Our last blog looked at improving physical wellbeing. Here, in the second of our blogs on health and wellbeing, our Osteopath Emily Colaluca looks at some simple steps to improve aspects of your mental and social wellbeing.
‘Health’ used to be thought of as being free of illness or disease, we now understand that health is a more positive thing, not just the absence of something. It incorporates not only our physical health but also other aspects of our mental and social wellbeing.
In our experience, people mostly focus on their physical health and so, in our last blog, we covered the importance of keeping active and nutrition. In their focus on physical fitness, people often forget their mental and social well being. As osteopaths we can work on your physical health but like to encourage our patients to think about other aspects of their health. Here are some tips that we will often bring up in clinic to tap into these broader areas. Most of the following tips work together but they are also very important on their own.
Stress management
We all know we need to reduce stress levels but do we actually do anything about it? Stress can drastically affect your sleep quality and general wellbeing so it’s really important to find effective coping strategies.
Exercising and practising mindfulness are two of the most common and favoured methods. There are several mindfulness apps such as ‘Calm’ and ‘Headspace’ available as well as countless videos on YouTube which can help guide you.
If more screen time isn’t your thing, we feel your pain. One of the simplest, non tech ways to tap into stress management is simple breathing exercises. One that we often advocate is 3-4-5 breathing. Breathe in through your nose for a count of 3, hold for 4 then breathe out for a count of 5. Repeat this for a few cycles. Super-effective, really quick and can be done pretty much anywhere.
Head outdoors
Being outside, especially in a green space, is really beneficial. Whether you choose to go for a walk, sit in a garden or park or get back into maintaining your garden, being outdoors has multiple health benefits. It’s a key way to boost your vitamin D levels. Vitamin D is essential for healthy bones and teeth, supporting your immune system and nervous system.
The effect of natural light, especially first thing in the morning, can’t be overestimated. It has widespread physiological effects and is now being recognised as being important in setting our bodies’ internal clocks so it can really help with sleep!
Be more present in the moment and spend time with loved ones
With busy lives, it can be really challenging to make time to see friends and family but lack of socialising and communication is one of the main causes of depression. Try prioritising time every week to see a friend or spend time with a family member. It’ll give areal boost to your mood.
We communicate a lot more through our phones and on social media. This has been great to keep us connected during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, now, when we are able to see our loved ones in person, we need to put our devices down and properly connect!
Get more Zzz’s
It’s so important to get at least 7 hours of sleep every night. It’s when the body can heal, recover and function properly the following day. Sufficient sleep regulates hormones directly linked to our mood and emotions. ‘Sleep hygiene’ as it’s termed includes many practical ideas but one of the most important things you can do is switch off your devices at least an hour before you go to bed. It’s a bit too simplistic but the light from these devices is interpreted by the brain as it still being daytime so it can hamper the quantity and quality of your sleep.
If you want to chat about these tips or discuss other ideas that might your help your broader health and well being, we’re happy to help! Just bring it up when you’re next in or drop us an email and we can give you a call.
