Photo: Celeste33 / Flickr

Longer working hours and more demands at home often lead to less time to devote to important things like your own personal well-being. Saint Benedict spoke long ago about living a complete life by routinely structuring things like work, exercise and spirituality and this still applies today. Practicing virtues like generosity and building good relationships can also heighten one’s sense of happiness. As can getting your hands dirty in soil, as recent research shows us.

Be happy – connect with the earth and the seasons

The University of Bristol has showed that being in contact with good bacteria in the earth has effects comparable to using anti-depressants. Another study found that around 94 per cent of people involved in green activities like gardening felt that by doing so, they reduced their feelings of depression. If you can’t get your hands dirty in a garden, try and make time to pot some indoor plants ‑ connecting with the changing seasons and seeing your work blossom can lead to a sense of purpose.

Improve your well-being through yoga and meditation

Aside from connecting with nature, one can find a sense of purpose and peace by practising meditation or yoga. By practising these age old techniques, one tends to stop focusing only on the past and present. This can also help one to see events in a more objective and realistic light, which can reduce anxiety levels. Connecting with yourself brings you back into living the moment ‑making it easier to prioritise what is important and what is not important in your life.

Achieving a sense of well-being is an ongoing process as our goals, means and circumstances are always changing, much like the weather. Perhaps staying connected, whether at work or in the garden, helps us to embrace change – or at least remain open to change.

Tags: Depression, exercise, gardening, lifestyle, meditation, work, yoga