Tips to improve your health and well being.
Have you ever wondered why your feeling awful but can't quite pin point exactly what's wrong? You don't want to wake up and drag yourself through another day? In my job I come across many clients who have been to their doctors and had their medical problems addressed but who have so many areas of their lives that are so out of balance that they still focus on their medical problems. Often by addressing more aspects of their overall health and wellbeing and bringing more positive solutions in I have seen dramatic changes. This can involve signposting to other services and referrals to other professionals
Here's a simple tip to help look at our overall health and wellbeing at difficult times in our lives. Using the Well-Being Table we can look at the different areas of our lives and score whether these areas are problematic and whether we spend enough time on these areas. If we're scoring a 4 to 5 then maintaining these levels is important but we can see these might not be priorities. Scoring a 1 to 2 might indicate we need help in these areas if we're not able to figure out solutions. Scoring a 3 could mean you're able to address these areas but need more time to create opportunities to improve these areas.
I'm sure many of us, especially during lockdown, have had weeks where we haven't been out or been in touch with friends and family as much as usual. This could lead to a lower score on Family/Friends and a higher score on personal time/space. Alternatively too much personal space could score a 1 if it is negatively affecting us. There are ways we can adjust so that we still have a balanced life experience even during lockdown.
I started learning Chinese on Duolingo which is an App that can be downloaded free. I highly recommend this if you love languages like I do:-) Giving me something I love to do in my personal time and space takes my mind away from the stressors of life for those few minutes each day, much like reading a book. If we can find positive things we enjoy to do and commit to just a few minutes each day this can help with our overall well-being.
For some people in lockdown or who are isolated but well, taking part in live online classes can help maintain health and fitness. This can help maintain higher scores on both the recreation, physical and mental health areas of the table. Here are a few more tips to improve the areas on the table:
Count how many times you go up/downstairs and double/treble it.
Find a positive and learn from every situation.
Invite your friends/family to a zoom catch up.
Join live online exercise classes (we do them:-)
Learn to meditate or something new that calms you.
Tell your husband/wife/partner you love them and make them feel special.
Be proactive.
You can have a look at the Table and your scores to give you an idea of what you could be working on. Keep it positive, look at possible solutions not the problems. Remember little steps climb big mountains and the view at the top is amazing:-)
Suzanne McCollum x