Five Ways to Wellbeing

Hands holding a picture of a head with a smiling face

Evidence suggests there are five steps you can take to improve your mental health and wellbeing. Trying these things could help you feel more positive and able to get the most out of life.

Connect

Spend time developing and nurturing relationships with friends, family, neighbours and colleagues. Befriending services can help support you if you are feeling lonely and isolated, find out more about befriending in Swansea.

Follow this link to the Swansea Council for Voluntary Services website where you can read about the Telephone Befriending service.

Follow this link to the Swansea Council for Voluntary Services website where you can find information about training to be in a befriending role.

Here are some ways you could make a connection today:

If you feel comfortable, you could try speaking to someone new
Ask how someone’s weekend was, and really listen when they tell you
Put five minutes aside to find out how a colleague is doing
Give a colleague a lift to work or share the journey home with them

Be active

Try to find an activity that you enjoy, and that keeps you active, such as walking, swimming, cycling or playing football. Evidence shows that an improvement in your physical health can help improve your mental health.

Here are a few ideas for how you can get active today:

Take the stairs rather than the lift
Go for a walk at lunchtime
Walk into work – maybe you could go with a colleague
Get off the bus a stop earlier than usual and walk the final part of your journey to work
Organise a work sporting activity
Have a kick-about in a local park
Do some stretches before you leave for work in the morning
If you’re in the office, walk over to someone’s desk instead of calling or emailing

Keep learning

Learning new skills can boost confidence and give you a sense of achievement.

Follow this link to the Swansea Council website to find information about adult learning courses.

Follow this link to the Gower College Swansea website to read about courses available to adult learners.

What can you learn today? Here are a few ideas:

Find out something about your colleagues
Sign up for a class
Read the news or a book
Set up a book club
Do a crossword or Sudoku
Research something you’ve always wondered about
Learn a new word

Give

Helping others, saying thank you, or giving someone a smile can help to improve your self-esteem and improve your emotional health. Find out how you can volunteer and help in your community, build up new social networks, and gain experience if you’re looking for a job.

Follow this link to the Swansea Council for Voluntary Services website where you can find information about volunteering.

Is there anything you can do today, to be kind or helpful to someone else? You could try:

Making a cup of tea for a colleague
Offering to help a colleague with something they’re stuck on
Introducing yourself to a new-starter, to help them feel more at ease
Seeing if there are any volunteering initiatives open at work

Take notice

Being more aware of the present moment, the world around you and your own feelings and thoughts, can help you to positively change how you’re feeling about life. The NHS has created a mood self assessment questionnaire designed to recommend ways and resources to help you better understand how you feel.

Take some time to enjoy the moment and the environment around you. Here are a few ideas you could try today:

Get a plant for your workspace
Have a ‘clear the clutter’ day
Take a different route on your journey to or from work
Visit a new place for lunch