Maintaining wellness

Do things you enjoy- "me time" can be of great value to our mental health. To create time for yourself is to say "I am worth it, I am valuable".

Make a list of things that make you happy to think about- Not things to do, just things to think about to remind yourself of fun times- a music gig, a night with a great lover, a hill climbed, a "personal best" at the gym,

Relax- There are many types of meditation to explore: popular at the moment is mindfulness, a method of meditation that focuses on trying to empty your mind and to lose focus on worrying thoughts. Deep breathing exercises. Create an imaginary safe place. Click here for instructions. 

Do nothing- look out the window, people-watch, wonder, day dream, stare into space. Much of our time is spent being as busy and constructive as possible and it is often of great psychic value to let our minds wander here and there at its own pace. Create brain breathing space.

Interact- People with friends live longer, can have a stronger sense of community and are more aware of their place within it. When we interact we learn, we grow, we develop.

Eat well- A decent breakfast will set you up for the day and you will be less likely to munch on snacks before lunch. Ingest useful nutrients including your five-a-day and your energy levels will increase. Learning new cooking skills is not only practical but can provide a sense of achievement that will carry over into other aspects of your personality. Eating regularly maintains the stability of your blood sugar levels which can have a knock-on effect of improving your mood. In relation, unstable blood sugar levels have been shown to lower your mood. 

Sleep- Keeping active during the day improves sleep at night (do not exercise in the evening as the increased levels of adrenaline may keep you awake). No caffeine after your evening meal as it affects your ability to get to sleep for many hours. "Blue light" (the space of the light spectrum emitted by smartphones and tablets) has similar properties to natural daylight- it tricks your brain into thinking it is time to wake up and get breakfast. Your bedroom needs to be quiet, dark and the right temperature. Use an eye-mask and earplugs. Do things that relax you.

Exercise your body and brain- Short walks or marathon running, a stroll to the shop instead of taking the bus or getting off the bus a few stops early, using the stairs instead of the lift, cycling and swimming. Exercise helps your body create endorphins, a series of more than twenty chemicals that reduce pain and improve mood. Read something unusual- a puzzle or test or an unfamiliar story. Think about the story- how could it have been different? how do you feel about the characters or the storyline?- and stretch your brain.

Create- bake buns, knit, sketch, colour in, bend bits of wire into something pleasing, play with Lego, whittle a branch, try some of those fun activities you did as a child. Remember water soluble glue and scrunched up paper? Not just for children!

Give- make a cake for someone, make a picture for someone- it will always be appreciated. Tidy a garden. Volunteer your time. You will never regret being kind.

Consider yourself and your environment- What can I do with myself and the space around me to make my life, and that of others, more worthwhile, more fun, happier and of greater value? Time is valuably spent closely considering this. Some people use their religious convictions to approach this, others use a humanist or philosophical framework to explore the substance of the meaning of our lives. The key is "consideration"- an active thoughtful process of working through propositions of who you want to be and how you want to behave. And then doing it. The essence of it is to be the person you want to be.

Learn to say "no", "maybe later", "only when I feel different", "talk to me", "this is for your benefit too" and other comments designed to protect and strengthen your resolve.

Perform random acts of kindness because everyone benefits.

I love the NHS

I may be having elective surgery next year. These are the tests I had today, free in the NHS, in preparation. 

Full Blood Picture 

Liver Function Test

Cholesterol level

Urea and electrolytes 

Coagulation screen

Testing for Hepatitis A, B and C, HIV and syphilis 

Body weight and blood pressure

Cannula insertion into my arm

Ultrasound of kidneys and bladder

DMSA (dimercaptosuccinic acid) injection 

EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) injection

Electrocardiography (ECG) test

Chest X-ray 

Blood set

DMSA scan

Next blood set

Urine test

MRSA swabs

Next blood set

X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) scan

One to one with medical consultant including physical exam.

The NHS is an internationally admired system and rightly so. I received all these (very expensive but necessary) tests for free to help me and the staff decide if the process of surgery can continue. If, as a result, I needed medication or other treatment I know this would also be free and immediate. 

