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Positive Steps to Well-being


Be kind to yourself




Our culture, genes, religion, upbringing, education, gender, sexuality, beliefs, and life experiences make us who we are. We all have bad days.

Be kind to yourself. Encourage rather than criticise yourself. Treat yourself the way you would treat a friend in the same situation.


Top 5 tips to being kind to yourself:


1. Talk kindly to yourself.


2. Practice gratitude

3. Perform acts of kindness to others


4. Reflect daily


5. Self-care




Exercise regularly




Being active helps lift our mood, reduces stress and anxiety, improves physical health, and gives us more energy.

Get outside, preferably in a green space or near water.

Find an activity you enjoy doing, and just do it.



Take up a hobby and/or learn a new skill




Increase your confidence and interest, meet others, or prepare for finding work.


A hobby is something you enjoy doing in your free time. It is an activity that helps you relieve stress and tension. For example, playing chess, reading books, writing, cooking, traveling, etc. are prominent examples of hobbies.



Have some fun and/or be creative



Having fun or being creative helps us feel better and increases our confidence.

Enjoy yourself!



Here’s my list to start you off:


  • Coming up with jokes to make my peers laugh

  • Playing dress up with my daughter

  • Inventing and playing a new games with my family

  • Figuring out a healthy dish that I will still enjoy eating and cooking it

  • Researching a “girls/boy’s trip” so I can reconnect with my best friend



Help others



Get involved with a community project, charity work, or simply help out someone you know.


As well as benefiting others, you’ll be doing something worthwhile which will help you feel better about yourself.



Relax



 Make time for yourself. Allow yourself to chill out and relax. Find something that suits you – different things work for different people.


Breathe... (imagine a balloon in your belly, inflating and deflating as you breathe in and out)




Eat healthily



Eat regularly, eat breakfast, eat healthily, eat fruit and vegetables, drink water.


Benefits of Healthy Eating:

  • May help you live longer.

  • Keeps skin, teeth, and eyes healthy.

  • Supports muscles.

  • Boosts immunity.

  • Strengthens bones.

  • Lowers risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.

  • Supports healthy pregnancies and breastfeeding.

  • Helps the digestive system function.

  • Helps achieve and maintain a healthy weight


Balance sleep





Get into a healthy sleep routine – including going to bed and getting up at the same time each day.


The importance of sleep cannot be overstated. Simply put, sleep (or the lack of it) has a profound impact on your life. We’ll discuss specific benefits of quality sleep in a bit, but at a high level, the amount of sleep you get is directly tied to:


  • Mental health

  • Stress levels

  • Immune system strength

  • Heart health

  • Brain health

And much more


A quality life directly correlates with getting sufficient quality sleep. Investing in improving the quality of your sleep is one of the best things you can do.



Connect with others



Stay in touch with family and friends - make regular and frequent contact with them.


  • Smile from your heart. That sounds so simple, and yet smiling in general is a problem area for me.

  • Invite conversation by providing a glimpse into your life.

  • Offer a compliment or an affirmation.

  • Put yourself out there in simple ways.

  • Be yourself.



Beware drink and drugs

Avoid using alcohol (or non-prescribed drugs) to help you cope – it will only add to your problems.



See the bigger picture

We all give different meanings to situations and see things from our point of view. Broaden out your perspective and consider the bigger picture (‘the helicopter view’)

What meaning am I giving this? Is

this fact or opinion? How would others see it?

Is there another way of looking at this?

How important is it, or will it be in a year’s time? What can I do right now that will help most?




Accepting: ‘It is what it is’

We tend to fight against distressing thoughts and feelings, but we can learn to just notice them and give up that struggle.

Some situations we just can’t change. We can surf those waves rather than try to stop them.

Allow those thoughts and sensations just to be – they will pass.



REMEMBER TO BE KIND TO YOURSELF!!!




Written by Nadia P Joseph

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