We all know that life is hard sometimes and brain injury doesn’t make it any easier! Focusing on good experiences is often essential in the process of moving forward. So, why not share your positive experiences – and you could win a prize. The most positive and inspiring post each month wins a £10 Amazon voucher. Why not give it a go and click on this link?

DONT’ FORGET – the more positive you are the better your chance of winning!!!

Of course, we can’t be positive all the time. Sometimes talking about our negative experiences is the only way to understand and solve the challenges we face. There are many ways of doing that. For example, you could come to one of our branch meetings or join the Swansea support group. Headway also provide a site where you can share difficult experiences with people in similar situations who understand where you’re coming from, give support and advice. If you want to make that kind of post, then why not do that on the Headway HealthUnlocked site?

Positive Tips

Exercise makes us happier

Lack of physical activity can lower our mood as well as our general health. Many studies show that exercise help people overcome distress, including anxiety, panic and mood swings. Studies have shown that exercise also helps keep anxiety from coming back once an individual feels better.

Exercise improves health and well-being of an individual in the following ways:

Easing anxiety and reducing tension-exercise acts as a distraction and hence gets you away from negative thoughts that feed anxiety. Exercising on a regular basis will enable you to take charge of anxiety thereby reducing stress, frustration and anger, which are the main contributors of worries and other mental problems.
Lifting mood-exercising releases endorphins, a powerful chemical that invigorates your spirits making you feel good.

Other health benefits of exercise

Sharpens brain power: The endorphins released while exercising will increase concentration making you feel sharp for other activities. Exercise also boosts the growth of new brain cells effectively preventing age related decline.

Improves sleep: Exercise, however short it may be, can help regulate sleep patterns. If you choose to exercise at night, consider relaxing exercise such as gentle stretch or pilates as they have been found to promote sleep. Lack of exercise, on the other hand, leads to poor sleeping patterns that are associated with stress and depressions.

Boosts energy: By increasing your heart rate, more blood will flow in your system implying that more energy will be supplied to your various body organs. The opposite is true when you fail to exercise or do any physical activity. So, start off with a few minutes of exercise regularly, and later on increase your activity as your energy levels increase.

How to choose the best exercise

Choose an activity that you enjoy and which fits easily to your lifestyle, as opposed to one that discourages you from maintaining the program. Consider doing aerobics or another exercise that considerably raises your heart rate, such as cycling, running and swimming as well as resistance exercise.