Wellbeing Action Plan

We're all facing new challenges at the moment and more than ever, it is important to make sure that we look after ourselves and our mental wellbeing. Among the many resources on The Charlie Waller Memorial Trust website is their Wellbeing Action Plan which contains lots of handy tips to to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing from day to day and highlights the importance of self-care at this time.

"In the face of such uncertainty, it is not surprising that many of us are living with a heightened sense of anxiety. Many people are feeling worried and fearful of what will happen in the coming days, weeks and potentially months and having to quickly adjust to major changes in their lives. For many the reality has been moving to working remotely; with little time to adjust and plan for a huge change in their routine and possibly having to fit in carer responsibilities. We are also having to maintain social distance from others." - CWMT 

Download your Wellbeing Action Plan, here

Stay in wellbeing CREDIT

• Commit to developing your own mental wellbeing toolbox; it can be useful to develop a daily/weekly planner which includes working hours and relaxation time.
  
• Recognise when you might be starting to struggle and what may be causing it.
  
• Experiment and find the best coping strategies for you whilst working at home; think about your workspace, taking regular breaks, when you feel you are most productive.
  
• Develop skills to maintain your mental wellbeing and remember to look after your physical health: sleep, diet and exercise.
  
• Identify where your stressors may be and take action to address these.
  
• Talk to someone early on if you need to; it is really important to make sure that you don’t feel socially isolated when having to physically distance from others.

Don’t forget to find a way of measuring and reviewing how well you are doing and celebrate achievements. You may want to end each day by writing down three positive things that have happened that day. This can help to improve your wellbeing.

Five Ways to Wellbeing

Give yourself a hand with the five ways to wellbeing. Try to build these into your daily life – think of them as your 'five a day' for mental wellbeing. Ask yourself: How do I know when I am stressed? 

Things I can do to support my mental wellbeing; every week and when I am stressed: 

CONNECT: Now, more than ever, we need to ensure we are connecting with the people around us. The places we would normally connect with others, like the workplace, restaurants or gyms are no longer accessible. Try to think of ways you can still socially connect with others, using video calling rather than audio so that you can see people. There are lots of virtual classes being set up and faith and community events online. 

BE ACTIVE: Use your daily outside exercise time to go for a walk, run or cycle ride. Even a 10 minute stroll can really help. Don’t forget this requires physical distancing and it may be that we will have to adapt further and nd ways to exercise within our home environment. If this is the case, why not put on some music and dance around your living room, join an online class or even do some stretches while you are watching TV? Housework, gardening and DIY also count. Exercising makes you feel good so it is important to think of ways that you can still do this. 

TAKE NOTICE: Be observant, look for something beautiful or remark on something unusual. Savour the moment and adjust to the changes happening, if you are using remote meetings or video calls, take notice of those that you are talking to. Enjoy the time that you have and allow yourself to relax. 

KEEP LEARNING: Don’t be afraid to try something new, rediscover an old hobby or sign up for a course; there are lots of free courses online. Learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favorite food. Learn a new language or set a challenge you will enjoy. Learning new things will make you more con dent, as well as being fun to do. It may be that you have put off doing something and now you have the time and opportunity to embrace learning something you have been putting off. 

GIVE: Do something nice for a friend, colleague or loved one. It may be that you send them a message, phone or video call them or send a card. If you are able to, maybe think about volunteering some of your time, join an online community group or even just thank someone. Look out as well as in. 

Want to know more?

To download your Wellbeing Action Plan, your Daily Planner or find out more, please visit: www.cwmt.org.uk