NHS HIGHLAND: 5 ways to wellbeing - over the festivities and beyond
Earlier this month I talked about how we can stay well over the Christmas and New Year festivities. I want to continue with that theme but focus on mental health.
We all have mental health just like we all have physical health. Mental health is part of our overall health. We can be in good mental health or poor mental health. We can have an illness that affects our mental health; mental health and illness is just as real as physical health and illness.
We can improve our mental health as we can improve our physical health and this can be especially important around Christmas and New Year given, among other things, the expectations of having a good time, the cold weather and long dark nights.
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One collection of ideas for improving mental health that has been widely used is the five ways to wellbeing. This was developed by the new economics foundation.
The five ways are: connect; be active; take notice; keep learning; give.
A few years ago, a version of the list was promoted especially for this time of year by Scottish Action for Mental Health.
Staying connected with other people is good for us and good for them. We may be on our own for all or part of the festive season or perhaps we know other people who are on their own. Christmas can be a lonely time for some and even a quick chat or meeting up for a coffee can make a big difference.
Getting active over the festive period is good for many reasons, both for our mental health and maybe to compensate a little for food and inactivity.
Taking notice of what is around us can also help. Rather than worrying about the future or dwelling on the past we can think more about what is going on around us. It is not always easy to do this, and we may need to develop the habit, but many people find it particularly helpful for their wellbeing to have a focus on the present.
Learning something new can give us a boost. Perhaps this could be reading a new book or learning how to use a new phone application or perhaps learning how to make a new craft or new item in the shed.
The last of the five ways is to give. Helping other people, giving our time, assisting people with things that we know how to do are more great ways for us to improve our health and wellbeing too. This could be one of the many opportunities for volunteering in the community or something less organised with friends, family or neighbours.
I hope that we can all have a great festive period, and I also hope that we can look after our mental health and help the mental health of others.
Dr Tim Allison is NHS Highland’s director of public health and policy.
