5 Simple Ways to Feel Positive Posted on 13 April 2015 by Wing Kent-Teach in Wellbeing Like a lot of things in life we get back what we put in. To have positive mental wellbeing we need to make an effort to change our habits and lives. When you are in a positive place you will find that people around you will feel it too. Connect We’re social animals by nature, sharing experiences and our worries can help us feel better. With our busy lives it can be easy to let relationships fall by the wayside but sometimes even a text or phone call can make a difference. Make a new acquaintance and try speaking to someone new or even ask a colleague to lunch. How about starting a new course to meet people or join a book club? Keep Learning Setting goals and working towards them can play a vital role in the way learning influences wellbeing. It can even be using your current skills on a project; a report by the New Economics Foundation looked into evidence which shows that people using practical skills can have a positive effect on their wellbeing. People taking part in community projects reported a large average increase in life satisfaction sharing skills and learning. Be Active You don’t have to spend time and money in the gym to be active. A walk with friends or a game of tennis can make a difference. The NHS website recommends that adults aged 19 plus should do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity a week like fast walking and cycling. For information on getting started visit the NHS website (http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/getting-started-guides/Pages/getting-started-guides.aspx) . Give to Others Kindness plays an important part in our lives. It makes us believe in people and that the world can be a better place. The feeling we get when someone is unexpectedly kind to us is something that we can give to others even with small acts of kindness. We can extend this to volunteering our time to help a charity or our community. Volunteering can help you step out of your comfort zone, meet new people and learn new things. Take Notice How often do we stop and be aware of the present moment? Being aware of everything with our senses and asking questions. Mindfulness, according to the professor of clinical psychology at the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, means knowing directly what is going on inside and outside ourselves, moment by moment. With more self-awareness we can start acknowledging and changing areas of our lives. Try doing new things to break out of the routine. Stop worrying about things we have no influence over and know that when you’ve done your best, it is good enough.