Wellbeing
I don't want to name this as happiness, since mental health wellbeing is so much more than happiness. Even if you have strong foundation for wellbeing, you can be unhappy. It helps you to deal with stress and to have a foundation to stand on.
Personally I think mental health and wellbeing is one of the most important things we can focus on. Everyone goes through ugly and beautiful events in their life and everything in between. Everyday we face things that stress us. It can be positive stress such as the energy an actor gets before going on to the stage or going for a run, or bad one, like deadline approaching way too quickly or getting a cold.
I never believe people who say they don't feel stress. I believe they do, but they just handle the stress with the tools they have better so that it doesn't affect them as much. It is possible to stay cool under pressure if you have the right tools that work for you specifically. There is no one rule that works for everyone. And some people enjoy stress, because it makes them work better!
Mental wellbeing is about having a structure to help you with the bad times as well as good ones. There are many different theories and structures to wellbeing. I am focusing now on five ways to wellbeing. It comes from the New Economics Foundation. This model has five pillars; connect, be active, take notice, learn and give. These are all pillars which our wellbeing stands on. The best way to mental wellbeing is to have all of them in balance. If one of them is smaller or bigger than the rest it creates imbalance as a whole. For me, it draws energy that would be used for the others.
Connect
This is about connecting to other people, but also connecting with yourself. It can be connecting to a place, a home. Everyone needs someone to talk to every once in a while, even the introverts. We can feel disconnected when we are alone, living in a new situation, or don't have a place to call a home. I know it was very difficult to me when I moved into a different country and I didn't know anyone. I created situations where I found other people and eventually found new friends.
It can be also about caring for others. Simple way to connect with someone else is asking how are they, really.
We can feel that we've lost a connection to ourselves, if we don't act within our values. For me, it's small things like not hurting other people or the environment. I can connect to my inner self and my inner values by recycling or walking to work. I also have strong tendency to work in charity or volunteer sector. I tried working in commercial side for a while, but it was disconnecting me from my own values and it ended up making me feel down. You can work in a place that opposes your values if you can somehow counteract it in your free time. It could be volunteering or hobbies. But that would be your own personal journey and it depends solely on your own values and how they are being opposed.
Take Notice
This is a form of connecting as well. It's about what is happening around you, inside you and where you are. It is about taking notice of your situation. How do I see myself, the world around myself. A lot of people live in the future or the past. Take notice can be about reminding yourself about the now and today. It can be for example opening your eyes properly when going to work. You might notice a nice new restaurant, or new flowers that are blooming. The past is very often creating issues for mental health. Sometimes it's very good to remind yourself, that this is here and now. The past is in the past. I can learn from it, but it doesn't have to control me.
Be Active
This one is pretty self explanatory. Exercise is good for you. It doesn't have to be anything too big, even a small walk around the block, or through a park. It gets your blood flowing and also creates the good hormones in your brain. You can also connect this with take notice. Go in to the park and see what is blooming this time of the year. Or avoid the park if you are in Finland during the late autumn/early winter since it's very dark and nothing is alive in there.
Keep Learning
This isn't just about learning a new skill. It can be about new experiences, new people. It forces your brain to reassess how it processes information. I would definitely recommend learning something new. It can be something you would never use, but it is about using your brain in a new way. It connects different areas of your brain and creates new pathways. The feeling of learning something you couldn't do before is also very good, healthy high. Certain learning activities also lowers the risk of certain types of dementia, especially learning new languages. You can also expand on skills you already have. I am a life long knitter, but I didn't know how to do cable knit. It is very beautiful when done correctly and the feeling of accomplishments is almost addicting, but in a good way.
Giving
With giving, I don't necessarily mean give someone a present or similar. It's also about giving other people your time and concentration. It's about compassion to others as well as yourself. Giving can be something simple. You could give your loved one a chance to relax, by making dinner or giving them a massage. You can make your coworker a coffee or a tea. You could even give food to a homeless person. I would recommend against giving money, since there are some risks where that money will go to. Professionals who work with homeless people always recommend that if you want to help someone on the street, you can give them food, blankets or clothes rather than actual money.
People always forget one important person when giving, themselves. In today's world, great deal of people are too hard on themselves. They don't give themselves breaks, patience or a chance to do something they always wanted to do. The almost cliche advice is that before you can help others, you have to help yourself. It is very true. You have to take care of yourself, because you are the only one who can. One thing that I once heard struck me very strongly, was that would you talk to your good friend the same way you would talk to yourself. I think most people would say that they wouldn't. You should be your own best friend, so next time you in middle of internal dialogue, take a step back and think, would you say to this to another person. Same message can be rephrased several ways. If you are berating yourself for not getting something done before, start doing it now and be your own cheerleader. You can do it, just do the best you can and it's all anyone can ask from you.
I have based this entry on research and my own personal interpretation of them. This works for me. This can be starting point to someone else to find their way to mental wellbeing. This isn't a magical pill to help with life, but it gives strength in dealing with bad times. And there is no end on the road of mental wellbeing. You have to maintain it, and check where you are and keep on going.
