A Sixth Way to Wellbeing...

I fully understand why the positive mental health practices espoused in the Foresight report had to be distilled down into a manageable number, but I don't see any reason why we shouldn't personalise the message a bit.

I have been thinking about my own personal wellbeing values. I think that CREATE would be on my list - so now I have Six Ways to Wellbeing. Why so? Well, the creative expression renders the inside out - and in getting a bit of you out there, it can be cathartic. It is also empowering. In a society where we are often encouraged to be passive consumers, how liberating it can be to actually make something. It creates a sense of control. Creating is also about giving 'voice' to your uniqueness, and celebrating it.

POSTSCRIPT: following a brief discussion about this with other Wellbeing activists this evening, I'd like to add that, in my opinion, creativity extends beyond artistic creativity. It can also, for instance, include the ability to systematise things. Indeed, even seemingly routine activity can be made playful in keeping with wellbeing principles - click HERE for one experiment in this area...

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Forming good habits of mind...

I have been actively playing with the five ways to wellbeing for about two weeks now. As a practical guide to action, I can see lots of ways in which awareness of these has helped my sense of wellbeing. Each is like a finger on the hand playing a chord on a piano - a sense of harmony becomes apparent when they're all in play. 

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to change the world, to help to make it a better place. As with many people with a drive to fight for social justice, I would give 110% to these efforts, and, oftentimes, leave little time and energy for myself (in fact, one time I nearly died due to the exertions involved in doing this!). However, for me, the wellbeing ways are like finding a missing piece of the puzzle (of me!); they provide a virtuous spiral, linking personal empowerment and good mental health to the wider wellbeing of my community, and ultimately, of society. I am tending to myself and my head, whilst also giving as I go. How cool is that!

That's not to say that it's like a single wave of a magic wand. Of course I have, and will have, bad moments. No, the progress I'm feeling here is more in the nature of positive movement through small, manageable steps. It is also something that you have to work at. Research suggests that it takes 21 days to change a habit. That's not such a long time to form some good habits of mind now is it ;-)

Colin

PS Don't forget to check out my 'Give' and 'Get' pages - links on the front page sidebar, underneath my profile...

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GIVE - Being Kinder to Myself

One of the Five Ways to Wellbeing is GIVE. This is the notion that we can have a positive effect by changing how we behave to each other - being kinder, more generous, more understanding, more empathic.

I also think that this applies to how we think of ourselves. For instance, today I had a difficult day, where a project I had helped initiate had a very disappointing launch. Although I am prepared to take due responsibility for this, I have made a conscious decision to be kind and generous to myself - to cut myself some slack. I have had a think about what went wrong, and why, and now I'm ready to focus my energies on the only thing I can have some influence over - namely, the future, which is still there to be made.

Colin

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