Health Promotion

A large body of evidence suggests that you can improve your personal wellbeing by engaging in 5 simple, but important activities daily.  Getting your 5-A-Day for wellbeing increases your overall satisfaction and happiness, reduces stress and anxiety and promotes positive mental health.

Check out these 5 simple activities and ways of incorporating them into your daily routine...  

Physical activity improves your fitness level and can enhance your mental wellbeing.  Staying active has many positive effects including reducing stress, boosting energy and strengthening your immune system.  Try incorporating some fun physical activity into your daily routine...

• Take the stairs instead of the elevator
• Work out at the RAWC
• Rent a bike from BikeShare and go for a ride
• Attend a group fitness class
• Go for a brisk walk around campus
• Join the campus learn-to-run group
• Sign-up for a dance class

Having strong, healthy relationships can improve your sense of belonging and connectedness.  Relationships that are supportive can lead to greater happiness and improves your self-worth.  Some things you can do to improve your connections with others include...

• Go out for coffee with a friend
• Become active in a campus club or student society
• Hang out with a friend
• Write an email or a card to a friend who you don't see often
• Make time to spend with your family
• Have dinner with your family

Helping, sharing and just generally being nice to others promotes a sense of self-worth, strengthens community and helps you maintain a positive attitude.  Volunteerism is a great way to give back to our community while growing your social and professional networks.  Giving back could look like...

• Volunteering at one of the organizations from the Career Centre
• Remembering your P's & Q's (please and thank you)
• Doing something nice for a friend or family member
• Smiling at people you pass in the hall
• Picking up litter on campus

University is the perfect place to try new things but learning shouldn't be limited to the classroom.  Learning something can increase your confidence and can also be a lot of fun.  There are tons of learning opportunities both on and off campus...

• Try something new
• Check out HowCast on YouTube
• Rediscover an old interest
• Experiment in the kitchen and learn a new recipe
• Take a sign language course
• Sign up for a class outside of your discipline
• Learn to play a new instrument

Taking notice of your surroundings and your experiences enhances self-knowledge and self-understanding which contribute to fostering positive mental health.  With your busy life, it's easy to get caught up in the moment but here are a few ideas for how you can 'take notice'...

• Put time aside to enjoy your meals
• Take a walk on a nearby nature trail
• Be curious about the world around you
• Write in your journal, blog or vlog
• Reflect on a conversation you've had
• Stop and smell the roses... literally
• Check out local arts and culture
   

The Five Ways to Wellbeing is a set of evidence-based public mental health messages developed by nef (the new economics foundation) as the result of a commission by Foresight, the UK government‟s futures think-tank, as part of the Foresight Project on Mental Capital and Wellbeing.