The Importance of Well-being

We zoom through our lives worrying about everything and everyone else and somehow we seem to forget how our well-being affects our everyday life so it’s essential we look after ourselves.

Listed below are 5 simple steps that are proven to help our mental well-being.

1. Connect with People

Having good relationships is essential. As humans we thrive on other human interaction, whether or not you are an introvert or extrovert, generally being around other people improves our mental well-being.

• They can help you build a sense of belonging and self-worth.
• Give you an opportunity to share positive experiences.
• Provide emotional support to you and to others.

Building good relationships can be done in the company of another person or by using some form of video-call, especially if your aim if to connect with someone far away. If at all possible, avoid social media altogether when you’re feeling low or busy. Meaningful interactions are hard to have over social media via chats.

• If possible, try to spend some time with your family every day. This could be as simple as eating dinner together.
• Arrange a day out with friends or family- being outdoors works incredibly well for our overall well-being, especially in the company of others.
• Switch off your TV and have a conversation or try an activity to do with another person.

2. Be physically active

Being active is not only great for our physical health and fitness, it is also proven to improve our mental well-being by:

• causing chemical changes in our brain to positively affect our mood.
• raise our self-esteem.
• helping us set goals or challenges and achieving them.

Don’t mistake being active for having to have a gym membership, if you’re not a gym fan, don’t worry. Find something you enjoy that gets you out of the house!

3. Learn something new

Learning something new can be daunting, you may feel like you don’t have enough time or energy, but this is precisely why it’s a must! Channelling yourself into something new can take your mind off of things, boost your self-confidence, build a sense of self-worth and help you to connect to other people.

Here are a few things you could try:

• Try out a new recipe. We are all guilty of having cookery books and never actually opening them!
• Take up a new hobby that challenges you! This could be anything but why not try something creative, even if you don’t feel creative?
• Start a DIY project. That small job you have at home that you keep saying needs doing, try doing it yourself! There are plenty of walkthrough guides on Youtube, and as a bonus you might save yourself some money!

Remember, trying something new doesn’t mean you have to be good at it, you could be terrible at it, but at least you’ve stepped out of your box.

4. Give to others

According to research, the act of kindness and giving can improve your mental wellbeing.

Think about it, how does it make you feel when you give someone a gift? First, we seek validation in that they actually like the gift, and when that is confirmed, it pleases us. It gives us a connection with that person, giving us a feeling of purpose and self-worth!

Of course, we can’t go and buy gifts every day for everyone, it’s unrealistic, so try compliments or a similar act of kindness – which can be a simple ‘ check-in’ phone call, a cup of coffee, or a favour.

5. Mindfulness

Paying more attention to the present moment can improve your mental well-being. This includes your thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you.

Having this sort of awareness can help us notice signs of stress and even anxiety in ourselves, and others.

We will have more to follow in a separate blog on Mindfulness.

Working with a Coach 

If you struggle to manage and maintain your well-being, having a coach would be a great way to help you work on habits – having someone to support you whilst you support yourself. Find a coach who is a good match for you using any one of these search boxes:

Working as a Coach

If you are a coach yourself, working to protect your own well-being is essential – a responsibility to your clients to prepare well for sessions with them, and to look after ourselves post-sessions so that we show up to our clients being the best we possibly can for them. We hold regular online supervision with Coach Wellbeing as a central topic – check our events for coaches page.