Positive thinking

Rhi Willmot, Bangor University   Exercise has been found to reduce stress , increase positive mood , decrease anxiety and alleviate depression . But you may not know that the emotional well-being associated with exercise is also linked to key attributes that can help us while we work. One of the most established of well-being frameworks ( PERMA ) states that of the many ways to experience happiness, five areas are most important: positive emotions, mental engagement, strong relationships, meaning in life and accomplishing goals. At face value, achieving all five may seem a colossal task. But many activities from tennis to triathlons, squash to swimming, can help us clinch all five at once. Evidence suggests that, as a result, we are more likely to avoid job burnout , sleep more easily and be more engaged at work. 1. Positive emotions The “runner’s high” is at the peak of positive emotion. While this euphoric feeling is most typically linked to pounding the pav...

   Colin Moran, University of Stirling ; Naomi Brooks, University of Stirling , and Ross Chesham, University of Stirling If you haven’t heard of the Daily Mile yet, your time has come. Now taking place in 3,600 primary schools each day in 35 countries around the world, it takes children outside during normal lesson time to run or walk laps of the playground for 15 minutes. The ones who run cover around a mile each day. The initiative has an endearing back story . It was developed six years ago by St Ninians Primary School in Stirling in central Scotland after children and teachers felt the pupils needed to be fitter. Other schools quickly realised the value, and it started to spread. It is now happening in around half of Scottish primaries and a quarter of those in England; while schools have also got on board everywhere from the US to the United Arab Emirates to Nepal to Australia. With all this enthusiasm,...