WoW Newsletter: September 2022
WoW Newsletter: September 2022
Welcome to the Wheel of Wellbeing (WoW) – a simple framework designed to improve people’s health, happiness and wellbeing by focusing on six areas – Body, Mind, Spirit, People, Place and Planet. This monthly newsletter provides a roundup of the latest wellbeing tips, activities, research and resources to inspire better health and wellbeing. Tap into them — for yourself, your families, workplaces, schools and communities — and help create a happier world for us all.
This month we focus on practicing skills such as reading and writing, the importance of charity and the benefits of gratitude for our spirits, and finally the social importance of educating for peace and sign languages in our communities.
WoW Days of the Month
Why not use these inspiring international days to create a focal point for wellbeing activities in your school, workplace or community?
1st September – World Letter Writing Day
Letter Writing Day was founded by Richard Simpkin, an Australian author who loves writing handwritten letters. There are many benefits to writing letters, including improving handwriting, strengthening language skills and for creative expression. “How wonderful it is to be able to write someone a letter! To feel like conveying your thoughts to a person, to sit at your desk and pick up a pen, to put your thoughts into words like this is truly marvelous.” Haruki Murakami
Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash
5th September – International Day of Charity
The International Day of Charity is celebrated on September 5th in commemoration of the anniversary of the passing away of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. The day is celebrated with the objective of educating and mobilising others to help others through voluntary work.
Want to get involved but need inspiration? Check out government registered charities through your local government or council website.
Photo by Matt Collamer on Unsplash
8th September – International Literacy Day
International Literacy Day was created in 1967 to remind the public of the importance of literacy. Literacy is a major component of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Photo by Joel Muniz on Unsplash
21st September – International Day peace
The International Day of Peace has been declared by the United Nations General Assembly, this is a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace. This years theme is: End Racism. Build Peace. “Racism continues to poison institutions, social structures, and everyday life in every society. It continues to be a driver of persistent inequality. And it continues to deny people their fundamental human rights. It destabilizes societies, undermines democracies, erodes the legitimacy of governments, and… the linkages between racism and gender inequality are unmistakable.” Secretary-General, António Guterres
21st September – World Gratitude Day
International gratitude day was established in 1977 in honour of Sri Chinmoy. Gratitude is defined as the appreciation of what is valuable and meaningful to a person, it is a state of thankfulness and appreciation (1). Moreover, the regular practice of gratitude has been linked better overall wellbeing (1). “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Melody Beattie
Photo by Donald Giannatti on Unsplash
23rd September – International Day of Sign Languages
The International Day of Sign Language is a day celebrated by the United Nations which supports and protects the linguistic identity of all deaf people and sign language users. This year’s theme is: Building Inclusive Communities for All.
Watch and Listen:
Great Articles & Websites:
The Importance of writing letters
Read this article on the importance and benefits of hand writing letters.
Reading challenges
Want to stay accountable of your reading this year? Try one of these activities alone or with a friend. Try a Guardian book swap or start a reading challenge.
Practicing Gratitude
Want to start practicing gratitude but don’t know where to start? This website shares a number of activities which you can follow, these include:
- The “What Are You Grateful For?” game
- The “What Would You Feel Without it?” game
- Prompts for writing “Thank You” postcards
References:
1. Sansone, R. A., & Sansone, L. A. (2019). Gratitude and well being: the benefits of appreciation. Psychiatry (Edgmont (Pa. : Township)), 7(11), 18–22. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3010965/
Need help?
Image by skeeze from Pixabay
Concerned about the health and safety of yourself, family or friends?
- If you suspect you or a family member has coronavirus you should call (not visit) your GP or ring the national 24-hour Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080. You can get the latest updates here: government advice on Coronavirus
- If you are experiencing a mental health crisis: Lifeline Australia or phone 13 11 14
- visit Beyond Blue to access their Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service
Financial difficulties?
- Click here for information on the government’s latest coronavirus financial support.
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Supported by the Queensland Mental Health Commission.
Certain links in this newsletter lead to websites which are not under the control of Implemental Worldwide CIC. Implemental Worldwide CIC has no control over and accepts no liability in respect of materials, products or services available on any website which is not under the control of Implemental Worldwide CIC. Any opinions expressed in these external links and materials do not necessarily reflect the view of Implemental Worldwide CIC. Some of these links may request additional information and it is at your sole discretion if you wish to provide this. Any advertisements or promotional material contained in the links to websites and other materials, are not endorsed by Implemental Worldwide CIC and Implemental Worldwide CIC makes no commercial gains through these links.Wheel of Well-being is owned by South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike 4.0 International License. Information on this license is available at www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0. Adaptations need to follow brand guidelines available at www.wheelofwellbeing.org and be signed off by SLaM. For permissions beyond the scope of this license contact hello@wheelofwellbeing.org.
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