- 30 Days of Healthy Living, Lifestyle Medicine, Living Lifestyle Medicine, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Physical Activity, Research Evidence, Stress Reduction
9th January – Get outside in nature
🌱Spending time in nature has been shown to be an effective way to improve feelings of wellbeing. There is evidence that spending time in nature increases serotonin levels – which is commonly referred to as the “happy hormone”. 👩💻An article from 2019 suggested that if we spend more than 2hours a week out in nature, wellbeing scores are significantly improved. Interestingly, it doesn’t matter whether people get their 2hours a week all in one go, or in multiple smaller doses of being outside, the benefits are still just as good. Logically, it is possible that the benefits might be even better if you can combine your healthy habits; time outside…
7th January – Phone a friend
Phone a friend… Or a relative, or a loved one. In a pre-covid world I would have said go and connect with somebody in person, but currently that will have to wait for a while. A Harvard study that followed people for 75years showed that the most important predictor of both happiness and longevity is having social connections. This may be because we are evolved to be social tribe animals, and being alone triggers a threat response in our physiological system, setting off a cascade of stress and inflammatory response, which, over time, leads to ill health, both physical and mental. So what? Social connections do matter, and we can…
2nd January – A mindful moment
A moment of mindfulness. Find a moment of mindfulness somewhere during the course of your day. This is not doing a formal mindfulness practice or a whole session, instead finding opportunities to be mindful throughout the course of the day. It can be something incredibly simple and everyday, such as waiting for the kettle to boil and listening to the sounds it makes, watching the leaves on the trees move, or noticing how your feet feel when you walk. ❄️❄️❄️❄️For me, this morning I was lucky enough to be stood in a snow shower, and whilst waiting for my car to defrost enough to be able to drive to work…
