We are creatures of habit and routine so how does this affect our wellbeing? Our wellbeing is often described as a state of being content, healthy, secure, safe and happy. To have good wellbeing requires planning, making decisions, having a sense of purpose, a sense of hope, something to look forward to and then some luck.
The routine part of our life can contain components that are monotonous, predictable, regular, scheduled and sometimes become habitual. One of my habits is watching the 7pm ABC news and weather (when not on the road), checking emails and checking my twitter feed. The first thing I do when on a break is to stop this!
How do our daily routines affect our wellbeing? We know there are some things we must do every day just to survive, but mixing it up, changing our daily routines and breaking certain habits, even for a short time, can have positive effects on our overall wellbeing. Maybe this is the reason why we have holidays?
Some things that we can do that may challenge our habits and routines are:
- Treat our holiday as a circuit breaker – even if our holiday is at home, we can do this by changing our TV watching patterns, how we deal with social media (i.e. turn it off for a while). Try the RRRRs; Relax, Rest, Rehydrate and Reconnect (visit friends/family/neighbours you haven’t seen in a while.
- Do unplanned activities – a lot of research is being done in this area and how it can help prevent the onset of dementia. Do some unplanned activities such as;
- Join a club that we have never been to before (perhaps a men’s shed).
- Start a hobby, develop an interest.
- Try doing nothing for a while (some mindfulness). This is good for our wellbeing as it acts as a recharge for all our chemicals in our body and can help us get the balance right.
- Exercise of any kind is beneficial. We don’t have to run marathons or go to a gym (sometimes that may help) but simply get moving in any way is a good thing. It may involve joining a sporting club that you have never belonged to, walking with a friend.
- The world is run by volunteers! Volunteering is often a gateway to many other opportunities in life that we may never have thought of opening, literally a two-way process. Try a short stint with a group during the holidays you may be surprised.
Primarily we are in charge of our own wellbeing, for me the following quote epitomises a great philosophy to life and may help us reflect on the habits and routines we currently have.
…live your life well, do no harm, help where able, always try to find common ground and enjoy every single day…
Enjoy the break and welcome to the year 2020.
Owen and the Team
The Regional Men’s Health Initiative
delivered by Wheatbelt Men’s Health (Inc.)
PO Box 768, Northam WA 6401
Phone: 08 9690 2277
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