Personally I think mental health and wellbeing is one of the most important things we can focus on. Everyone goes through ugly and beautiful events in their life and everything in between. Everyday we face things that stress us. It can be positive stress such as the energy an actor gets before going on to the stage or going for a run, or bad one, like deadline approaching way too quickly or getting a cold.
I never believe people who say they don't feel stress. I believe they do, but they just handle the stress with the tools they have better so that it doesn't affect them as much. It is possible to stay cool under pressure if you have the right tools that work for you specifically. There is no one rule that works for everyone. And some people enjoy stress, because it makes them work better!
Mental wellbeing is about having a structure to help you with the bad times as well as good ones. There are many different theories and structures to wellbeing. I am focusing now on five ways to wellbeing. It comes from the New Economics Foundation. This model has five pillars; connect, be active, take notice, learn and give. These are all pillars which our wellbeing stands on. The best way to mental wellbeing is to have all of them in balance. If one of them is smaller or bigger than the rest it creates imbalance as a whole. For me, it draws energy that would be used for the others.
Connect
This is about connecting to other people, but also connecting with yourself. It can be connecting to a place, a home. Everyone needs someone to talk to every once in a while, even the introverts. We can feel disconnected when we are alone, living in a new situation, or don't have a place to call a home. I know it was very difficult to me when I moved into a different country and I didn't know anyone. I created situations where I found other people and eventually found new friends.
It can be also about caring for others. Simple way to connect with someone else is asking how are they, really.
We can feel that we've lost a connection to ourselves, if we don't act within our values. For me, it's small things like not hurting other people or the environment. I can connect to my inner self and my inner values by recycling or walking to work. I also have strong tendency to work in charity or volunteer sector. I tried working in commercial side for a while, but it was disconnecting me from my own values and it ended up making me feel down. You can work in a place that opposes your values if you can somehow counteract it in your free time. It could be volunteering or hobbies. But that would be your own personal journey and it depends solely on your own values and how they are being opposed.
Take Notice
This is a form of connecting as well. It's about what is happening around you, inside you and where you are. It is about taking notice of your situation. How do I see myself, the world around myself. A lot of people live in the future or the past. Take notice can be about reminding yourself about the now and today. It can be for example opening your eyes properly when going to work. You might notice a nice new restaurant, or new flowers that are blooming. The past is very often creating issues for mental health. Sometimes it's very good to remind yourself, that this is here and now. The past is in the past. I can learn from it, but it doesn't have to control me.
Be Active
This one is pretty self explanatory. Exercise is good for you. It doesn't have to be anything too big, even a small walk around the block, or through a park. It gets your blood flowing and also creates the good hormones in your brain. You can also connect this with take notice. Go in to the park and see what is blooming this time of the year. Or avoid the park if you are in Finland during the late autumn/early winter since it's very dark and nothing is alive in there.
Keep Learning
This isn't just about learning a new skill. It can be about new experiences, new people. It forces your brain to reassess how it processes information. I would definitely recommend learning something new. It can be something you would never use, but it is about using your brain in a new way. It connects different areas of your brain and creates new pathways. The feeling of learning something you couldn't do before is also very good, healthy high. Certain learning activities also lowers the risk of certain types of dementia, especially learning new languages. You can also expand on skills you already have. I am a life long knitter, but I didn't know how to do cable knit. It is very beautiful when done correctly and the feeling of accomplishments is almost addicting, but in a good way.
Giving
With giving, I don't necessarily mean give someone a present or similar. It's also about giving other people your time and concentration. It's about compassion to others as well as yourself. Giving can be something simple. You could give your loved one a chance to relax, by making dinner or giving them a massage. You can make your coworker a coffee or a tea. You could even give food to a homeless person. I would recommend against giving money, since there are some risks where that money will go to. Professionals who work with homeless people always recommend that if you want to help someone on the street, you can give them food, blankets or clothes rather than actual money.
People always forget one important person when giving, themselves. In today's world, great deal of people are too hard on themselves. They don't give themselves breaks, patience or a chance to do something they always wanted to do. The almost cliche advice is that before you can help others, you have to help yourself. It is very true. You have to take care of yourself, because you are the only one who can. One thing that I once heard struck me very strongly, was that would you talk to your good friend the same way you would talk to yourself. I think most people would say that they wouldn't. You should be your own best friend, so next time you in middle of internal dialogue, take a step back and think, would you say to this to another person. Same message can be rephrased several ways. If you are berating yourself for not getting something done before, start doing it now and be your own cheerleader. You can do it, just do the best you can and it's all anyone can ask from you.
I have based this entry on research and my own personal interpretation of them. This works for me. This can be starting point to someone else to find their way to mental wellbeing. This isn't a magical pill to help with life, but it gives strength in dealing with bad times. And there is no end on the road of mental wellbeing. You have to maintain it, and check where you are and keep on going.
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