The Well-being Workbook by Fixers Approvals

THE WELL-BEING WORKBOOK

by Jenny

Hi there, Welcome to my Well-Being Workbook. I made this workbook because growing up I dealt with a lot of things such as bullying, looking after my Mum who was ill, and having very low selfesteem, and I know that some support and advice on taking care of my mental health would have been really useful. I spent years suffering from bad mental well-being (which you will explore the meaning of in the booklet) and wasn’t living up to my potential. Whilst I was at university my Mum died, and I felt even more alone, as I didn’t think I could talk to anyone about how I was feeling. That was when I decided I was going to work on my mental health, and through a lot of reading, talking to other people about their experiences, and doing different activities I started to feel better. Of course I still feel bad sometimes, everyone does, but the difference is that now I have tools and ideas to help myself when I’m having a tough time. I really hope you enjoy the exercises and activities in the book - remember, there are no right or wrong answers, it’s all about what makes you feel better! If you feel you’re struggling with your mental health and need some help, please talk to an adult you trust, like a teacher, parent, or doctor. They all care about you, and want to know if you’re feeling bad so they can support you. Don’t suffer in silence - mental health is just as important as physical health.

Have a great day, Jenny, 23

INTRO TO WELL-BEING Mental well-being is a way of describing how you are feeling and how you are coping with life. If you have good mental well-being, you are productive and confident. If you have low mental well-being, you might be worrying a lot, feel stressed or sad.

What can affect my mental wellbeing?

Things that make you stressed...

Things that make you worry...

Things that hold you back...

SELF-CARE Self-care is a way of treating your own mental well-being. It is different for everyone - whether its finding ways to relax, enjoying a hobby, or going and seeing friends. Make this paper fortune teller as a way to choose a self-care activity next time you are stressed or unhappy.

Instructions:

Write eight things that make you feel better when you have low mental well-being. e.g. Taking a walk, having a bath, playing a videogame.

MINDFULNESS Mindfulness is a way of improving mental well-being by focusing on yourself in the present moment. It helps you to become more aware of your own thoughts and feelings. If you are able to understand why you feel a certain way, it can help with anxiety, and allow you to put less pressure on yourself.

Let’s give it a try: Think about one thing you’ve done in the last week that you’re happy about or proud of. Write it below.

Now spend two minutes focusing on that thought. You can close your eyes if it helps. Dwell on it, and appreciate the memory. You can practice mindfulness by appreciating other little things throughout your day. Try focusing on your breathing, or on the taste of food, or on the way your favourite music makes you feel. For a focussed activity, try colouring in this workbook.

GRATEFULNESS Another way to improve your mood is to think about what you are grateful for. Concentrating on the wonderful things that happen every day might help you worry less about temporary things that are causing you stress.

Use the spaces to write four things you are grateful for today.

PERSONAL STRENGTHS Ask your friends and family to write down five things that they think are your strengths. Then you can come back and look at them when you aren’t feeling confident or valued. (e.g ‘You’re really funny’, ‘You’re good at drawing’)

SELF-IMPROVEMENT Setting goals to improve yourself is a good way to help your mental well-being; when you achieve something that is important to you, it will make you feel proud, and more positive about yourself. Write down something that you would like to work on.

Write down why you would like to be better at this.

Write down three things that you could do to achieve this goal. (e.g. Practice every day, speak to a teacher about it)

ACTION POINTS I hope you’ve found these mental well-being exercises useful but it doesn’t end here. Have a look back through this booklet and write down three action points that will help you on your journey to good mental well-being. (e.g. I will work on learning a new skill, I will find time to relax daily)

for more information: mind.org.uk youngminds.org.uk time-to-change.org.uk

Information in this workbook has been sourced from www.mind.org.uk. While these techniques are useful for general mental well-being, please see your GP if you are concerned about your mental health. These exercises should not be relied on or a subsitute for formal medical advice.

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