Improving your Wellbeing with Simple Habits by Ollie Bridgeman

Ollie Bridgman is a Digital Marketing apprentice at ForwardPMX and is writing for the Community Blogging Team.

From pouring pints & washing cars, to working with some of the biggest brands on the planet.

Thanks to Multiverse's help, I was able to get a digital marketing apprenticeship within weeks of completing my profile.

I aim to write articles that provide you with actionable takeaways, from professional development & growing confidence, to mental health tips & how to take care of yourself

The global wellness industry is forecasted to reach $7 Trillion by 2025.

Whilst I’m a big fan of looking after yourself as well as others, it amazes me how large that figure is.

It’s understandable that the industry has become so big - people are constantly looking for ways to improve their life and are more than happy with paying to do so. 

Yet, it still surprises me. It's seen that using money can improve wellbeing. This isn’t wrong, but it’s unlikely money is the reason you want to lose/build certain wellbeing habits in the first place.

Through a seemingly limitless amount of content, articles, studies and trends, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and confused about how to work on your wellbeing.

At the end of this short article, you’ll have a few effective habits you can start building to improve your lifestyle.

Physical Activity

The physical benefits of exercise are widely known, but the link between exercise and mental health is often overlooked. Studies suggest physical exercise may help prevent mental health issues before they start, as well as improving the symptoms of existing ones. Here are a few mental benefits of physical activity which I found on verywellmind.com. 

Anxiety and Stress
“Exercise helps promote the growth of new neurons in key areas of the brain, including the hippocampus. Some research suggests that this may play a role in relieving symptoms of some psychiatric conditions including depression and anxiety.” 

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
“Exercise may improve motor skills and executive function for children with ADHD. This seems to apply to both moderate and vigorous exercise, and exercising for a longer period of time may lead to better results. Cardio seems to be particularly beneficial for children and adults with ADHD.”

Depression
“Light, moderate, and vigorous exercise have been shown to reduce the severity of depression. In fact, exercise may be as effective as other treatments for depression. It's possible that regular workouts reduce inflammation, which has a positive effect on people with this condition.”

Screen time

This one probably isn’t a surprise. Screens are everywhere, and we are glued to them. It can be hard to get away from them, especially when day to day work is primarily done using computers.

Again, I’ve attached part of an article from another website - healthline.com. I found what they had to say very interesting and is definitely worth a read.

“Researchers in a 2017 study found that adults who watched TV or used a computer for more than 6 hours per day were more likely to experience moderate to severe depression.

The constant connectivity may actually be making us feel disconnected, says Dr. Gail Saltz, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill-Cornell Medical College and a psychoanalyst with the New York Psychoanalytic Institute.

“Loneliness has to do with more connected intimate relationships that feel real and close, and screens don’t really provide that… and yet people are replacing time invested in real relationships with screen time,” Saltz says.

Ivanov cautions screens are taking us away from the real relationships in our lives.

“Spending extensive hours in front of the computer and smartphone affects your personal life, family, kids, and relationships,” he says.

Screen time is also a sedentary behaviour, and high sedentary levels are linked to depression.”

Now, as much as this may motivate you to decrease your screen time, it isn’t an easy habit to get rid of. Here a few tips on how you waste less time online:

• Take regular breaks when at your desk
  This one really helped me.
  
  Every 60-90 minutes, take a 5 minute break. 
  Now I see how this may be hard when you’re busy at work or have a lot to do, but it often helps you stay productive and keep mental clutter away. 
  
  A few times a day, get up from your desk and stay away for at least 5 minutes.
  This could be walking around the office, catching up with colleagues, going for a short walk. Anything that keeps you away from your desk will do. 
  
  Try it next time you're working. 
   
• Keep your phone away from your desk / bed
  This helped my productivity at work and improved my sleep exponentially.
   
• Have a “digital detox” 
  Delete unused or time consuming apps (probably TikTok), organise your photos into albums, create folders for your email, delete or unsubscribe from unnecessary emails, get organised with your calendar etc.
   
• Switch your phone to “Greyscale” 
  This removes the visual appeal of a phone, and will help you stop scrolling endlessly.
   
• Read / Listen!
  I used to read all the time when I was young, but fell out of the habit for a long while.
  After starting my apprenticeship and going into work for the first time, I found that there’s a small library in the office. I picked up a book, and before I knew it I read the whole trilogy. My screen time went down a lot, and my mental clarity improved.
  If you know reading isn’t for you, I’d recommend listening to more podcasts. Similarly to books, there is a genre for everyone, and can be a great way to absorb information.

Whilst it isn’t at all easy to get away from screens, it's vital for your own wellbeing to stop letting technology dictate how you spend your time. 

It’s highly unlikely you’ll read this article and suddenly overcome a phone addiction, or watching too much TV. But if you start making small changes day by day, you’ll be in a far better position 6 months from now.

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