As part of World Mental Health day, we created a short video to show what better mental health for all means to the staff, students and parents of Upper Wharfedale school.
We all know what it’s like when our spirits are good, when our energy is high and when our mind and body feel free. These feelings, however, can easily slip away when life gets a bit bumpy like they have been for many of us over the last few months due to Covid 19.
The good news is that there are lots of easy, free and meaningful things we can do to increase our wellbeing.
The Five Ways to Wellbeing – ‘Keep Learning’, ‘Connect’, ‘Take Notice’, ‘Give’ and ‘Be Active’ give advice on what we can do to make ourselves feel good.
5 Ways to Wellbeing
Connect: With the people around you, e.g. family, friends and local community. Think of your connections as the corner stone 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. Dance. Exercising makes you feel good and releases endorphins. Most importantly, discover a physical activity you enjoy and 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 walking to work, 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. Take on a different responsibility. 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.
Give: Do something nice for a friend or 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 creates connections with the people around you
