5 ways to wellbeing

Good relationships are beneficial to your mental wellbeing as they provide you with emotional support, giving you an opportunity to share positive experiences.

Ways in which you could try to help build stronger and closer relationships:

· Make time each day to be with family and friends. For example, try to eat dinner together as a family or try to reach out to an old friend and have a catch up over coffee or lunch

· Switch off from the TV and mobile devices, organise a game outside with your friends in a park

· Volunteer at a local school, hospital or community group

· It is important that you do NOT rely on technology or social media to build relationships as it is easy to get into the habit of only ever texting, messaging or emailing people

Being active is not only great for your physical being but also great for your mental being. Research has shown that it can also improve your wellbeing by raising your self-esteem. It can also cause chemical changes in your brain which can positively change your mood.

Ways in which you could become physically active · Find local free activities to partake in like Parkrun UK www.parkrun.org.uk

· If you find running boring, run whilst listening to a podcast in order to keep you entertained

· Download the Couch to 5k app and challenge yourself to complete the programme, invite a friend to join you if you like

· Join some of our enrichment services, where we host sports clubs which encourage everyone to stay active

· You do NOT have to spend long amounts of time at the gym, you can find enjoyable activities and participate in those

Research shows that learning new skills can improve your wellbeing as it boosts self-confidence and self-esteem. A common myth is that learning new skills takes time to do, this is not true because there are multiple ways to bring learning into your daily life. Such as:

· Try learning to cook something new, cooking is a very important life skill which you can take with you if you are thinking of going to University away from home

· Work on a DIY project like fixing a bike

· Try new hobbies like learning a new sport or writing a blog

· Do NOT feel like you must gain qualifications for a hobby, a hobby should be something that interests you

Research shows that the act of giving and kindness improves your mental wellbeing by creating positive feelings and a sense of reward, as well as giving you a feeling of purpose.

Ways in which you can give to others:

· Saying thank you to someone for helping you

· Asking friends how their day was and attentively listening and responding

· Spending time with friends and family who need support

· Volunteering in your local community

· Giving charity

This is also known as mindfulness. Mindfulness can help you enjoy life more and understand yourself better. It can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges.

Ways in which you can practice mindfulness:

· Pay attention to your surroundings, look at everything happening around you

· Think about your thoughts, why are you thinking of these thoughts. Develop your critical thinking

· Take notice of your senses, highlight the positives

· Practice breathing techniques, you can try our suggested mental health app Headspace