Gross National Product, counts air pollution and cigarette advertising and …the destruction of the redwood and the loss of our natural wonder in the chaotic sprawl. It does not allow for  the health our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play…. the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages. It measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.
                                                                                                                                -Robert Kennedy,1968
Visit the newly launched National Accounts of Wellbeing web-site and complete the survey to assess your own levels of well-being and create a personal Well-being Profile. This survey is made up of the questions from the European Social Survey which were used to create the National Accounts of Well-being indicators. By answering the questions, you can measure your own well-being to produce your personal Well-being Profile, and compare your results to countries across Europe.
This is my overall well-being score . I guess I have some work to do, although I do rank on a par with Swedish participants in the survey…and better than much of the British, French, Spanish, Slovakian and Ukrainian participants. The survey breaks down your personal  overall well being into component parts such as emotional well being, satisfying life, self -esteem, positive functioning, vitality ( my low point)! Try it it certainly gives you cause for reflection.
* The survey contains around 50 questions and should take 10-15 minutes to complete
How’s Your News meets Amy Sedaris from How’s Your News? on Vimeo. (This is an extended clip from the MTV series. The clip in the show is a little shorter, but they left in some extra for this online version. Amy was a real charmer and has been a supporter of HYN for years now). “How’s Your News” is a documentary news series which features a “unique” cast of reporters who travel the country in a bus looking for or waiting for new stories to come to them. How’s Your News first began over ten years ago at a summer camp for adults with disabilities in Massachusetts. Conceived in video class while searching for a format which could include as many people, with as wide an array of disabilities, as possible.
The show isn’t really “about” mental disabilities; it’s just a chance to look through someone else’s eyes and see the world in ways you’ve never seen it before. It could be part of a course in the humanities, or just a course in humanity. It’s also a wickedly entertaining half-hour, one you’ll never regret having surrendered to your television set.
Humor is important in everyone’s lives, visit the web site to learn more about the concept behind this project and enjoy the clip featured below.
Time to Changeis England’s most ambitious programme to end the discrimination faced by people with mental health problems, and to improve the nation’s wellbeing.
The programme of 35 projects is led by Mental Health Media, Mind, and Rethink. It is funded with £16 million from the Big Lottery Fund and £2 million from Comic Relief, and will be evaluated by the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College, London.
How many times were you told as a child by mom that you should eat your carrots  because they help you to see in the dark, or that fish is “brain food”? Well the current internet buzz on blogs such as Huffington Post and many other others is all about the power of foods to boost brain power, stave off cancer or lower blood pressure. Dr. Pavel Somov discusses  Mindful Eating in his blog Rethinking the Food PyramidÂ
Eating changes both body and mind, the total of who we are. What we eat and how much we eat changes who we are physiologically. Why we eat and how we eat changes who we are psychologically.
Mostly these power foods lists are comprised of  mainly healthy foods …. but no matter how many times I tell one of our psychologists that the Starbucks treats she buys me every day are boosting my poundage not my afternoon brain power she is not listening! The main message really is about eating a variety of foods, more fruit and veg and exercising more, and oh Helen it really is time to stop the afternoon cake!Â
This is my overall well-being score . I guess I have some work to do, although I do rank on a par with Swedish participants in the survey…and better than much of the British, French, Spanish, Slovakian and Ukrainian participants. The survey breaks down your personal  overall well being into component parts such as emotional well being, satisfying life, self -esteem, positive functioning, vitality ( my low point)! Try it it certainly gives you cause for reflection.
Time to Change 