Welcome to Day 8 of the Wellbeing 9-a-Day blog! Now that we are entering our second week with the journal, I hope you are starting to build positive habits and see some benefits in your health and wellbeing. In today’s blog, we will move on from exercising your body to exercising your mind with daily learning.
The Benefits of Learning
Many people think that learning starts and ends at school, but with that mindset, you miss out on the beauty of acquiring new knowledge throughout your whole journey in life. Learning new skills, having new experiences, and overcoming challenges big and small are essential parts of your daily learning.
Learning helps you to increase knowledge, develop skills, and gain insight into yourself and the world around you. The more challenges you overcome, the more confident you will be when taking on new and bigger tasks in the future.
Continuous learning also offers a greater sense of belonging, hope, and purpose, providing you with opportunities to connect with others who share similar interests. It stimulates your mind, increases levels of wisdom, and improves your memory, focus, and concentration.
People who carry on learning well after childhood have reported higher states of wellbeing and a greater ability to cope with the ups and downs of everyday life.
Me, Myself, Hyundai
For the most part, I have been lucky in that I’ve enjoyed learning new things. The major exception to this was when I started learning to drive at the ripe old age of 28.
I had never really had the need to drive. In sixth form, I lived a three-minute walk away from school. At university, I didn’t have the money to learn, plus it was an eighteen-minute, enjoyable walk into the city centre. As I moved through my 20s, I was happy to walk, get public transport, or jump in a mate’s car if we were heading anywhere.
It was only when I met my wonderful girlfriend, Jervie, that the need to drive became apparent. A large part of our courtship was going for walks and travelling to new places, but we soon exhausted the options available to us by train or bus.
To cut a long story short, I then started learning to drive… and I hated every moment of it.
Being behind the wheel gave me my first real taste of anxiety, and I was totally underprepared to deal with it. For an hour or two twice a week, I would grip the steering wheel from the moment I started driving to the time I stopped, and I would only realise afterwards that every part of my body was dripping with sweat.
Over the coming weeks, I will share more about my struggles with learning to drive – a story I call Me, Myself, Hyundai because the journey didn’t stop with passing my test, as proven by this picture of my first accident, which came within weeks of passing my test…
Call to Action!
What do you want to learn more about? Is there a skill that you can develop that will improve your life? Are there any subjects that you would like to study? Take some time to think about how you could improve your life by learning something new, and then set yourself a daily goal to begin your journey.
If you would like to learn more about the #w9ad, I will be hosting our first online session for Live Well with Cancer on 1st February from 6:30-8pm on Zoom. These sessions have been generously funded by The National Lottery Community Fund. Please email livewellwithcancer@gmail.com to register for the session.
This blog was written as part of a 90-day blog writing fundraiser for Live Well with Cancer, a volunteer-led charity serving North Tyneside and the surrounding areas. If you enjoyed this blog, please show your appreciation by donating to my JustGiving page. Every penny raised from donations or sales of the journal will help deliver workshops, events and support groups that empower better health and wellbeing for those affected by cancer, including family, friends, carers, and healthcare workers.
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