Skip to content

Just Talk

Short winter days, can sometimes leave you feeling a bit gloomy. This year will be no exception - especially with the added pressures of money worries, which may be affecting you and/or your family, friends and neighbours.

The Five Ways to Wellbeing are based on extensive international research and can help all year round, so please take a look at the tips at the end of this page and spend 20 minutes completing the free online e-learning modules here.

If self help tools aren’t working for you, and you’re feeling low, anxious, or generally struggling, there are lots of services available to help all year round. Please always ask for support if you need it and don’t ever struggle on in silence.

Remember that it’s OK to not be OK and that talking shows strength, not weakness.

Find out about the services you and/or your parents/carers can contact directly for advice and help that don’t need a professional referral here.

  winter wellbeing 1

fwtw-jt-lockup_multicolour_RGB winter wellbeing 3 winter wellbeing 2

winter wellbeing 4

winter wellbeing 5

-


Five Ways to Wellbeing this Winter

1.             Notice

Make the time for yourself to notice what’s happening around you and to understand your thoughts and feelings. Allowing yourself some “Me” time to look after yourself is really important for how you feel. You might like to listen to some calming music, or do some breathing exercises,, or how about trying some online meditation or mindfulness activities?

  • Headspace
    Learn the fundamentals of meditation to keep you calm, focused and relaxed.
  • TheHonestGuys
    High quality videos on meditation and relaxation.

2.             Learn

Having more time indoors during the winter is an ideal opportunity to try something new, to keep your brain active and improve your wellbeing. How about learning some key phrases in a new language, or learning to cook something new to enjoy during the colder weather?

3.             Give

Doing something for someone else, whether big or small, can make you feel happy, as well as the other person. Helping others feels good!

4.             Keep Active

Any physical activity can help to lift your mood, but going outside in the crisp winter air, to do something you enjoy can really give you a boost, especially if you can do it during the daylight hours. When it’s cold and wet, it can be tempting to stay indoors, buttry to make the effort, as exercising outside can clear your mind and lift your mood.

For those really horrible weather days, dancing round the house or doing some tidying are also great ways to be active.

Find some inspiration for ways to get active in Hertfordshire here. 

5.             Stay Connected

Talk to people you trust about how you’re feeling, keep in touch with them and spend time with those people that make you feel good about yourself, in person, over the phone and/or online. Feeling valued and close to friends, family, work colleagues or neighbours is important for your wellbeing and will help you not to feel lonely, as the dark nights draw in.

If you’d like to make some new connections, Hertfordshire Healthy Hubs have information about what’s happening in your local area.

Self-help Resources and Other Useful Websites

There are lots of things that can affect any one of us over the winter, so please click on the words below if you’re looking for more information on any of these topics: