Improve your well-being

FIVE WAYS TO WELL-BEING

The following steps have been researched and developed by the New Economic Foundation.  Building these five steps into our everyday life we can improve our well-being.  These steps can be used and adapted to suit children, young people and adults of all ages.

CONNECT
  • With the people around you at home, work, school or in your local community.
  • Spend quality time with friends and family.
  • Talk to neighbours and colleagues.
  • Try and make new friends.
  • Get involved in local community groups or social activities.
  • Organise play dates for your child.
  • Enrol your child in clubs so they can make new friends.
  • Building and maintaining relationships is an important part of wellbeing.
BE ACTIVE
  • Walk, scoot or cycle to school.
  • Take your child to the park and play some games with them.
  • Take the stairs rather than the lift.
  • Do some gardening. 
  • Dance to your favourite music.
  • Pick an activity you enjoy and suits your level and you are more likely to stick with it.
  • Encourage your child to take a sport or join an activity club.
  • Being active lifts your mood and increases your energy levels.
TAKE NOTICE
  • Take time to slow down, be still, reflect and savour the moment.
  • Be aware of what’s going on in the world around you: the everyday and the unusual.
  • Spend time with your child noticing the sunsets, patterns in the clouds, the rainbows, the changing seasons.
  • Be curious. Savour your favourite food.
  • Spend time outdoors in parks and natural spaces, notice and breathe in the beauty of the natural world around you.
  • Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.
KEEP LEARNING
  • Embrace new experiences, see challenges as opportunities. 
  • Set goals and learn something new.
  • Take your child to the library or visit a museum together.
  • Teach your child new skills like cooking and try out a new recipe.
  • Research something you’re interested in.
  • Learn a new word or a random fact.
  • Take up a new hobby or rediscover an old one.
  • Learning new things will make you more confident as well as being fun.
GIVE
  • Your time, your words, your presence.
  • Do something nice for a friend.
  • Thank someone.
  • Smile.
  • Volunteer your time.
  • Raise money for charity.
  • Be a good role model.
  • Take action to improve your neighbourhood.
  • Join a community group.
  • Take time to listen to someone.
  • Helping others can make you feel happier.