The NHS is such a beautifully simple example of humanist and socialist principles at their best- national taxation funds almost everything in a system agreeably appreciated by every resident of the U.K. at some time in their lives and is an evidence-based lifeline kept operating by over one million employees around half of which have a clinical training and, though they earn half their worth, remain working due to their ethical beliefs and moral principles. That the sense of cooperative and colaberative ownership is pervading when working in, and using, the NHS most people have called it "my NHS". And it is mine. I fund it, I own part of it, I use it, I can easily work in it. And this is also for the good of every person visiting and living in the U.K. 

My hope is that the fundamental integrity and codes of practice of the NHS could be translated to international relations -connections based on universal assistance, evidence-based practice, equality and so on- so humans can be brought together in their shared community for the good of all. Just a dream maybe but we all need to dream. 

Look to where you want to be

When I learnt to ride a motorbike as a teenager we were taught, hourly and with anxiety, the dangers of target fixation. It is a hangover from our days as early humans- we would roam the plains of Africa, the cradle of us all, eyeing tasty animals to hunt. If we were startled by a predator and were forced into a quick getaway we would need to keep an eye on the danger posed to us as we ran. This is target fixation. In modern times the branch in the road that we drive over is unlikely to do us harm if we are fixed on its presence and find ourselves veering towards it and over it, as is the prescient incarnation of this phenomena. On a motorbike, however, it could prove lethal which is why, to bikers, target fixation is something well worth being aware. We can then train our brain to recognise dangerous objects in the road, register them as something to avoid, raise our eyes to the next bend and make a swift detour all in barely the blink of an eye. We need to look ahead to where we want to go and not be distracted by local disruptions to provide ourselves with the greatest chance of survival. We look to where we want to be. 

During advanced driving instruction we are taught to lose focus on our immediate surroundings- the steering wheel, gears, pedals- to keep our head up and look at where we want to go. We look towards the apex of the bend to get round it successfully. We look up the road towards the horizon when doing a u-turn to stop our distractions of local pot-holes. We look at the peak of the hill and not the local bumps and troughs in between. We look to where we want to be. 

Cognitive behavioural therapy is based on the theory that we are likely to get to where we want to go if we act as if we are there- our thoughts and actions should be conciously controlled and under our assumption and, as a consequence, our related feelings change to a more positive state. The assumption is that our thoughts, feelings and behaviours are intrinsically linked and have strong influence over each other. It focuses on the present and future feelings and does not become distracted by past events. If I take a structured and consciously different approach to how I perceive spiders, for example, by rationalising their size and danger, understanding how useful they are as predators and physically being nearer to one than is normally comfortable then my phobia-related behaviour (anxiety, panic, avoidance of certain places) will reduce. I conciously vary my perception and behaviours and thereafter my feelings change. I have to look to where I want to be. 

In is a truism in psychotherapy and counselling that people who look forward to major changes in their life as having potential for something positive instead of feeling that changes are a stopping of something important can cope better with those inevitable changes. Optimistic people live longer and healthier lives than pessimistic ones, generally. 

If someone expriences a traumatic event, for example being held hostage or being in a plane crash, they are less likely to be distressed for the longer term if they can envisage an end goal of escape. That they will leave their current difficulty is a huge support to reducing the permanency of psychic pain. 

There are many other factors that can increase the severity of trauma-related illness (for example the sudden or repeated trauma or the intense powerlessness) but being able to focus on the future free from this current dreadful situation can assist a speedier return to a sense of normality. We have to look to where we want to be. 

Arguably the greatest philosophical question that can be posed is "what is the meaning of life". The answer is simple- the meaning of your life is what you make it. What do you want to make of your life and how do you achieve it? There is little disputing the fact that you are much more likely to achieve your goal of a more fruitful, rewarding and happier existence if you act like the person you want to be and start the journey immediately towards the endeavours that result in the rewards you desire. 

We need to look towards where we want to be to get there.