Look after your well-being

The university where I work has just launched its new series of customer service training with a session on ‘The Art of Being Brilliant’ which was run by a man from Derby called Andy Cope.

He suggested that by changing your way of thinking, even one little bit, you will feel differently about your life.

Andy suggested we wake up each morning and be thankful that we don't have a toothache. I know it seems a small step, but by being grateful that my health is good, it makes me feel positive about the rest of my day. It worked!

After that session on being brilliant, I went to a conference about science communication and in one of the discussion sessions, the topic was ‘wellbeing’.

So why did we talk about wellbeing in a science communication conference? Apparently wellbeing is very important in science. Our government takes it very seriously because if the population is well, there will be less cost to healthcare. Healthy people are also happier.

So, if you are interested, the five ways to achieve wellbeing are connecting, being active, taking notice, continuing to learn and giving.

Now, this seems unrelated to what I do, but maybe this is why I love organizing events and attending cultural activities. I guess now I know, it is good for my wellbeing.

I have just finished organising the university’s series of public events and I would encourage people to come along to these events, especially the free ones. People will enjoy getting there, meeting other people and learning new things.

People will also get the chance to give back by giving the speakers comments and feedback on their work. Our scientists and researchers would love to hear how relevant their studies or research projects are to the community and you can tell them at these public events.

So I hope you will go and get involved in cultural activities like singing, visiting a museum, going to a concert or learning a new hobby to make you happy in the coming months and have a healthier life.

This post is as it appears on Portsmouth View, May 2014 edition.

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