Aftermarket Magazine February 2025

Workshop wellbeing 48 www.aftermarketonline.net FEBRUARY 2025 Boost your wellbeing this New Year Wellbeing is generally how comfortable, healthy or happy we are within in our own lives. Here, the CEO of automotive industry charity Ben, Rachel Clift, offers some advice Looking after our wellbeing is not only good for us now, but it can also help us manage difficult times in the future. Over time, it may also reduce the risk of issues that could affect our mental health and physical health. Firstly, get to know yourself and what wellbeing means to you. It’s important to understand what wellbeing means to you and what you want your life to look and feel like. You could start by writing down what you notice about yourself when you feel energised, motivated, and happy. And, also what you notice about yourself when you feel tired, unmotivated, and low in mood. This will help you understand and recognise all the things that make you feel good and where you can make some lifestyle changes too. Keeping a mood diary can also help with this — and Daylio is a great app for this (see the link here: https://daylio. net/). Also, take time to participate in meaningful activities. Have you ever been so absorbed in an activity that the time has passed by without you even noticing? Taking time to do something we enjoy allows our mind to switch off and our happy hormones to kick in. This might include socialising with friends, gardening, playing a sport, or trying something new. Make positive lifestyle choices is also important. We can’t be good all the time, but our lifestyle and choices are important. Making lifestyle changes like increasing physical activity, eating a healthy diet, prioritising self-care, getting enough rest and sleep will all help our sense of wellbeing. Meanwhile, planning and managing our finances in the short, medium, and longterm can help us to feel more in control and this alone can help have a positive impact on our wellbeing. Find more information to help you plan ahead and manage your money. You should also be aware of your emotions (feelings). Finding helpful ways to express your emotions and talk about them is great for your wellbeing. By becoming more aware of your emotions and the relationship between your thoughts, feelings, and how you act or behave will help. Start by writing down a list of all the emotions you can think of and how often you feel them — then separate them into positive and negative emotions. The more we experience positive emotions in our life, the more likely we are to have a better sense of wellbeing. When we talk about wellbeing at Ben, we concentrate on six main areas: MyHome, MyMoney, MyNetwork, MyLifestyle, MyEmotions and MySelf. You can find out more by visiting: https://ben.org. uk/how-we-help/for-me/ wellbeing/ Don’t forget, you can always call our free and confidential helpline on 08081 311 333 or chat with us online — we’re here to help.

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