by Gaby Flavin January 31, 2020

Wellbeing is all the rage these days, and deservedly so. It is so critical to our ability to function and be ourselves. To be the best you you can be, you need to take care of yourself. We so often put others first. In fact, we are often conditioned as caregivers - both as family members and professionals - to care for others. We put ourselves, and our needs on the back burner. We leave ourselves to the last minute. We often care for ourselves when we reach a point of burning out, or just before.

In our Reflections Journal we have given you a double page spread and a game - Wellbeing Bingo:

Loretta from Made for Teaching, a friend of ours, a user of the reflection journal I designed in my  old business, Reflections of an Educator. Loretta is an early childhood teacher and small business owner has created this amazing and inspiring spread on her page. I was in turn inspired by this and also used images for my journal! Over the next few months, I'll be creating some images to share with you for you to use in your journal.

TO INSPIRE YOU FILLING OUT YOUR OWN WELLBEING BINGO PAGES, I HAVE COME UP WITH A LIST OF 100 IDEAS FOR YOU TO NURTURE YOUR OWN WELLBEING.

1. Take a nap without setting an alarm.
2. Take a different route to work. While the destination may be the same, the journey won’t be.
3. Do a daily routine slightly differently.
4. Learn how to Sew, Knit or Crochet. It can be as easy as visiting Youtube!
5. Learn how to use power tools! Take a course at your local hardware store, Mens Shed or through a small business!
6. Make some changes to your living space! They say change can be as good as a holiday, so mix things up.
7. Create a new morning routine. Sometimes changing our routines, or turning them into nurturing rituals can lift our spirits and nurture our wellbeing.
8. Read a book. Make an event of it! Go to your local bookstore and cruise the shelves. Or visit your local library and wander up and down the aisles. Look at the covers, read the summaries and check out a few that grab you.
9. Is money stressing you out? Learn how to do a personal budget and track your money! I highly recommend the ASIC Smart Money budget planner and also looking at The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape.
10. Revisit an old hobby.
11. Find a new hobby!
12. Schedule some personal time into your calendar.
13. Read some inspirational stories of amazing and inspiring people throughout history.
14. Listen to a new podcast.
15. Visit a new cafe - take a drive, check out a new suburb and have a itty bitty break. If you’re a coffee lover, pop your postcode in and see what you can find.
16. Be spontaneous!
17. Find a corner , surface or a drawer in your space and give it a tidy. Tidying up can help us to calm our minds and seeing an organised space can sometimes give us a little lift.
18. Learn something new! You could watch a documentary or even do a short course through community colleges.
19. Unplug from all communications for an hour - including social media, email, phones.
20. Declutter. I recommend two books: Simply Spaced by Monica Leed and Unstuff Your Life by Andrew Mellen. There is also the very popular Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organising by Marie Kondo. Check out this great checklist resource by Happy DIY Home
21. Read a magazine. You can either buy one, or check out the selection at your local library.
22. Create a sanctuary. Are you feeling overwhelmed with life?
23. Make pillow fort (metaphorical or physical) and hide from the world. Take supplies, and hunker down for the morning, afternoon, or even the day!
24. Embrace the word ‘NO’. Its ok to say no, turn down invitations or set some boundaries around what you can commit to. You don’t have to say yes to everything.
25. Create a sanctuary within your home. That could be a nook in your garden or patio or your bedroom,
26. Ask for help. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and need to connect with people, phone a friend, family member or even a helpline. That’s what they are there for.
27. Look at your to-do list and tick something off as completed! I even sometimes like to add things to my to-do list after I’ve completed them. They might not have been on my list to start with, but they certainly made it to the list after! Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14
28. Do one thing, just one think today that makes you happy. Just because.
29. Breathe. Engage in some mindful breathing. Breathe in through your nose, and breathe out slowly through your mouth. Repeat this until you’re feeling more calm.
30. Go to the gratitude list in your reflection journal and fill it in. If you’ve already filled it in, read over it and add to it. Daily gratitude is important.
31. Write a list of your personal qualities that you
32. Find a yoga lesson on Youtube and stretch your body and still your mind.
33. Reward yourself for completing tasks. Go on, you deserve it.
34. Unplug. Turn off emails, texts and other messages and notifications for at least an hour.
35. Go home. When you’re feeling overwhelmed with social engagement, its ok to say not and take some time to yourself.
36. Create yourself some positive affirmations cards.
37. Pay it forward. Do something lovely for someone else overtime someone does something lovely for.
38. Do you have a companion animal? Give them a cuddle and tell them how much you love them.
39. Clear up your socials! Look over the pages you follow and unfollow the ones that no longer bring you happiness. This gives those pages that you do enjoy a better chance of popping up in your newsfeed.
40. Explore your creative side. Take up painting, drawing or even working with clay.
41. Get a piece of paper and jot down everything that is troubling you. Then tear it up. Burn them.
42. Clean up your work space. Whether you work at a desk in an office or your working space at home - giving it a tidy and a good clean can be cathartic.
43. Jot down some affirmations or inspirational quotes on post it notes, or print some from the internet and put them places you will see them every day - your bathroom mirror or the back of your bedroom door.
44. Stretch - get up and give your body a great stretch.
45. Download an app like Smiling Mind and listen to a meditation. Even 5 minutes can make a difference.
46. Make sure you are drinking enough water each and every day? If you aren’t look at getting a stainless steel bottle. They keep your water cold and also on your mind! They come in all sorts of colours and styles and you can even get them personalised.
47. Go and get some vitamin D. Spend 10 minutes in morning sun, and get some much vitamin D. It’s crucial for our overall health boosting immunity and helps to regulate moods.
48. Make sure you get enough sleep. Every person is different, but it is recommended that our bodies need 8 hours of solid sleep a night. Whatever it is you personally need, try and make sure that you get it.
49. Give yourself permission to have a sleep in! Sometimes you just need to have some extra sleep.
50. Walk your dog. Walk a friend’s dog. Go to an animal shelter and walk some of their dogs.
51. Plan a weekend away. Where would you go? How would you get there? What would you eat? What sorts of activities would you engage in while you were there? And if you can, take that weekend away!
52. Cook a new recipe.
53. Take a bath. Use some amazing bath salts or epsom salts. They contain magnesium sulphate which helps soften your skin, reduce soreness and pain and reduces stress. But make sure you set the scene so its special. Candles, a good book or magazine. Or perhaps you’d listen to music or your favourite podcast or audio book.
54. Give yourself a manicure or pedicure.
55. Go to a farmer’s market and explore the gorgeous produce.
56. Watch ridiculously cute squirrel, kitten or puppy videos on Youtube.
57. Listen to an audio book.
58. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, write a list of three things you can achieve today and tick them off.
59. Stretch! When was the last time you had a good stretch?
60. Take a weekend away!
61. Lie back, and day dream.
62. Cook something new! Find a new recipe and give it a go.
63. Make yourself a cup of tea in a special tea cup.
64. Take a bath.
65. Go to the movies by yourself and see a movie. Make it a treat.
66. Call and old friend and reconnect.
67. Go to a museum.
68. Visit a plant nursery and buy yourself a potted plant. They’re good for your health and soul.
69. Visit a farmers market and try a new fruit or vegetable.
70. Fantasy spend a giant lottery win.
71. Have a home spa moment - put on a face masque, play some of your favourite music and nurture your skin.
72. Go for a walk.
73. Sit on a park bench and people watch.
74. Take a public ferry cruise. It’s an affordable way to see a city from a new perspective.
75. Have a Netflix day
76. Watch a classic film.
77. Colour in …. Buy a colouring book or download a colouring in sheet.
78. Create a play list of your favourite tunes.
79. Go outside at night and look up at the moon and stars.
80. Watch a sunset.
81. Get up early and watch the sunrise, listening to the birds as they greet the day.
82. Lie down on a blanket and cloud watch.
83. Be kind - strike up a friendly conversation with a person in customer service, such as at the supermarket. You could make their day by simply being kind and friendly.
84. Invite a group of friends over for a potluck meal. Have everyone bring a dish to share and relax and laugh.
85. Snail Mail! Send a letter or two or three to someone you care about. Or even a stranger! It can be a card filled with a few stickers or temporary tattoos. A quote or photograph. Or it could be as simple as a post card.
86. Go out on a date with your significant other. If you’re without a significant other, take a friend out.
87. Put together a care package for a friend. Put a few treats in a box and send it to them to cheer them up.
88. Donate money to a small self-funding charity. There are many small no-kill animal rescues that either self-support or rely greatly upon donations. There are also similarly community groups that support the homeless.
89. Ground yourself. Plant your feet in the green grass, close your eyes and raise your face to the sky. Hold your arms outwards a little from your body and take a few deep breaths.
90. Do a random act of kindness. Do something generous for someone else with no strings attached.
91. Tell those you love, that you love them.
92. Be a Secret Santa at work! Buy a small gift or make a quote card and leave it for a work colleague who could do with a cheer. Write a little note, and then leave it where they will find it.
93. At the end of your day, internally think of the most beautiful thing that happened to you during the day. Write it down on a note and pop that into a jar. At the end of the year, you can read all those moments and feel their warmth again.
94. Read some spiritual literature.
95. Read stories of strong inspiration people through history.
96. Share kind smiles with strangers.
97. Hold the door open for someone you don’t know.
98. Make some cookies and take them to work. Leave a note for your colleagues to help themselves.
99. Organise a pot-luck meal at work. Encourage everyone to bring a dish from their own culture so that everyone can share and connect over food.
100. Be you. Be unreservedly, unappologetically yourself. There is only one you in this world. You do you.