It is easy to take our wellness for granted. Each of us may know someone who has developed a health condition; serious diseases or chronic illness can sometimes strike with little or no warning. Focussing on keeping well and increasing the ways in which we reinforce this can reduce our likelihood of illness or ensure we cope with it better if we become unwell. 

Keeping well means looking after your body and your mind. There is a lot of evidence that there is a strong link between a positive mental attitude and your body’s ability to withstand fight off infection. Social activities and a sense of belonging can increase your serotonin and have a positive effect on your mental health and therefore your overall wellbeing. 

Daily tips to improve your wellbeing

So what can you do to build your health and wellbeing? Are there practices and activities that can improve your health reserves? The short answer is yes; there are many things you can do and habits you can work on building up, which have all been shown to help. Try one of these activities every day. Read more about them and keep practising: you will be surprised what a difference they can make!

Sleep - evidence shows how better sleep improves our health. Start with these 3 simple things and read our blog articles Secrets of Sleep and Twelve Tips for Healthy Sleep for more tips.

• Make a sleep schedule and be consistent
• Avoid bright screens 2 hours before sleep time
• Take a hot bath before going to bed

Physical activity - being active is great for physical and mental health; you don’t need to run a marathon, you could try to:

• Walk 20 minutes every day
• Practice a new sport
• Dance!

Learning new skills - it can be useful and research shows it can also improve our mental wellbeing. Why not start today:

• Cook something new
• Revisit an old hobby
• Fix something that is broken

Mindfulness - it can be easy to rush through life without stopping to notice much, without paying attention to the present moment, to our own thoughts and feelings, to the world around us.

• Learn a relaxation technique
• Try mindful breathing
• Try 5 minutes of meditation daily

Giving to others - we can all agree this is the right thing to do, but what if we knew that it could also help our own wellbeing? Even small acts of kindness can give us a sense of purpose. Here are some suggestions:

• Surprise someone with a nice gesture
• Make a donation
• Volunteer in your local community

Where do I start?

If you are living with a medical condition, make sure you check with your doctor before you do anything that you have never done before or if you have any concerns. The above are just some examples and there are many other things you can do to stay as healthy as possible and to remain as independent as possible. Being a MedicAlert member provides you the confidence and peace of mind to do all this whilst living with a medical condition.

Learn more about the full medical ID service our charity provides and all the benefits that membership can offer you and your loved ones. Click on the button below and give yourself the confidence to be active and join in!

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