Throughout the month of June, we’ve been sharing some tips and advice on how you can reach your 6 Ways to Wellbeing goal. The ‘6 Ways’ is a simple but effective set of actions to follow to help you improve your everyday wellbeing and mental health:
connect, be active, keep learning, give, take notice, care for the planet
Katie, our Clinical Triage Service Administrator here at Mid and North East Essex Mind, has written a few words on how she helps to keep herself well through mindfulness and taking notice of the present moment:
“To stay well, I like to get out into the world and soak up everything I see, hear and feel around me.
It can be done on a usual journey – my daily commute for example – by tuning into the birds I hear singing as I leave my home, taking notice of how the sky looks and how the sunshine (or rain!) feels on my face.
I find it beneficial to have a short walk at lunchtime, instead of sitting at the same space every day during rest breaks. I will just walk or be outside for ten minutes, and again will pay particular attention to things like the difference in the flowers from the previous month, what new sounds I can hear around me, and any animals I can spot!
By making this effort to appreciate the world actively, I feel immense joy at the beauty of it which in turn, helps me appreciate life much more.
A favourite way of keeping myself happy and healthy, is taking a picnic out on a long walk, somewhere new or familiar, and enjoying a few hours outside. It can feel easier to appreciate and notice the world in a new environment, and I love the sense of adventure felt when just rambling until I am hungry and ready for a rest stop!
But I do not underestimate how wonderful it is to notice new things in a familiar place, where I thought I had seen all there was to be seen.”
Katie
What steps do you take to fulfill your 6 Ways to Wellbeing? Share with us on social media @mnessexmind – take a look here for some more inspiration.