Self-help Ideas
Self-help strategies have been proven to have a positive impact on your emotional wellbeing, they can also help empower you.
Physical Activities
Most of us are good at taking action to maintain good physical health. When we are tired we may decide to go to bed earlier or when we feel unwell we may take a day off school or work. We also have a good knowledge of how to improve and maintain our physical health, walking the dog, regular training or time in the gym. But did you know that exercise also boosts our mental wellbeing? Research has shown that exercise can relieve tension, anxiety and can make us feel happier. This is because when we exercise our body releases endorphins, they also known as the happiness hormone (for more information on these ask your science teacher!). Regular exercise can also help improve our ability to get to sleep and our quality of sleep.
If you don’t know where to start, anything that gets you up and moving is helpful. If you’re in need of a bit more guidance there are some suggestions below:
Couch to 5K – this immensely popular app will get you moving. Over just nine weeks it will gently build you up from spluttering through a solid 60 seconds without stopping, through to 30 minutes without stopping. Not only that but you can choose your trainer, the person who cheers you on through your headphones, from a selection of famous voices. There’s Jo Whiley, Sarah Millican, Sanjeev Kohli, Michael Johnson and Laura (the original trainer).
Cycling – is a great way to see more of the wonderful scenery we have available to us in Mid Sussex. If you are stuck with where to explore take a look at the routes in the walking section below as a lot of them are bike (and horse) friendly.
Exercise to music – what could be better than moving to some feel good tunes?! There are plenty of different types to try, dance classes, step classes, circuit training, HIIT, aerobics, Zumba and many more. Here are links to get you started:
Gardening – whether you have acres and acres of land where you live or none at all there is always enough space to grow something. You may choose to create a herb garden for your kitchen windowsill or make your own vegetable beds, plant, grow, crop and eat you own food. Maybe eating what you grow isn’t your thing, in that case each of you in your household could plant a sunflower and see whose ends up being the tallest, most yellow or has thie biggest flower. You can, of course, sit back and admire what grows no matter its size.
Time in the park – take a football, a frisbee, a tennis ball or explore the equipment there. You could even go with a friend and spend some time together being a bit more active than sitting at home would be.
Swimming – we have several venues near us where you can swim indoors or out. If you like the idea of wild swimming we have two reservoirs near by:
Walking – we are lucky to live in one of the most beautiful parts of the country, it seems as if there is green space and footpaths or bridleways wherever you look. If you’re in need of a new route to take or place to explore have a look at some of these:
If you like the idea of working towards a specific total, why don’t you see if you can walk 1,000 miles in a year #WALK1000MILESFORHEALTH Walk 1000 Miles
Yoga – can be a gentle session focusing on your breath and relaxing or a slightly harder class where you focus on core stability, mobility and posture. Some styles can be much more physically challenging; Bikram and Hot Yoga! No matter which type of Yoga you try they all aim to connect our mind with our body. If you like the idea of restorative practice here is an excellent 20 minute session