Writing on The WoWW! Business blog, company founder and investor Kevin Thomson highlights 10 everyday practices that can help reinforce wellbeing and alleviated the stresses and strains of modern life.
Wellbeing has become a buzz word over the last couple of years, but what can we do if our own wellbeing starts to feel inadequate? Here at The WoWW Business, we’ve learned to live and breathe the five ‘Ways to Wellbeing’ (Connect, Be Active, Keep Learning, Give and Take Notice) but it has taken some small changes and a few new daily habits for the team to achieve this.
There are plenty of ideas all over the internet for improving wellbeing, but we’ve chosen to share our 10 favourite tried and tested habits.
1. Breathe fresh air: When we breathe the air outside, we inhale more oxygen than when indoors, which increases serotonin (the happy hormone). Fresh air also forces us to breathe more deeply with our diaphragms, drawing in more oxygen and helping our lungs to expel airborne toxins. Try and take notice of how you feel after a few minutes of breathing in fresh air. Who could say no to an extra portion of happy hormones?
2. Exercise: Everyone knows that exercise is great for our mental and physical health but how can you incorporate it into an already busy routine? The key is to start small; you could try some of these – take the stairs at work instead of the lift, walk when you can (save your fuel money for something fun) clean your home with vigour, park further away from your destination or walk with friends instead of sitting down for coffee.
3. Create a routine: Studies in the US have shown that daily routines can reduce worry, help create new habits and even combat the effects of burnout. It takes 21 days to form a new habit, during which time the body gets used to the habit and therefore knows what to expect, making changes easier to deal with. You could start small with a morning routine, for instance getting up at the same time every day, preparing lunch the night before or laying your clothes out ready to wear. We need a time for work and a time to unwind; having routines can help define these pockets of our day.
4. Smile as much as possible: I’m not talking about freaking folk out on the bus with an insane, permanent grin on your face but smiling for the sake of it, even when you feel down in the dumps – smiling can lift your mood, lower stress, and boost your immune system. When we smile, we release hormones including serotonin and dopamine which increase feelings of happiness and reduce feelings of stress. My personal favourite is smiling at strangers when I’m out and about – it really can be infectious, and it leaves you feeling great.
5. Practice gratitude: It’s crucial for our wellbeing to practice gratitude. Leading researcher, Dr Robert Emmons broke it down into three stages. 1) Recognising what we are grateful for 2) Acknowledging it and 3) Appreciating it. Expressing gratitude can strengthen relationships, help us deal with adversity and make us feel pretty good inside. It’s noticing those little wins that create a web of wellbeing around us, for example, you wake up to the sun shining through your window, a stranger holds a door open for you, your commute goes smoothly, you finish a good book, there is food in your fridge...you get the picture. The more we notice and appreciate the smaller things, the easier the big things become.
6. Good sleep management: It’s no secret that sleep is crucial for physical health, but it also plays an integral role in our mental health. Good bedtime routines and peaceful surroundings can aid the sleep process – when we sleep, our bodies repair themselves and our brains process information and consolidate our memories. Without good sleep management, our immune system can weaken, and depression and anxiety can be exacerbated.
7. Spend time each day doing what you enjoy: Sounds obvious, doesn’t it? I wonder how many of us do something we enjoy every single day? The time we spend on enjoyable activities is crucial to our wellbeing. When we’re enjoying ourselves and living in the moment, our wellbeing is amplified - we can have fun and play, creating ripples of wellness that become infectious to those around us. Even those of us with very little spare time can find a few quality moments doing something we love every day.
8. Nurture human connections, rather than social media: When we connect face to face, we can truly listen, we can hear people’s stories in what is being said and just as importantly, what is NOT being said. When we truly connect with others, we are not just encouraging our own wellbeing but bolstering the other person’s as well. We all want to be seen, heard, and valued but this is hard to achieve via social media. Receiving 100 likes for a social media post may give you a small hit of feel-good dopamine but it is no substitute for a real-life hug and a good catch up.
9. Eat a balanced diet: It’s no secret that a healthy balanced diet reduces physical risks but it’s also important for maintaining good sleeping patterns, higher energy levels and providing us with the nutrients we require for growth and repair, as well as maintaining general good health. Have you ever noticed how you feel the day after you have/have not eaten well? When we eat well, we set ourselves up for improved focus and fewer mood fluctuations (hangry anyone?!). Unhealthy, processed, sugary foods can contribute to mood disorders including anxiety and depression.
10. Practice self-care: Even the smallest act of self-care can help manage stress, lower the risk of illness, and increase energy levels. Anything you do for yourself that makes you feel better or cared for can be considered as self-care. Self-care is not one size fits all but some of the simplest ideas are the best: here are our top five self-care acts:
- Watch a favourite film
- Drink plenty of water
- Take a relaxing bath
- Listen to your favourite music
- Make a list of five or more things that you like about yourself
These 10 daily habits are straightforward, and you may be incorporating them into your daily routine already (if you are, give yourself a pat on the back!) but for those wishing to strengthen their personal wellbeing, I urge you to give them a try and carve a path for your own wellbeing, create those ripples of wellness and your moments of wellbeing will follow.
If you’d like to know more about how WoWW.co can help support the potential well-beings in your business, please visit our website.
