Keeping well, or improving your wellbeing can sometimes be a challenge, but there is a simple, yet effective framework that you can follow. It is known as the 5 Ways to Wellbeing.

Back in 2008 the UK government commissioned research into Mental Capital and Wellbeing. The findings from the research can be found here, where you can also find the executive summary. From the research, guidance was created, that has become known as the 5 Ways to Wellbeing. The 5 Ways are below:

• Connect – connect with the people around you. It could be family, friends, colleagues, peers, neighbours. It can take place at your place of study, workplace, or local neighbourhood. Increasing your connectivity (in real, not necessarily through social media) has been shown to improve your mental health. Isolation is a significant risk factor for developing poor mental wellbeing. Get in touch with the Student Union here, as they have lots of societies, sports teams, clubs, and volunteering opportunities that can help you connect with others like you.
• Be active – Even simple forms of exercise has been shown to improve mental health. A walk in the local park, going for a bicycle ride, doing some gardening can make you feel better about yourself. The University of Cumbria’s campuses are all close to local parks, go out and get to know them if you are studying there. Or if you have access to transport, then the campuses are all close to National Parks, or Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty that you could go and explore. The University also has Green Minds, a project to encourage staff and students to do some basic gardening, which is great for being active, but also for connecting with others. If you are reading this blog, and not a staff or student member of the University of Cumbria, may be see what is going on at your work or place of study.
• Take notice – gardening is another great way to do this (see the Green Minds comment above). But why not go to a museum, art gallery, theatre, or cinema.
• Keep learning – of course, if you are a student, then hopefully you will be learning all the time, but also try something new or rediscover an old interest. We often don’t make time to learn something new, but it can really something that you can do in your own time. As a student at the University of Cumbria, you will have access to LinkedIn Learning, and there are lots of online courses to choose from.
• Give – do something nice for someone else, a friend, partner, or a stranger. I often encourage students to consider volunteering at the local animal shelter, helps with all 5 ways to wellbeing, taking a dog for a walk can be a new skill, it can increase activity, and help take notice.

Introducing the 5 Ways to Wellbeing in your life, and be beneficial to you. We’ll be posting more on this in the future. Give it a try and see what a difference it can make.