WINTER WELLBEING
Wellbeing is about feeling good and functioning well and includes engaging in meaningful activities and pursuing goals.
Here are a few seasonal wellbeing tips and ideas that you may like to try.
RECIPE
When it's cold, the best thing of all is to make your own soups. They are hearty, cheap and easy to make - plus very warming and filling.
There are lots of exciting recipes here. Things like beans in a can and bags of lentils and pulses are very cheap to buy and some supermarkets do bargain fruit and veg boxes for very little.
You can batch cook your soup and put some in the fridge or freezer for other days. Eat with some fresh crusty bread or rolls - delicious!
KEEP WARM
The cost of heating our homes is increasingly expensive, but there are lots of free warm spaces popping up where you can get a cuppa and a biscuit and enjoy a little company whilst enjoying the warmth.
Check out your local library or community centre to see what's on. Here is just one suggestion in St Thomas.
FEELING PUZZLED
When it's cold and miserable outside, there is nothing better than settling down and doing a really difficult jigsaw puzzle. You can pick up jigsaw puzzles for just a few pounds from your local charity shops.
If you love doing jigsaws, often charity shops are looking for volunteers to do jigsaws for them to check they are complete - so you'd get to do them for free and help out the charity shop at the same time.
So clear the dining room table and get puzzling!
5 WAYS TO WELLBEING
If we:
-
connect with others
-
keep learning
-
take notice of what is around us
-
give something back to our community
-
stay active
then our happiness and wellbeing will increase. These 5 Ways To Wellbeing inform and underpin how we engage and work with individuals and communities to enhance and promote wellbeing.
"I've been looking for support for years and got no help. Then you arrive and in five minutes you set me up with a group I can go to every week, which led me to meet my current support worker. Now I have some support. What you do is so important!"
Got a minute?
Take time to think about yourself.
Got an hour?
Invite a friend to catch up over coffee and cake.
Got longer?
Join one of the free Exeter Red Coat Walking Tours - you will learn lots of interesting things about Exeter you never knew and meet lots of new people.
Got a minute?
Think about what interests you.
Got an hour?
Enrol for a course online - there are lots of free courses with the Urban Learning Academy.
Got longer?
Learn something you've always wanted - a craft, language, instrument etc. Find free tutorials on YouTube.
Got a minute?
Shimmy around the kitchen whilst waiting for the kettle to boil.
Got an hour?
Go for a walk around your neighbourhood - on your own, with your partner, neighbour or friend.
Got longer?
Power up your walk by using a free app such as PaceDJ to match your playlist to your chosen walking pace.
Got a minute?
Have gratitude for small gestures - take compliments and pass them on.
Got an hour?
Look out for interesting nature in your local neighbourhood. Put out some food for the birds.
Got longer?
Do something you enjoy and take notice of how it makes you feel.
Got a minute?
Send a friend an encouraging message.
Got an hour?
Research local volunteering opportunities or other ways in which you can support your local community.
Got longer?
Volunteer - do you have a few spare hours a week you can give to a local charity?
ACTION FOR HAPPINESS
The mission of Action for Happiness is to help people create a happier world, with a culture that prioritises happiness and kindness. Action for Happiness brings people together and provides practical resources. They help each other learn evidence-based skills for happier living, feel a sense of belonging and commit to personal action to create more happiness, for yourself and others.
Take a look at this month's calendar below for lots of wellbeing tips and hints throughout the month:
