5 Activities we can do to Benefit our Mental and Physical Health

Did you know that what we choose to spend our time doing has a huge impact on our health? 

Here’s a roundup of 5 key activities that can make a big difference to our health and wellbeing, and the variety of ways we can start building these into our lives today!

Exercise

Getting our bodies moving has so many benefits for not only our physical health; reducing risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes, but also our mental health; including improving sleep, energy levels, mood, and reducing difficulties caused by anxiety, depression and PTSD.

Now that Coronavirus restrictions have eased there are increasing options to get active, whatever you’re into and whatever your budget! Visit Head Hacks to find things to do near you, including local sports and exercise groups, dance classes, yoga, and gardening (which is also a great form of exercise!).

Outdoor activities

Being outside, especially in natural settings like green spaces or near water, has so many advantages for our health including:

• Reducing blood pressure and stress
• Strengthening the immune system
• Improving mood
• Helping manage depression and anxiety
• Positively influencing social behaviours (making us more generous, empathic and helpful)

There are so many ways to get outdoors, depending on what you’re interested in, including walking (alone or as part of a walking group), outdoor sports, yoga in the park, Geocaching, community gardening groups, outdoor music, theatre or film events, outdoor crafting… the list goes on!

Socialising

Whether you like socialising one-to-one, in small groups, or with larger groups; doing things that give us social connection with others boosts our mood, resilience, immune system, and can reduce the risk of dementia. Sharing activities with others can be great if you find socialising daunting or difficult, as it tends to take the pressure off the social interactions, with more of a focus on what you’re doing. 

There are so many social activity groups running again, including sports, walking, arts and crafts, support groups, music, parent and child groups etc.

If you’re unable to socialise in person due to ongoing Coronavirus risks, health issues, responsibilities, or you just don’t feel ready yet, now more than ever a lot of social groups and activities offer online alternatives since lockdown.

Creative activities

Exploring our creativity has been shown to decrease anxiety, stress, depressive symptoms, and improve resilience, mood and brain functioning!

All these benefits and there’s so many ways to get creative too including;

• Painting, drawing, colouring
• Knitting, sewing, embroidery
• Crafting 
• Music
• Dancing
• Photography
• Writing lyrics, poetry, stories 
• Cooking
• Gardening

Mindfulness

Incorporating mindfulness into our lives can reduce anxiety, stress, ‘burnout’, and generally improves psychological well being, as well as helping with pain with management and other physical difficulties including urge incontinence. 

Although you may associate mindfulness with meditation there are other ways to practice mindfulness and get the same health benefits, including through mindful ‘doing’. In a nutshell, this involves doing an activity you enjoy while trying to be fully present and focused on it (so put down the phone for a bit, turn off the music and reduce other distractions). This can be applied to anything you like; creative activities, cooking, walking, eating a meal, or even doing the washing up! 

To sum up

There are increasing opportunities, going on nearby and online, for us to get involved in the activities that are important to us and that will benefit both our physical and mental health.

Head Hacks is a new online directory, setup by an Occupational Therapist, aiming to link people up with these activities and groups, as well as sharing useful information about managing health and wellbeing. Check them out to find things to do near you!

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