Winning ways to well being - mental health
Wellbeing is a concept that has two main elements: feeling good and functioning well. Research by The Foresight Project outlines five ways you can support your own wellbeing and that of the world around you, including your family, friends, colleagues and the wider community.
CONNECT: Develop your relationships with friends,
family, colleagues, and neighbours as these connections support you
and enrich your life.
Social relationships are critical to our well-being. Survey
research has found that well-being is increased by life goals
associated with family, friends, social and political life and
decreased by goals associated with career success and material
gains. Governments can shape policies in ways that encourage
citizens to spend more time with families and friends and less time
in the workplace. For example, employment policy that actively
promotes flexible working and reduces the burdens of commuting,
alongside policies aimed at strengthening local involvement, would
enable people to spend more time at home and in their communities
to build supportive and lasting relationships.
BE ACTIVE: Physical activity helps you to feel good so
find something that you enjoy and suits your ability.
Exercise has been shown to increase mood and has been used
successfully to lower rates of depression and anxiety. Being active
also develops the motor skills of children and protects against
cognitive decline in the elderly. Yet for the first time in history
more of the world's population live in urban than non-urban
environments. Through urban design and transport policy,
governments influence the way we navigate through our
neighbourhoods and towns. To improve our well-being, policies could
support more green space to encourage exercise and play and
prioritise cycling and walking over car use.
TAKE NOTICE: Be aware of the world around you and see
the beauty in everyday and unusual things - reflecting on them
helps you appreciate what matters to you.
In the US, research has shown that practising awareness of
sensations, thoughts and feelings can improve both the knowledge we
have about ourselves and our well-being for several years. But the
twenty-first century's never-ending flow of messages from companies
advertising products and services leaves little opportunity to
savour or reflect on our experiences. Policy that incorporates
emotional awareness training and media education into universal
education provision may better equip individuals to navigate their
way through the information super-highway with their well-being
intact; regulation to create advertising-free spaces could further
improve well-being outcomes.
KEEP LEARNING: Try something new or rediscover an old
interest, or take on a new responsibility or challenge - learning
makes you more confident and can be fun.
Learning encourages social interaction and increases self-esteem
and feelings of competency. Behaviour directed by personal goals to
achieve something new has been shown to increase reported life
satisfaction. While there is often a much greater policy emphasis
on learning in the early years of life, psychological research
suggests it is a critical aspect of day-to-day living for all age
groups. Therefore, policies that encourage learning, even in the
elderly, will enable individuals to develop new skills, strengthen
social networks and feel more able to deal with life's
challenges.
GIVE: Do something for a friend or stranger and see
yourself and your happiness as linked to the wider
community.
Studies in neuroscience have shown that cooperative behaviour
activates reward areas of the brain, suggesting we are hard wired
to enjoy helping one another. Individuals actively engaged in their
communities report higher well-being and their help and gestures
have knock-on effects for others. But it is not simply about a
one-way transaction of giving. Research by nef shows that building
reciprocity and mutual exchange - through giving and receiving - is
the simplest and most fundamental way of building trust between
people and creating positive social relationships and resilient
communities. Governments can choose to invest more in 'the core
economy': the family, neighbourhood and community which, together,
act as the operating system of society. Policies that provide
accessible, enjoyable and rewarding ways of participation and
exchange will enable more individuals to take part in social and
political life.
Heke tipu oranga, he taonga tuku iho, ka pakanga ake, aue te
aiotanga, te manawanui
Persist in the battle and journey for wellbeing, it is a
treasure handed down from the heavens, then comes confidence and
peace.
Sources and Information:
The Foresight Project
Mental
Health Foundation of New Zealand
New Economics Foundation