Common Questions
What is the Wellbeing College?
The Wellbeing College is a web based organisation that provides information, and delivers courses and activities to improve people’s knowledge about their health and wellbeing. It is a partnership of many of the voluntary organisations in Bath and North East Somerset. Every course that is provided will improve your knowledge, skills and confidence and help you to self manage your health and wellbeing.
How can the Wellbeing College help me?
You can use the Wellbeing College website to find out about courses or activities which are available to help you manage your health and wellbeing, by improving your knowledge, skills and confidence. Although the College is a virtual college (we are website based), we do have Wellbeing Advisers who you can talk to, either over the phone or in person. Simply phone us on the number provided or use the ‘Contact Us’ page to send us an enquiry. We can talk to you about what you think you need to do to improve your wellbeing, and we can suggest a course or activity that we think may help you. Alternatively, you may benefit from having a 1 to 1 Wellbeing Advice session with our Wellbeing Adviser, which we can arrange for you.
Am I eligible to use the Wellbeing College?
If you are 16 or over, and live in Bath and North East Somerset you are eligible. If you live outside B&NES but are registered with a B&NEs GP you may also use the service. Some very specialist courses have certain criteria that have to be met to attend.
What are the 5 Steps to Wellbeing?
Wellbeing is the one of the strongest determinants of an individual’s health; it fundamentally affects behaviour, social cohesion, social inclusion and prosperity.
In 2008, New Economics Foundation (nef) was commissioned by the UK Government’s Foresight project on mental capital and wellbeing to review the inter-disciplinary work of over 400 scientists from across the world. The aim was to identify a set of evidence-based actions to improve wellbeing, which individuals would be encouraged to build into their daily lives. They came up with a list of ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing':
Connect
Connect with the people around you. With family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. At home, work, school or in your local community. Think of these as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing them. Building these connections will support and enrich you every day.
Be active
Go for a walk or run. Step outside. Cycle. Play a game. Garden. Dance. Exercising makes you feel good. Most importantly, discover a physical activity you enjoy and that suits your level of mobility and fitness.
Take notice
Be curious. Catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the unusual. Notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment, whether you are walking to work, eating lunch or talking to friends. Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters.
Keep learning
Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Sign up for that course. Take on a different responsibility at work. Fix a bike. Learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favourite food. Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving. Learning new things will make you more confident as well as being fun.
Give
Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thank someone. Smile. Volunteer your time. Join a community group. Look out as well as in. Seeing yourself and your happiness linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and creates connections with the people around you.
The Wellbeing College runs Five Ways to Wellbeing courses across the BANES locality – book on one of the courses to find out more about how to enhance your wellbeing.
How can I perform a self-assessment?
Use this tool, provided by NHS Choices.
