Food Blog: Your go-to wellness digest

Saturday, February 4, 2023

Your go-to wellness digest

I used to dismiss simpler wellness practices as largely ineffective, could gratitude really change my health? Turns out it can, and it's one of the best habits I've ever taken up.

Being thankful - as in actively taking time to note what you appreciate in your life - has been shown to improve your sleep, mood and immunity, while decreasing feelings of depression, anxiety and reducing the risk of many chronic diseases. In short, it's a simple way to boost every aspect of our wellbeing.

It's part of my affirmation practice in the mornings. I love the mantra 'I appreciate everything I am and everything I have'. Then before I go to sleep I list three moments I'm grateful for that day. Sometimes it's easy, other times it's not, until I remind myself how lucky I am to have a warm bed. I've also started doing gratitudes with my girls (who are 2 and 3), asking them 'what's made you feel happy'. Sometimes the response is meaningful - you picking me up from nursery - other times less so - but I hope it cultivates an optimistic attitude over time.

It's not a magic cure to life's challenges, but it certainly helps find the silver linings. Plus the science of neuroplasticity means your brain will change over time, so gratitude and optimism slowly become the default. Give it a try, nothing to lose with this habit.

New data shows kindness can be more powerful than traditional treatment when it comes to depression & anxiety.

I appreciate this sounds like a controversial, clickbait-esq headline, but this really was the result from a new study in The Journal of Positive Psychology. The research team at Ohio State University found performing good deeds led to notable mental health improvements, which weren't seen in two traditional Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) techniques commonly used to treat feelings of depression and anxiety. Not only this, another recent large analysis of 201 studies and almost 200,000 people from the Psychological Bulletin found that kindness positively contributes to all aspects of wellbeing, from better physical and psychological health to stronger relationships.

My takeaway from this research? There's no one-size-fits-all, and I'm certainly not advocating stopping medication or tools that currently support you. Instead I see it as another illustration of why we need to re-define wellness, moving our thinking away from a more simplistic, dogmatic approach - 'I must exercise, I must eat my greens' - into a more holistic space, wherein we make time for kindness, gratitude, time outside, time with friends, a hot bath or a good book, because these habits are all proven to help our health too.

Small changes, big results. Simple tools, a healthier life.

The benefits of a morning routine are frequently lauded by some of the world's most successful people, including this week's Wellness With Ella guest, Jake Humphrey, the co-host of the widely popular High Performance podcast. The main reason being having a familiar routine of health-promoting habits at the start of the day can help you to get into a state of 'flow', stimulate your mind for a productive day, and prompt healthy habit stacking - start with one simple practice and watch yourself instinctively do the next act of self-care.

This has certainly been my experience. Getting up 30-60 minutes before my girls means I feel calm, grounded and ready for the chaos. Without it I feel like my life is a whirlwind, I don't have a second to myself, and I can't catch my breath.

If you're in need of some inspiration to create a morning routine that works for you, we have lots of tools to get you going.