Simple activities such as gardening or mending a bicycle “taking notice” such as “catching sight of the beautiful” and “savouring the moment, whether walking to work, eating lunch or talking to friends” can protect mental health and help people to lead more fulfilled and productive lives, a panel of over 400 scientists has found.

In its Mental Capital and Wellbeing report, Foresight, a U.K. government think-tank

“found there are five categories of things that can make a profound difference to people’s wellbeing and each has evidence behind it.”

5 Steps to happiness

Connect
Developing relationships with family, friends, colleagues and neighbours will enrich your life and bring you support. Connecting can be as simple as a hand on a loved one’s shoulder or a word of support.

Be active
Sports, hobbies such as gardening or dancing, or just a daily stroll will make you feel good and maintain mobility and fitness. Use it or lose it is a truism that cannot be ignored for body and brain. Remember to include stretching and strengthening. Short bursts of activity are just as valuable as a long stretch at the gym. Take the stairs, get off one bus stop early and walk the rest of the way, turn up the music loud and dance at home.

Be curious
Noting the beauty of everyday moments as well as the unusual and reflecting on them helps you to appreciate what matters to you. Try and notice one interesting or beautiful thing everyday like clouds moving across the sky, dew drops on a leaf or the smile on a child’s face. 

Learn
Fixing a bike, learning an instrument, cooking – the challenge and satisfaction brings fun and confidence. Stretch your mind and generate new brain wiring. Learn something new, do crosswords or sudoku, play draughts, chess or take up a new craft. Our brain is only as old as we allow it to be.

Give
Helping friends and strangers links your happiness to a wider community and is very rewarding. This is about community and connection. There are so many ways we can give, all within our means and ability. It might be donating time or skills. It might be putting your neighbours paper at their front door when you collect your own in the morning. It might be taking your workmate a coffee when they least expect it. It might be crazy things like letting the car into the space in front of you or paying the toll for the car behind you. Give in a way that brings a warm smile to your face.

The report suggests an easy five-a-day approach. This means you should try to touch base with each of these every day in simple, manageable way.

Tomorrow I will outline the 5 simple daily steps to unhappiness…