The coffee cups have turned red, TV adverts are reducing us to tears and every spare bit of land has been turned into an ice rink. This can only mean one thing…its Christmas!!!
A statement that can cause a range of reactions, from jumping for joy to adopting the foetal position, running to the shops to just running away. It may be the season of joy and jolliness for some of us, but not for all. For many it can feel as if the financial worries, family tensions, relationship problems, grief and trauma that we cope with the rest of the year, combine forces to hit us in one ridiculously large bow wrapped package come December. To try and help cushion this blow and allow people to enjoy the sounds of bells jingling and tills ringing without breaking into a cold sweat. I’m going to talk about the ‘Advent of Treats’ and suggest some ways to improve well-being and look after yourself during the Christmas period.
The Advent
of Treats began life in the winter of 2012 as a way to combine my passions for
crafting, my love of Christmas and my constant desire to treat myself. The core
idea is to adapt an Advent Calendar to include 25 different ways you can treat
yourself – one each day in the run up to Christmas. Whether you’re at work, 50
miles from home or in a bad financial place, there should be a way you can give
yourself a little ‘pick me up’. Looking after your mental health and wellbeing
doesn’t have to take hours, cost a fortune or affect your responsibilities.
In fact, there is a very simple and effective way to give yourself a daily treat and boost your mental health – using ‘The Five Ways to Well-being’ model. Developed by the New Economics Foundation (nef) from evidence gathered in the UK government’s Foresight Project on Mental Capital and Wellbeing, The 5 Ways are a set of simple actions we can do in everyday life to promote wellbeing. These actions are: Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Give, and their benefits are detailed by nef as:
- Connect…With the people around you. With family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. At home, work, school or in your local community. Think of these as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing them.
- Be active…Go for a walk or run. Step outside. Cycle. Play a game. Garden. Dance. Exercising makes you feel good. Most importantly, discover a physical activity you enjoy; one that suits your level of mobility and fitness.
- Take notice…Be curious. Catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the unusual. Notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment, whether you are on a train, eating lunch or talking to friends. Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.
- Keep Learning…Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Sign up for that course. Take on a different responsibility at work. Fix a bike. Learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favourite food. Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving. Learning new things will make you more confident, as well as being fun to do.
- Give…Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thank someone. Smile. Volunteer your time. Join a community group. Look out, as well as in. Seeing yourself, and your happiness, linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and will create connections with the people around you.
Over a series of blogs I will share you the stories and adventures from my ‘Advent of Treats’ and how they have helped with my own wellbeing, I will also look more closely at the importance of the 5 Ways and the evidence to support it. But more importantly I will talk about the 1 in 4 of us who are living with a mental health problem and the additional difficulties Christmas can bring. For many of people dealing with intense feelings of depression, anxiety and isolation on a daily basis, the Christmas period can really heighten these feelings. Last year the Samaritans received around 15,000 calls every day to their helpline over the Christmas period. And though The 5 ways is a step in the right direction for better wellbeing, it’s not enough. So I will aim to share with you a better understanding of mental health, give practical advice and signpost to available help.
I hope that I’m able to inspire others to create their own ‘Advent of Treats’ and to think about the little things in life that help to make you feel better. To start your thinking I will list a few treat suggestions and ways to play the game. But whether you take up the treat challenge or not, I do implore you to think about your own mental health and ways in which you can improve your wellbeing. From picking up the phone and calling an old friend, to taking a walk and enjoying the view, we can all do things everyday to make us feel better.
Happy treating
Becky Mumford
