Want To Improve Your Wellbeing? Grab some popcorn!

We think it's really wonderful to actually have a day that honours our beloved popcorn. Although it would appear that no one seems to know the origins behind popcorn day, this day of celebration has been taking place on January 19th for some time now.

Whether your taste is salty or sweet, popcorn is a delicious treat, which for most goes hand in hand with watching a movie. This really got us thinking about how less traditional self-care activities like watching films could contribute to our wellbeing.

When we think of how to improve wellbeing, yoga, mindfulness or meditation may immediately spring to mind - but can there be more? We all love a beautiful story well told but can there be benefits to our wellbeing from just grabbing some popcorn and watching a film?

We think so!

Switch off & zone out

Taking intentional time out to focus on something we enjoy, even for just a couple of hours can be a great and beneficial thing. Immersing yourself within a story, giving it your full concentration, could certainly be considered a mindful activity.

When you consider how busy many of our lives can be, trying to capture that valuable yet often elusive 'me time', can feel like a challenge in itself - so, whether its switching off, taking a break, indulging in a bit of escapism, whatever you like to call it, if a bit of movie time makes it happen, then why not?

Inspiration

Movies don't just entertain us, they make us think. They can be a great source of inspiration and can action the momentum for us to make changes. An amazing story of struggle and overcoming challenge can make the impossible seem possible and be a reminder of how powerful we are and the difference we can make. A particular favourite of ours is The Pursuit of Happyness, based on a true story, it documents single father Chris Gardner's struggle to look after his son and overcome enormous odds to change their lives for the better. Heartwarming and inspirational, it really hits home the message of never giving up.

Makes us feel happy

Watching a movie that makes us laugh is incredibly beneficial both in terms of mental wellbeing and physical health. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, those wonderful, natural feel good chemicals in our body. Endorphins improve our sense of wellbeing and provide a positive feeling within our bodies.

Laughter also boosts our immune system, decreases our stress hormones and increases our immune cells - all great for our physical health!

I am sure we all have that one movie that really makes us laugh, our particular fave is Little Miss Sunshine. It's a story of dysfunctional family bonding on a road trip, both touching and funny - if you haven't seen it, its one we would recommend.

Connection

Whether its sitting down with friends and family to watch a film or talking about a film we've watched with colleagues at work, movies really have a way of getting the conversation going and bringing us together.

Discussing a film that means something to us or that has triggered an emotion can be a really good way to bond with others and if you struggle with small talk it's a really great 'getting to know you' conversation technique.

So, why not set aside some time this weekend, grab some popcorn and pick a good movie to watch, you might just be improving your wellbeing.