Continued learning through life enhances self-esteem and encourages social interaction and a more active life.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the opportunity to engage in work or educational activities particularly helps to lift older people out of depression.

The practice of setting goals, which is related to adult learning in particular, has been strongly associated with higher levels of wellbeing.

Why not learn something new today? Here are a few more ideas:

• Find out something about your colleagues
• Sign up for an online class
• Read the news or a book
• Set up a book club
• Do a crossword or Sudoku
• Research something you’ve always wondered about
• Learn a new word.

I love to learn new things. The world can be such an interesting place and I really enjoy exploring all that it has to offer.

I find that learning a new skill or piece of information helps to put me in a good mood. I think it is important that we keep our minds active and push ourselves to improve.

Working in mental health, I have seen the impact that learning has on people who use services. It doesn’t even have to be related to mental health. Any kind of learning can have a huge impact on how we think and feel.

Donna - Community Manager