Why Wellbeing Beats Peanut Butter on Pancakes
Fay Mitchell
Yep. You read that title correctly, brace yourself for some sweet wellbeing tips and tricks so you can learn the recipe for a positive mind-set this February.
If you think you already know why excellent wellbeing is better…. it’s not just because of the dry and questionable taste of peanut butter! No, in fact the real reason we are absolutely NUTS for wellbeing at Thrive is because of the countless evidence suggesting that feelings of wellbeing are fundamental to overall health of a person.
Having strong wellbeing also will improve the success, confidence and overall academic and work performance of an individual. As an impact, boosting your self esteem and image can result in the production of a positive mind-set.
Okay so that sounds a lot easier to follow on paper than it is in the real world. But before we jump into the key ingredients for positive thinking, let’s clear up some confusion.
What do pancakes have to do with mental health?
The answer is not a lot really! I’m just enjoying the amount of food related puns I can squeeze into this blog. However, with that being said sometimes the truth about the ways we cope with stress and anxiety are hard to swallow.
So today we have decided to serve you some information about common coping vices, such as comfort eating, binge drinking and general addictions. And we ask why do we turn to these activities? and how can we move towards finding a positive mind-set towards wellbeing?
Statistics suggest that 10.8 million adults drink at levels that pose a risk to their mental health. Issues surrounding alcohol consumption have further come to light since the Covid-19 pandemic began in April 2020 – the government has reported alcohol-specific related deaths increasing by around 20%.
With further statistics taken from https://alcoholchange.org.uk/ highlighting that drinking will worsen mental wellbeing for 4 in 10 drinkers. Anxiety and stress are reported as the most common reasons behind the reported uptake in this consumption.
Other coping strategies include binge eating, with 1 in 2 people considering themselves compulsive eaters. This works out to around 12 million people in the UK struggling with this coping mechanism. Often with both of these vices, low-self esteem and an attempt to manage stress can be leading causes behind this behaviour.
How can we move towards building sustainable good wellbeing?
As we have previously explored, having a strong relationship with your wellbeing is a critical step towards a positive mind-set. One of the most important aspects of wellbeing is knowing your limits. We can begin to reduce stress in our lives by removing aspects that do not bring us joy.
For example, this could be removing accounts on social media that make you question your worth; or cutting off relationships with individuals if these are draining and not offering you value.
Other simple techniques towards gaining a positive mind-set are goal setting. Activities such as creating a vision board not only provide a relaxing and creative outlet, but also allow you to prioritise any achievements you would like to strive towards. Personally, goal-setting makes me feel excited about the future and motivates me towards achieving these desires.
Finally, using words of affirmation is the most vital aspect towards a positive mind-set. Although this can feel daunting at first, start by picking features or personality traits about yourself that you like. It’s important to compliment yourself and appreciate what you have already achieved.
The next step is to either write these down or say them out loud to yourself in the mirror. Recognise your strengths, and give yourself credit through saying things such as “I am worthy, I am strong, I am deserving.” This will feel 1000x better than spinning a constant cycle of negative thoughts putting yourself down.
So in conclusion – yes, wellbeing beats peanut butter on pancakes, and we at Thrive hope that this blog has provided a good insight into how you can push forwards towards a positive mind-set.