Our place, our space
Supporting Emotional Wellness
​
At Buddies, we are mindful of the 5 steps to mental wellbeing and try to incorporate these into our activities every day. There is strong evidence that indicates that feeling close to, and valued by, other people is a fundamental human need and one that contributes to functioning well in the world. It’s clear that social relationships are critical for promoting well being and for acting as a buffer against mental ill health for people of all ages.
-
Connect with other people
Good relationships are important for your mental wellbeing. They can help you to build a sense of belonging and self-worth, give you an opportunity to share positive experiences, provide emotional support and allow you to support others.
There are lots of things we can do to try to help build stronger and closer relationships, to be with your family, or arrange to have lunch or a day with friends, try switching off the TV to talk or play a game with your friends or someone who needs support or company. Buddies is the perfect place to meet up with old friends (and make new ones) make our own lunch and eat together, talking about and listening to good news, things that are concerning us, future plans and just plain old banter.
Don’t rely on technology or social media alone to build relationships. It's easy to get into the habit of only ever texting, messaging or emailing people.
2. Be physically active
Being active is not only great for your physical health and fitness. Evidence also shows it can also improve your mental wellbeing by raising your self-esteem, helping you to set goals or challenges and achieve them, causing chemical changes in your brain which can help to positively change your mood. Regular physical activity is associated with lower rates of depression and anxiety across all age groups.
Buddies will help you to find out about getting started with exercise in order to engage in activities to help you get fit, if you have a disability or long-term health condition, we will support you to find out about getting active with a disability, find out how to start swimming, cycling, or dancing, or even start running with a couch to 5k plan. Buddies try to get out every day, to get some low impact exercise and fresh air. We also do Yoga and are looking at other inclusive forms of exercise for our guys to take part in.
Don’t feel that you have to spend hours in a gym. It's best to find activities you enjoy and make them a part of your life.
3.Learn new skills
Research shows that learning new skills can also improve your mental wellbeing by boosting self-confidence and raising your self-esteem, helping you to build a sense of purpose and helping you to connect with others.
Even if you feel like you don’t have time, or need to learn new things, there are lots of different ways to bring learning into your life. Things like learning to cook something new and finding out about healthy eating and cooking tips. This is something we do at Buddies every week.
Try taking on a new responsibility, such as mentoring or improving your presentation skills. We encourage all our Bubbies to help and assist one another, where they can, and to be helped themselves.
Consider signing up for a course at college. You could try learning a new language or means of communication, such as Makaton for example. Buddies love to do sing and sign using Makaton and we will help you learn whilst having fun at the same time.
Don’t feel you have to learn new qualifications or sit exams. It's best to find activities you enjoy and make them a part of your life.
4. Give to others
Research suggests that acts of giving, and kindness can help improve your mental wellbeing by creating positive feelings and a sense of reward, giving you a feeling of purpose and self-worth, and helping you connect with other people.
It could be small acts of kindness towards other people, or larger ones like volunteering in your local community. Buddies arrange fund raising events for the benefit of the local and wider community and will soon be starting a dementia coffee morning where our guys will be the deliverers of care and support, rather than the recipients.
Saying thank you to someone for something they have done for you, asking friends or family how they are and really listening to their answer. At Buddies, we like to start every day by asking how everyone is and letting people talk about how they have been and how they are feeling, and really listening to what they have to say. This is a really good start to the day as everyone knows how everyone else is starting their day at Buddies.
5. Pay attention to the present moment (mindfulness)
Paying more attention to the present moment can improve your mental wellbeing. This includes your thoughts and feelings, your body, and the world around you. Some people call this awareness "mindfulness". Mindfulness can help you enjoy life more and understand yourself better. It can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges.
Whenever we can, and especially when we are out in more rural surroundings such as parks, woods and areas of environmental preservation. We encourage our guys to stop and take notice of the sounds, the wind, the warmth of the sun, birds singing, the feel of the ground underfoot and the textures of the trees and plants around us.
