Five ways to wellbeing

Don't you agree that there are some days when you 'feel good' and other days when you don't? There are lots of free and meaningful things that we can all do every day that will improve our mental health and wellbeing.

The five ways to wellbeing, developed by the New Economics Foundation (NEF), are a set of evidence-based actions which promote wellbeing.

We want to encourage you, your community and local organisations in West Berkshire to adopt the five ways to wellbeing. Why not commit to achieving your 'five a day' and improve your mental health and wellbeing? We've listed lots of ideas for how you can do this below:
 

Connecting with others

Try some of the ideas listed below to connect with other people in West Berkshire:

• make some new friends at local lunch clubs and activity and resource centres, or get more information about community groups and organisations near where you live on the West Berkshire Directory
• use the Meetup website to find activities you enjoy and meet new people
• join social groups such as Spice Thames Valley and Solent, a social activity group for ordinary people who want to try new things and meet new friends

• find out about a range of community support groups on the aDoddle map

Being active

It is recommended by NHS England that adults aged 19 and over should do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity, such as fast walking or cycling, a week.

There are lots of different ways you can be active in West Berkshire, for example you could try:

• Wellbeing Walks
• RunTogether
• attending a class at your local leisure centre
• moving more with NHS Better Health - Get Active
• join Sport in Mind for yoga, badminton or football

You can find more ideas on our physical activity webpage.

Remember, if you go with a friend or colleague you can 'connect' as well!
 

Keep learning

There are lots of things to learn about West Berkshire. Why not try:

• learning about the 14th-century history of Donnington Castle
• search for local and online learning opportunities on the Community Learning Information Service webpage
• a craft workshop at West Berkshire Museum and Shaw House
• learning more about West Berkshire Heritage, attend a local talk or join a heritage walk
• signing up for a course at Newbury College
• see what's on offer at West Berkshire Libraries
• the University of the Third Age (U3A) promote lifelong learning for people who are no longer in full time employment
• cooking a new recipe from NHS Better Health
• signing up to a course run by Recovery in Mind
   

Taking notice

• discover fantastic wildlife at the Nature Discovery Centre in Thatcham
• connect with nature locally at Welford Park, Basildon Park, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust Nature Reserves or Englefield Gardens
• take time out for yourself, learn mindfulness or another wellbeing activity - some local leisure centres also offer yoga and tai-chi
• pay attention to how you are feeling, especially if you are experiencing stress - you can find more advice on how to deal with stress on the NHS Better Health website
   

Give to others

There are lots of ways to give back in West Berkshire:

• find out about volunteer opportunities at the Volunteer Centre West Berkshire
• find out about learning, employment and volunteering opportunities on the West Berkshire Directory
• if you have school age children, see if you can volunteer at your child's school - there are often a range of roles available such as listening to pupils read, helping out on a school trip, or becoming a school governor
• donate or buy some furniture from the Community Furniture Project

These are just a few ideas that we came up with. If you've got any other ideas, why don't you create your own 'five ways to wellbeing' where you live? Feel free to share it with us!

We have created a Five Ways to Wellbeing digital leaflet [337KB]  that you can download and share.