As the days get shorter and nights get longer it can seem as if the days disappear! This can have a negative impact on our wellbeing and our sense of achievement throughout the day. 

One way to combat this, improve your wellbeing, and help with structure - is by learning a new skill. Keep learning is one of the five pillars of the five ways to wellbeing - a proven and researched model of how we can achieve our best wellbeing. 

Learning is shown to improve our wellbeing, increase our self-esteem, and helps us cope with stress better, something which is important for us all right now. 

Here are some ideas to get you thinking! 

Eat something new

Try something new in the kitchen and expand your palette! Make a calendar of what you’re going to bake and cook so you can shop in advance, and make sure you have all the right equipment! Not only do you get a tasty meal out of this activity, you learn a new skill. You can make it a family activity and get everyone involved to feel connected. Something new for dinner has hundreds of recipes from cultures all over the world! They have a recipe search function so you can find a diet specific recipe or a quick one if you’ve only got half an hour. 

Get creative

Embroidery has had a rise in popularity within the pandemic, with easy patterns to follow and something nice at the end.  It's great if you want something that requires focus but not necessarily any mental energy. It helps with dexterity in fingers and hands, keeping those muscles moving. Etsy has lots of choices and they're a great gift for Christmas. By shopping on Etsy, you will also be supporting an independent small business who needs your help during the pandemic 

Expand your knowledge

Now could be an opportunity to start that course you were always interested in. The Open University has lots of free online courses from the ancient Olympics, the business of football to earthquakes! All the courses say what level they are, so if you’re looking for some deep thinking or just to learn some new things - there is something for everyone. Browse their free catalogue here

Look no further!

At RLSS UK we have been working really hard to create our own online learning from a range of topics. We want to keep you informed and up-to-date with the latest guidance and best practice. Our online learning can be accessed through your tahdah account. Some are open access and others can be accessed through RLSS UK membership.

A daily dose of knowledge  

Wikipedia posts daily featured articles that aim to bring out the very best content that this free online encyclopedia has to offer. You can subscribe to it through their website, meaning you’ll get something new and interesting to learn every day. Subscribe here  

Podcasts

If you prefer learning through listening rather than reading; Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and the BBC Sounds app all have free podcasts. Spotify and Apple podcasts have an educational section with informative podcasts with a range of topics. It’s not all highbrow academia like philosophy and statistical analysis but there's also practical shows, like how to manage your money or fix your car from home. 

Download Spotify, Apple Music or BBC Sounds from the App Store for iPhone and Google Play for Android.

Don’t forget that RLSS UK has also launched its very own podcast channel – RLSS UK Lockdown 2.0. The podcasts are also available on Apple, Spotify and Google Play for Android, all accessible via our podcast channel.

Looking after the mental health of our members at this time is important to us. We’ve recently held a webinar to support members to find positive ways to look after their mental health. You can still watch the webinar now - https://www.rlss.org.uk/news/looking-out-for-your-mental-health

Stay positive, stay safe and learn new skills.

Thank you to Ellen Lapworth-Maisey for your professional guidance and content