New year wellbeing goals?
Have you set any wellbeing goals or habits for 2022?
February is typically the month when new years resolutions start to wane and decline. However according to Strava this date can be as early as 12th January! The focus of most new year’s resolution are based around physical fitness, with 49% of a YouGov survey (Dec 21) said they would focus on this, with less than 5% stating mental wellbeing as a goal.
What steps could you take to improve your mental wellbeing in 2022?
One of the keys to maintaining great habits is to make them fun, personal to you, yet effective.
5-Ways to Wellbeing provides the perfect invitation to include all of these. It has 5 evidence based simple interventions that provide proven strategies and actions to improve your physical, emotional, spiritual and mental wellbeing.
According to the New Economics Foundation who founded these actions, 5-Ways to Wellbeing can increase your life expectancy by up to 7.5 years.
Please see a summary below:
- Connect…
…with the people around you. With family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. At home, work, school or in your local community. Think of these as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing them. Building these connections will support and enrich you every day.
- Be Active
Go for a walk or run. Step outside. Cycle. Play a game. Do some gardening. Dance. Exercising makes you feel good. Most importantly, discover a physical activity that you enjoy; one that suits your level of mobility and fitness.
- Take Notice
Be curious. Catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the unusual. Notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment, whether you are on a train, eating lunch or talking to friends. Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.
- Keep Learning
Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Sign up for that course. Take on a different responsibility at work. Fix a bike. Learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favourite food. Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving. Learning new things will make you more confident, as well as being fun to do.
- Give
Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thank someone. Smile. Volunteer your time. Join a community group. Look out, as well as in. Seeing yourself and your happiness linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and will create connections with the people around you.
Exercise:
Consider the following as a way of introducing the 5-Ways to Wellbeing into your life:
- Consider selecting one of the 5 ways to focus on this week.
- Write down a list of simple of actions you could take towards it (the simpler the better).
- Chose one action and build it into your day.
- Repeat for each of the 5 ways.
- Ensure you log your activity and progression in a journal or daily dairy.
For more wellbeing tips, why not register for a years’ worth of proven wellbeing tips!
These evidence-based tips will focus on your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health through a whole year, and are designed to help you increase your:
- Productivity
- Health
- Creativity
- Resilience
- Overall wellbeing
Have fun!
Yohan McDonald
www.greatminds.training
