It's easy to think about all the things we’ll get around to doing in the future that will be good for our mental and physical health. However, all too often that is exactly where they stay - in the future. The good news is that by doing something smaller or simpler today you can start to feel the benefit today too. So, just keep reading to discover what you can do today, to boost your wellbeing.
Exercise
Yep, by now you already know that moving your body will help you boost your wellbeing. Indeed, if you haven't had personal experience of this, then it's quite likely that you have seen one of the hundreds of studies that prove this point.
Of course, getting up the motivation to exercise can be tricky, especially if we are out of practice or we set ourselves goals that are far too grandiose, as this can lead to a sense of failure. With that in mind, small steps can make a massive difference here. That means instead of signing up for an exercise class every day of the week, it might work better to head out for a small walk now for 10 minutes. Indeed, getting outside in the fresh air, moving your body, and meeting people as you walk around your neighbourhood can be one of the quickest ways to almost immediately boost your mood.
Take up a creative hobby (and do it daily!)
There is a great deal to be said for taking some time out of your day, however short and working on a creative hobby. For many people, it provides them with the only opportunity to be creative and work with their hands that they get in their day-to-day lives, and there is something so satisfying about making something with your very own hands.
The good news is that there are so many creative hobbies that you can choose from painting to crocheting, to woodwork, to model making. You may even like to try the latest trends in creative activities. This is where you knot macrame materials like these thick cotton strands into patterns and objects to display around the house. You can even make plant holders with macrame, which will allow you to improve your home environment too.
Get some sleep
Being well-rested is crucial for our well-being, but the problem is that sleep can be challenging for many people, especially if you have anxiety, struggle with intrusive thoughts, or have problems getting or staying asleep.
Of course, there are many things you can try to help to achieve this including good sleep hygiene, which means having a set bedtime each day, and a set time to get up each morning. It also means avoiding things that are too stimulating in the hours before sleep such as working out, using your phone, or playing computer games.
However, sometimes we can go the other way and get stressed about sleep, even when we are doing all these things, and this stress can prevent us from sleeping. If that is the case for you then the best thing you can do today is get out of bed., move around and do something else for a while. Then you will be able to tune into your body’s tiredness signals better which should help you drift off to sleep when you return to bed.
Practice gratitude
We often think of happiness as something we feel, but it's something we do, and that means we can practice it daily. All we need to do is come up with a few things we are grateful for in our lives. These may be practical things like our homes, having enough food, or a comfy bed. Alternatively, they could be things like being employed, having a good friend, or close family member or a pet that we love.
Some people like to extend this practice into a daily written one, keeping track of 3-5 good things a day. Then when they are having an off day or going through a hard time, they can look back on all the things they are grateful for, and this can help change their perspective and improve their wellbeing.
Meditate
Meditation can be a very useful and instant tool to help boost your well-being in the moment. The funny thing is that the aim of meditation is not to create positive feelings but to help you separate your feelings from your true self, something that can help minimize the effect that these feelings have on us and boost our well-being that way.
One of the best things about meditation is that anyone can do it, and it can be done at any time. That’s right, while many people practice meditation by sitting down quietly with crossed legs, you can meditate at your desk, in a store queue, or even as you are making dinner. This is because meditation is just another word for directed awareness.
When we meditate formally we direct awareness to the breath, but you can just as easily direct it to the activity that you are currently doing. It is this act of direction that then allows us to see what the body and brain are doing. Often this will include the brain trying to distract you with other things, worries and trains of thought, By meditating we also build up our capacity to allow these seemly urgent things to just be, and refocus on the task that we are doing, which can help boost our wellbeing both in the moment and over the long term.
Seek professional help
Last of all if you are struggling with your wellbeing, the one thing you could do to improve that today is to seek professional help. Indeed, there are many people out there from doctors, consultants, psychologists, to psychiatrists to counsellors who can help you with both mental and physical problems.
There are even plenty of peer support groups such as AA or ones run by specific charities dealing with specific problems like OCD, where you can get help and support from people who have been through very similar situations as you.