Five ways to happiness and wellbeing for creatives
Blog
As we get used to the ‘new normal’ of lockdown and social distancing it is natural for us to feel anxious. Psychology lecturer turned jewellers Anna Campbell looks at five ways to focus on your happiness and wellbeing now and in normal times.
Globally we are facing a new challenge. To keep ourselves, our loved ones and our communities safe we are locking down, socially distancing, not going to work - everything has changed. It’s natural to need some time to adjust to this and to find a new way through.
One of my favourite courses to teach is positive psychology - the study of happiness and wellbeing. There is a lot of great research being done on how we can thrive in any situation and I’m going to share some concrete ways to do just that using the five ways to wellbeing research by Aked (2008). These will be useful for you now and have been found to be useful at any time in our life to increase our happiness and wellbeing.
Connect
Research shows that when we consistently build connections with those around us we not only feel higher levels of wellbeing we also develop our resilience, something that we need in tough times.
Of course, right now we may not be able to connect socially and physically with people but we are fortunate to be living in an age where we can connect via video calls, text, social media etc. Plus we can still send letters, cards and parcels.
Action
Make a list of those that you would like to connect with/connect more with
This could include family, friends, co-workers, neighbours, community groups, old school friends, jewellers community etc
Write down ways you could connect with them more
e.g. send a letter or card. I’ve been sending cards with silly jokes to my nephews who love to get post!
Join a Facebook group. I am in a local Facebook group for my area and do find it helpful to feel more connected to my neighbours.
We’d love you to join the Jewellers Academy Facebook group > if you haven’t already!
Make a piece of jewellery for someone
Schedule regular chats with your family using Zoom or Houseparty so you can all join in at once!
You can also use Zoom and Houseparty (and others) to have a pub quiz or ‘night out’ with friends
Keep in touch with co-workers and see how they’re doing
2. Be active
We may need to think more laterally about how to exercise when we’re on lockdown. At the moment in the UK we are allowed to go out for one form of exercise each day e.g. a walk, run, cycle etc. In other countries I know that isn’t allowed.
Action
Think about what you enjoyed doing as a child. Did you like to dance, play football, athletics? It sounds like an obvious thing but finding an exercise that works for you is really important. Just because one person enjoys going to the gym or jogging doesn’t mean it’s for everyone!
Find a regular activity that you can do. In a time of lockdown it’s even more important to take the time to do this. Here are some ideas:
Indoors: look for exercises classes on youtube (I love Zumba!), yoga, pilates, dance training
If you have a garden: skipping with a skipping rope, playing a game with the family
3. take notice
There is interesting research to show that when we savour a positive event and emotion we get more benefit from it (Bryant, 2005).
If we can look forward to an event, enjoy it in the moment and reminisce about it afterwards it helps us to keep those positive feelings for longer.
Action
Plan some things that you can do now and some things that you would like to do when lockdown/quarantine is over. Some people have a jar at home and every time they think of something they would like to do but can’t right now they write it down and put it in the jar for when they can.
When you’re in the moment e.g. eating a lovely meal, concentrate on the flavours, smells and textures of the food. Be present rather than just moving from one moment to the next.
One of the best antidotes to anxiety and worry is gratitude. At the end of every day think of three things that you are grateful for from the day. They can be big or small things. By doing this daily your brain will be on the lookout for things to be grateful for. It helps you focus on the positive and be more mindful.
4. Keep learning
By engaging your brain and challenging yourself to learn something new you increase your feeling of wellbeing.
Action
Think about what you would like to learn. It could be a physical skill like a jewellery technique or it could be an academic subject you’d like to learn about.
Do some research on ways you could learn. It could be through reading, watching documentaries, taking an online class (we have some free jewellery making classes you can take!), listening to a podcast or radio programme etc
Commit to learning about one thing this month
5. Give
There is a lot of research that shows that we experience high levels of wellbeing when we give something or our time to help others. This can be giving to our loved ones but can also be random acts of kindness for strangers. It also doesn’t have to be anything big or financially costly.
Action
Think about ways you can give to others.
Ideas include help your neighbour with their shopping, leave a small treat on a neighbour’s doorstep, give time or money to charity, send an encouraging email. make a nice comment on an Instagram or blog post, plant a tree or flower in the park, gift an inspirational book, feed the birds (the right kind of food!), shop locally, support handmade businesses, donate used books to a library or charity, use a reusable water bottle, tutor someone, thank someone every week
Anna Campbell is the part time Community Manager for Jewellers Academy and runs her own jewellery school, Jewellery School Scotland in Edinburgh. Before quitting her job at a university in 2013 to work with jewellery she was a lecturer in psychology.
Anna was one of the speakers at our FREE Jewellers Retreat. You can watch a replay of her talk on self care for jewellers on the button below:
