Happiful January 2020

Going up
Humpback
whales are back
from near
extinction – from
450 to around
25,000
Brush up!
Good oral hygiene
is linked to better
heart health
The
wellbeing
wrap
Nature’s heroes
Experts have revealed
that thanks to forgetful
grey squirrels, who bury
their nuts and acorns and
don’t return for them,
hundreds of trees have
become seedlings each
year! Squirrelling things
away has never been so
helpful!
Listening to 78 minutes of
music each day can benefit
your wellbeing – according
to the British Academy
of Sound Therapy, and
the streaming platform
Deezer. The study found
that 90% of people used
music to relax, and
therapeutic benefits
began after just 11
minutes of listening.
HANKERING FOR A HOLIDAY?
A chance to relax and refresh, we all love an
adventure abroad, or a little staycation. But it turns
out that 51% of Brits have booked a vacation to
benefit their wellbeing, and it seems stress is a
primary reason why. The study by DFDS revealed
that 37% of Brits have felt forced to take a holiday
due to everyday work and life stresses.
World of
Wonder
Nature photography is
believed to help with mental
illness by developing a skill,
encouraging focus, and with
wildlife, requires a lot of
patience! Time to pick up
a camera and start
#OTRocks exploring...
Find a pebble,
pick it up! An initiative
backed by occupational therapists in
West Sussex sees patients engaging
in art classes to help spread a smile to
others. They paint uplifting messages
on pebbles, and hide them around
Sussex Partnership hospitals and the
local community, for people to find
and brighten their day. The hope is
people will re-hide the pebbles to
continue spreading the positivity to
someone else in need.
Formula 1
has announced
plans to go carbon
neutral by 2030
Instagram has
banned plastic
surgery filters
to improve MH
75% of teachers
describe themselves
as ‘stressed’
Going down
‘THE PILLOW BANDIT’
With two thirds of cat and dog owners letting their
furry pals snuggle in with them at bedtime, research
from itchpet.com has revealed the 10 most common
sleeping positions for pets – and I’m sure some are
all too familiar! From ‘the sneak’, where your friend
gradually snuggles further up your bed, to ‘the donut
divider’ who curls up in a ball between your legs,
to ‘the pillow bandit’ where your cheeky pet
decides sharing is caring and steals your whole
pillow – I certainly know a culprit who does latter.
WITH ONE IN EIGHT
MEN AFRAID TO SEEK
SUPPORT FOR THEIR
MENTAL HEALTH, 12
BRILLIANT MEN FROM
ESSEX ARE PUTTING
THEMSELVES OUT
THERE FOR A CHARITY
‘DAD BOD CALENDAR’,
WITH PROFITS GOING
TO THE MENTAL
HEALTH FOUNDATION.
WORKING 9 TO 5...
Could be a thing of the
past – at least for five days
a week, that is. In August
2019, a Microsoft subsidiary
in Japan closed its office
every Friday, and saw a
40% boost in productivity.
It noted printing decreased
by 58%, and electricity
use was down 23%,
making it a win for
the environment too!
Time to train
We all know the mind–body
connection is strong, and now
a new facility in Manchester has
become the first mental health
gym in the UK to really emphasise
that relationship.
The Hero Training Club features
all the traditional gym essentials,
with equipment and weights,
but also offers psychiatrist
appointments, has trained staff to
spot mental illnesses, encourages
members to track their mental
health in an app, and to attend
mental resilience sessions.
For those who like to tailor
their workout, wellbeing care
has lots of choice too, as it also
offers mindfulness sessions,
hypnotherapy, and sleep
workshops – a holistic health hub,
meaning your membership pass
won’t lie in a draw gathering dust.