e.g. stretches, star jumps or squats.
· Stand up – switch up from sitting down by simply standing more when you can e.g. if you’re on the phone, having a chat with you family in the kitchen and even while playing video games.
Take Notice
Most of the time we’re busy thinking about the past or the future, but it’s also important to pause and pay attention to the here and now. Try some of the tips below to relax and be in the present.
· Freshen up – even if it’s a little chilly outside it can be helpful to open the windows and take a deep breath of fresh air.
· Room with a view – try sketching the view from your window and you might be surprised by what you’ve never noticed before.
· Drawing memories – if you don’t like the view, have a look through your camera roll and try drawing or painting from your favourite photos.
· Listen closely – play some music, close your eyes and try to focus on individual instruments and lyrics.
· Happy apps – Calm, Headspace and Stop, Breathe, Think all have free mindfulness and relaxation activities that you can try with your phone.
· Chop, chop – cooking can be a great way to clear your mind by focussing on the sensations, sounds and smells of food.
· Write it down – journaling can be a great way to reflect on how you’re feeling and clear worries from your mind.
· Memory box – create a special place to store cards, photos and souvenirs to celebrate all your treasured memories.
· Notice nature – even in towns and cities we can all benefit from the calming powers of nature e.g. look after houseplants, spend time in the garden if you have one or even just play recordings of natural sounds like birdsong and the ocean.
· Time for slime – slime or play dough can be useful tools for relaxing and there are loads of online tutorials on how you can make your own at home.
· Make gratitude a habit – we can sometimes find it hard to notice the positives in our lives so keep a diary or scrapbook where you can list the things you’re grateful for.
· Just breathe – 5 deep breaths can be enough to make you feel a lot calmer and there are lots of breathing exercises online that you can also use to do this.
Keep Learning
Trying new things, following our interests and staying curious about the world can help us to stay positive and proud of ourselves. The following ideas are all ways that we can keep learning and growing.
· Watch and learn – documentaries can be a great way to discover new things and there are lots of interesting ones on streaming sites e.g. ‘Explained’ series on Netflix.
· Curious cooking – look up a recipe that you’ve never tried before and give it a go!
· Learn about your loved ones – ask your family about their lives and you might be surprised by all the things you never knew.
· Get crafty – have a go at arts and crafts that you’ve never tried before like origami, knitting or upcycling.
· Play along – if you have a musical instrument there are lots of video tutorials online so that you can try to learn your favourite songs.
· Visit virtually – lots of the world’s most famous museums offer free online tours of their collections so you can see their treasures from your home!
· Quiz time – there are loads of sites, apps and games that you can use to test you and your friends e.g. Sporcle, Quiz Up, Kahoot, Quizlet and Memrise
· Be the quiz master – once you’ve had a go at these why not try writing your own and host a quiz night for your family.
· Learn a language – apps like Babbel and Duolingo are great for trying out that other language you’ve always liked the sound of.
· Pick a podcast – there’s a podcast out there for everyone and they can be a great way to keep your brain active while going about your day.
· Read around – whether it’s a newspaper article, blog post, novel, short story or poem, reading can open up our world so find a way that works for you.
Give
One of the best ways to feel good in ourselves is to show kindness to others. Even small acts like the ones below can make a big difference to others and improve your wellbeing too.
· Positivity playlist – find the songs that help you feel happy and share them with your friends and family.
· De-clutter and donate – have a clear out of things you don’t want or need anymore and see if there is anything that you could donate to a charity shop
· Sharing is caring – find videos, memes or articles that make you smile and share these with your friends.
· Pamper party – have an evening with your family of relaxing and looking after yourselves e.g. face masks, manicures and treats.
· Movie marathon – have everyone in your family pick a favourite film and plan evenings where you can watch them all together.
· Thank you notes – write a message to someone you’re grateful to and leave it somewhere they will find it as a surprise.
· Tea time – offer to make your parents/caregivers a cup of tea and ask them how they’re feeling.
Here is a video of Nic Marks discussing how The Five Ways to Wellbeing came about.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYM0GSM33ws[/embedyt]
Take care!
By Joshua Byworth. Acknowledgements to the Wellbeing Team
Posted on: 18th March 2020
