You might have heard someone say to you that if you improve your wellbeing, you’ll be a lot happier.
But is this true? Moreover, is it really possibly to alter our mental wellbeing, especially if we feel so low?
According to the professor of public health at the University of Warwick, Sarah Stewart-Brown:
“Feeling happy is a part of mental wellbeing. But it’s far from the whole.”
“Feelings of contentment, enjoyment, confidence, and engagement with the world are all a part of mental wellbeing. Self-esteem and self-confidence are, too.”
Mental wellbeing, then, is not something we are – but something that we do.
If you act as though your world is falling apart, you really will feel as though your world is falling apart. Likewise, if you act cheerily and adopt an optimistic persona, the chances are that life will seem a lot better.
Here are 4 ways to refocus your energy on your wellbeing:
1 – Connect with People
Scientists say that loneliness is worse than obesity when it comes to the damage it can do to your health. Not only can it increase stress, skin ailments, and depression, but it can also improve your chances of dying prematurely by a staggering 14%.
Moreover, loneliness is incredibly damaging to your mental wellbeing.
For this reason, connecting with other people on a regular basis is a good idea. Especially if your work isolates you from others (such as a writer), it’s important that you find the time in your busy schedule to meet up with friends and family. The power of social engagement cannot be underestimated, and can bring much joy and happiness.
2 – Be More Active
Like loneliness, living a sedentary lifestyle could be doing much more damage to your mental wellbeing than you ever thought possible. In terms of your physical health, a sedentary lifestyle impacts negatively on blood circulation and muscles, as well as boosts the chances of you developing a debilitating disease, such as cancer, heart disease and obesity.
In terms of your mental health, living a sedentary lifestyle is also damaging. As a new study has shown, sitting down for sustained periods of the day can increase the risk of anxiety.
Being more active is a great way of switching your focus onto your mental wellbeing. This doesn’t mean you have to go wild and hit the gym every night.
Rather, you could simply take more walks, take up a sport, or walk to the grocery store instead of taking the car.
3 – Keep Learning
Learning a new language has incredible benefits. It boosts your memory, intelligence, and focus, and it also reduces the risk of you developing dementia.
In addition, it also enhances your mental wellbeing by keeping your brain active and ensuring your thoughts are focused on something productive as opposed to something negative.
However, you don’t have to learn a new language to boost your mental wellbeing. You could learn any number of things, whether it’s a new skill or a new subject at night school.
Learning something new also gives a boost of confidence, which is also key to wellbeing.
4 – Be Kind to Others
“Practice kindness every day of your life and you’ll soon realize that you’re already in heaven now.” – Jack Kerouac
Can showing kindness and compassion to others actually help your mental wellbeing? It sure can. Being kind to people makes them feel happier, which then makes you feel happier. It could be something as simple as a kind word, or it could be something as incredibly as a donation.
Helping people spreads positivity, none of which gets lost on you.
