This is a guest blog by Alison Wainwright of Dipitus Writing Services [https://dipitus.co.uk].
There has been a lot of awareness in recent years about the benefits of exercise for your mental wellbeing as well as your physical health.
However, more recently, studies have examined the relationship between participating in creative activities and wellbeing. The 2016 study by the Department of Psychology at New Zealand’s University of Otago showed that participating in creative activities at least once a day improved feelings of wellbeing and increased people’s positive outlook on life.
The most common creative activities engaged in were creative and song writing, knitting, making new recipes, art and design, and musical performance. Activities such as gardening are also considered creative and beneficial.
Workplace Wellbeing
Half a million workers suffered from work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2016/17. I was one of them. My hobby of creative writing was way down my list of priorities after my high-pressure job and homelife. I made a new year’s resolution to write for five minutes a day in a journal at bedtime. I enjoyed it so much I was finding it hard to turn out the light. I incorporated some quality writing time into each day, and I found it incredibly therapeutic.
12 million working days a year are lost to work related stress in the UK. Workplaces are recognising the difficulty people have taking time out. More and more companies are providing wellbeing sessions fitted around the working day.
Now it’s clear that exercising our minds as well as our bodies is key to feeling well, it’s important for everyone to engage in some kind of creative activity every day. If your workplace offers sessions, try to take advantage of them. A stitch in your working day time saves nine in poor wellbeing.
Fall Into Place offers workshops which engage staff in creative wellbeing activities. The next open booking workshop is Public Speaking on 14 March, where attendees will increase communications skills, wellbeing and confidence through creative techniques. Click here to learn more.