Tearaway article
This is an article from the Mental Health Foundation's mental health promoters about how youth can engage with the winning ways to wellbeing. Tell us what you think about wellbeing, and be in to win dinner and the movies!
Connect
It's all about having strong meaningful relationships: how to get them and how to keep them. Looking for ways to engage with people known and unknown will bring all kinds of experiences your way. Having mates round or going out for a meal is a great way to spend time together. Set the challenge of trying to cook the tastiest cheapest meal for everyone. If you live at home offer to cook and get your family onside for the evening.
Maybe you have an interest that no-one else around you shares? Get online and search for like-minded people, you never know, they could even be local. Make an effort to greet everyone you make eye contact with during your day, at first it seems odd but before you know it you're tossing about the ‘good morning's. If that is a little freaky you could start with smiling at people you pass by, smiling is good facial exercise too!
Interested in gardening but with no space or budget? Community gardens are springing up all over the show. Ask around your community garden suppliers etc to scope garden action in your neighbourhood. They are a great way to meet people and learn from the gardening skills of others.
Check out what's happening at your local community centre or library; you'll be surprised how many people are coming together over activities they enjoy. Take a mate with you, so you can share in all the experiences and widen your topics to talk about.
Give
Ever thought of volunteering your time? Plenty of organisations rely on volunteer support to offer their programmes, and with a little investigation you could find yourself a spot to lend a hand in your community. Local church or community groups might be able to put you onto the right people to get involved with. Food runs are always a good idea, especially if you're in school or the workplace and can get others to donate with you. You can take the kai you gather to local food banks or enquire with the citizen's advice bureau in your area for older person's services in the community and arrange your donations getting to older people in your community.
Or is there someone in your whanau that you know could do with a little help? Springtime is here and having a spring clean out is always a good way to head into summer. This year get your whole household into it and take all the stuff you no longer use to anyone of the community second-hand shops in your area. Yellow pages or the good old CAB could help you out there to.
If you'd like to weave a little getting into your giving, you could get all your mates to clean out their wardrobes and meet up with all the items that you're no longer into or those great ones you bought but didn't end up wearing. Gather at someone's house and have a good old swap around and come away with new gears for no cash down!
Giving can be as simple as holding a door for a stranger or helping someone load stuff into their car, just be sure to offer the help so they realise it's help not theft!
Getting linked to people around you through acts of giving can be really rewarding.
Take notice
Take time to look up. When you were younger did you ever lie back on the grass and watch the clouds while trying to make out shapes? There is no age limit on that kind of thing and watching the clouds pass by is really relaxing. Night time star gazing is another opportunity to take notice.
If you live in a more rural area you're better off when it comes to the night sky, fewer street lights mean more sky lights. If you are urban based check out an observatory near you and consider what's going on out there in the big wide universe. People watching is an interesting way to spend time, in busy public parks and squares or at the arrivals area at the airport - anywhere you find lots of people. Just remember it's a fine line between watching and stalking.
Are you a people person or do you prefer hanging out by yourself? Considering aspects of your own behaviour, what you like and what makes you comfortable allows you to develop a better sense of yourself. If there are elements you'd like to change e.g. you're a quiet person who'd like to engage more in social groups, then give it a go. Sometimes changing our patterns of behaviour can be tricky so getting a friend involved will support your efforts to change. Why settle for a B grade life? Take notice who, what and how your life is shaped, and write your own script, blaze your own trail!
Praise your mates for something they do. If you haven't heard from a mate in a while, drop them a text to say hey and have a catch up, hang out, go for a walk, watch a DVD. Tune in on encouraging others, empathise with others and laugh. Take your shoes off and put your feet in the sand or grass - remember how that feels?
Learn
Depending on where you are in relation to school, still there, just left, been gone a while, you'll be in a different place with learning. The good thing about learning is it happens everywhere and all the time!
Learn how to cook something new, or how to cook period. Never underestimate the benefits of cooking skills, great when you travel or date and a nice way to connect with people in general. Always wanted to play the drums, or any other instrument?
Take the plunge and find out about lessons or community programmes where you can access instruments without having to purchase them. When you're sure it's for you, then you could seek out second hand instruments through the community programme or on Trademe. And talking of taking the plunge, learning to swim is a great way to prepare for summer. If you're already a keen swimmer maybe you could give lifesaving a go - mix that learning with giving your time and connecting with sand-covered people.
There's something to the old saying that you stop living when you stop learning, so expand your mind and your experience today! Learning is a two way road. So think about the opportunities you can pass onto others, and share your knowledge to enhance how people learn.
People of all ages have something to offer, spend time with someone of another generation and listen to their stories and experiences. Learning can be about just stopping and being aware or asking the question "how does that work?" You could find a learning experience just travelling on the bus home!
Be Active
Make 2009 the year you got moving people! Now if you're not the sporty type let's not freak about this whole getting active thing and think in terms of baby steps. You don't have to sign up for marathons, just incorporate more action into every day; that way it's a change likely to last the distance.
If you have a bike that you've abandoned give it a check over for safety and get back on the road - don't forget the helmet! If you have a garden, you'd be amazed how much energy gets used weeding, pruning and lawn mowing. If you don't have garden think about people in your community that could use a hand in theirs and mix a bit of connect and give into your getting active.
If the general sporty thing isn't your style and you're not one for getting dirty, try getting your boogie on! Dancing gets your whole body in the game and is widely socially acceptable, if you're not quite there yet getting your groove on at home or in your room is also socially acceptable - where else do you think the best dance moves were perfected?
Whatever actions you take, the important thing is that you enjoy yourself!
