10 Tips To Boost Your Wellbeing!

Mental wellbeing is just as important as physical wellbeing, and maintaining both is an important part of staying fit and healthy.

1.       Talk about the way you feel

If you are facing a difficult time, talking about the way you feel with someone you know and trust can often help. Your friends or family may be able to offer you practical help or advice and give you another perspective on what is causing your problems. Even if they can’t help, often just talking something through and feeling that there is someone to listen and understand you can make you feel much better.

2.       Eat healthy

What you eat can have a huge impact on your wellbeing. Eating regular meals, at regular times, drinking plenty of water and eating vegetables can help improve your mood.

3.       Build relationships

Building and maintaining positive relationships can be an important part of staying healthy and mentally well. Keeping regular contact with people that you care about whether its face to face, on the phone or by text, can strengthen your relationships. It can also help to get involved in doing something you enjoy such as drawing, gardening or sport. This can help you meet like-minded people and build up your support network.

4.       Get plenty of sleep

If you have trouble sleeping, this can have a serious impact on your mental wellbeing. Negative feelings are likely to be exaggerated and you might find you are more irritable and less confident

5.       Do something for other people

Doing something for someone else, a friend, a relative, a stranger has been shown to improve wellbeing. It can help improve your self – confidence and meet new people and makes you feel you are making a positive contribution to your community.

6.       Stay active

Physical activity helps release endorphins which can improve your mood. When you feel low in mood you might stop doing the things that can improve your mood, almost without realising it. Making sure you do some physical exercise, even if you don't feel like it at first, can give you quick results in improving your mood.

7.       Try something new

Doing something you enjoy can improve your confidence and help you stay well. Learning something new or doing something you have always wanted to do helps occupy your mind and boosts self-esteem. Try looking for local groups on the internet, at the library or in the newspaper.

8.       Learn to accept yourself

One of the most important steps in staying mentally healthy is to learn to accept yourself. If you value yourself, you are more likely to have positive relationships with other people and find it easier to cope with difficult times in your life.

Here are some tips to help you increase your self-esteem

• Try not to compare yourself to other people.

• Don’t strive for perfection.

• Acknowledge your positive qualities and things you are good at.

 • Learn to identify and challenge unhelpful thinking patterns.

 • Use self-help books and websites to help you change your beliefs.

• Spend time with supportive people.

• Be assertive – don’t allow people to treat you with a lack of respect.

• Engage in work and hobbies that you enjoy. What helped me was the realisation that this is who I am, to stop fighting it and realise that life may not be what you expected it to be. Then, just start living again. Learning to accept who you are can be very difficult, particularly if you are trying to do it on your own. If you feel that low self-esteem is having a significant impact on your mental health, you may find it helpful to talk your feelings through with a therapist

9.       Set yourself a challenge

Try to set yourself a challenge, at times it may be hard to find the motivation but it doesn’t have to be a big challenge, it’s about the smaller things too. For example, you could maybe try learning the days of the week in a new language or learning a new recipe.

10.   Take time to relax

It’s so important to take some time out to relax even if you don’t feel stressed. Taking the time to go for a walk in the evening, or passing the evening doing something you enjoy can really help. Learning relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises yoga or meditation can also help you reduce stress levels.