What are the benefits of Good Health and Wellbeing? Part 2

The Benefits of Wellbeing

In last week’s Pura Vida Your Life Happenings and two-part blog, I shared the benefits of good health. Hopefully, this has helped you to start making those changes to improve your own health and wellbeing. In part two of this blog, we look at the benefits of wellbeing.

Wellbeing is not just the absence of disease or illness. It is a complex combination of a person’s physical, mental, emotional and social health factors.

So why should you invest time, effort, or money in optimising your own wellbeing? Many believe that wellbeing and happiness are inherently valuable – meaning that feeling happy is worthwhile as an end in itself. However, others take more convincing. So, is there any pay off for investing in wellbeing, beyond the warm and fuzzy feeling that comes with happiness?

Until more recently, this question had been relatively ignored as far as scientific research is concerned. However, since the inception of Positive Psychology, an abundance of research investigating the benefits of happiness and wellbeing has emerged. This has resulted in the identification of numerous psychological, social, physical health, and productivity benefits of happiness and wellbeing.

Hundreds of research studies have proven that wellbeing doesn’t just feel good, it’s important for happier, healthier living:

• Optimism and positive emotions can reduce the risk of a heart attack by up to 50%. Optimism can be learnt!
• Experiencing three times more positive emotions compared to negative ones leads to a tipping point beyond which we become more resilient to adversity and better able to achieve things.
• Happier people live longer – potentially adding 7½ years to their lifespan.
• Our expression of positive emotions, such as happiness and optimism, influences the people we know, and studies show our positivity can be passed on to others.
• Having high levels of wellbeing has been shown to increase our immunity to infection, lower our risk of some mental health problems, reduce mental decline as we get older, and increase our resilience.
• A high level of wellbeing is as good for heart health, and provides as much protection from coronary heart disease, as quitting smoking.

Research also shows that people who report higher levels of wellbeing tend to be:

• More involved in social activities and community groups
• Environmentally responsible
• Experiencing better family and social relationships at home
• More productive at work
• More likely to be working or studying full-time
• More likely to recover quicker from a range of chronic diseases (e.g. diabetes), and
• In young people, higher levels of wellbeing significantly influence alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use.

Evidence suggests that the whole population can benefit from being active to increase or maintain their psychological wellbeing.

For me, Good Health and Wellbeing is the way we live our lives and the actions, habits and behaviours we adopt will either support our lives or inhibit us in some way. And this is dependent on the outcomes we want, what we need and what we must do!

Someone recently asked me, “How long have you been in the wellness industry?” I thought this was an interesting question. My intuitive and immediate response was, “For as long as I’ve had a body and more so at times when I neglected my health and wellbeing and needed to take responsibility over what I was doing to myself.” Well, that shut them up!

You see like a lot of things, I believe that to understand how we can make changes to our lives, we must study. WE must take on the learning so we can apply it. This doesn’t always mean a degree in the subject. It could be as simple as attending a workshop, reading articles, books, learning from others who have walked the path before us. And overcoming the challenges we face is a great way to learn (this is called ‘modelling’) or we follow role models.

We are all teachers, and we all learn from each other. I want you to think about tuning into what your body is telling you. You are intuitive to what you need; we have just forgotten to listen. And the reason being, we are too busy, distracted and we don’t take the time. I see so many people who are totally disconnected with who they are and with their body.

Here are my 3 Golden Nuggets for helping you to have a happier, healthier and fulfilled life:

Top Tip

It’s Simple: Laugh and Enjoy!

Don’t take life too seriously. Those who remain happy, smile more, and try to keep themselves happy, experience better quality of life than those who remain worried all the time. According to a study, children laugh 200 times a day while adults laugh 15 times a day.

Staying happy and laughing more is essential for a quality life.

Top Tip

A hot bath, listening to music, watching a film, keeping social arrangements and hobbies going… Whatever it is, think about the things that help to keep you calm or more content, and make sure they are still in your routine.

Or take up a new hobby, something you’ve always wanted to try. I recently learnt how to play the ukulele and have started to learn how to speak Spanish. It’s a great way to take time out from the norm, relax and have fun!

Top Tip

Try and beat this feeling and approach people that you trust to talk to. You may be surprised at how much better you feel, and how they have responded positively to you; as you would if the situation were reversed.

And why not reach out to a friend and ask them if they need help? You just might help them when they need it the most.

So, let’s summarise those Golden Nuggets again:

1. Be present
2. Condition yourself to take time out and relax
3. Reach out for help 

The Key to Good Health and Wellbeing

Good health and wellbeing are about the mind as well as the body. Feeling physically fit, and feeling good about ourselves, means that we can go and achieve more of the things we want to do in life.

Staying in good health is important to all of us and can become particularly important in later years. The best way to stay healthy, physically, mentally, and spiritually is by learning how to take care of yourself.

In our hectic lives, it can sometimes be difficult to find the motivation, the time, and the energy to make a few key changes in our lives. We’re all human! However, a bit of effort can pay off in many ways.

I wonder, did you set a few New Year’s Resolutions? ‘New Year New Me’ and all that jazz?! If those good intentions have become a long distant memory, then now is the time to make those all-important changes in your life.

The keys to achieving good health and wellbeing are:

• Know the outcome you want – clarity is power!
• Know your reasons why need to take action – make them a must!
• Take massive, massive action! – thinking about it isn’t enough!
• Know when you are getting results! – this will inspire you and motivate you!
• Change your approach – not the outcome, don’t move the goal post!

Thank you for joining me and I look forward to seeing you again next week for Pura Vida Your Life Happenings for insight, inspiration and more Golden Nuggets to help you live a happier and fulfilled life.

I invite you to come on a journey of empowerment with me – sign up to Discoveries to start taking steps to improve your life!

Or, why not become a Pura Vida Your Life Member to discover an even wider range of inspiring resources and tools?

Pura Vida Your Life – it all starts with you 🧡💙💛

Until next time – Pura Vida!