Five ways to wellbeing: a small-steps plan
Pick one small step for each of five everyday actions linked to wellbeing: connect, be active, take notice, keep learning and give.
Written by Tarun Vermani, Trainee Clinical Psychologist Last reviewed
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Five ways to wellbeing: a small-steps plan
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Five ways to wellbeing
Based on Aked, Marks, Cordon and Thompson (2008) for the New Economics Foundation, written for the UK Government Foresight project.
The report suggests five simple actions for wellbeing. You do not need to do them all. Pick small, doable things that fit your life.
1. Connect
Time with other people, such as family, friends, colleagues and neighbours, builds the relationships that support us.
2. Be active
Moving your body can lift mood, and it does not have to be the gym. If you have a health condition, check with your GP before starting something new.
3. Take notice
Pausing to notice the present moment, the world around you and how you feel, helps you appreciate what matters.
4. Keep learning
Learning something new can build confidence and a sense of purpose.
5. Give
Doing something kind for others, even something small, is linked to feeling good and connected.
Your plan
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When to use ‘Five ways to wellbeing: a small-steps plan’
‘Five ways to wellbeing: a small-steps plan’ is an interactive cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) worksheet. As a core CBT skill it is used right across the model, with presentations including depression, anxiety, OCD, trauma and low self-esteem, rather than being tied to a single diagnosis.
It is designed to be used within therapy rather than as a standalone self-help tool: a therapist introduces it, works through it collaboratively, and helps make sense of what it surfaces. You can preview the full worksheet above, then assign it digitally for clients to complete between sessions on any device or download it as a print-ready PDF.
How it works
Most people work through it in around 15 minutes. It moves through six short steps:
- Five ways to wellbeing: Based on Aked, Marks, Cordon and Thompson (2008) for the New Economics Foundation, written for the UK Government Foresight project. The…
- 1. Connect: Time with other people, such as family, friends, colleagues and neighbours, builds the relationships that support us.
- 2. Be active: Moving your body can lift mood, and it does not have to be the gym. If you have a health condition, check with your GP before starting…
- 3. Take notice: Pausing to notice the present moment, the world around you and how you feel, helps you appreciate what matters.
- 4. Keep learning: Learning something new can build confidence and a sense of purpose.
- 5. Give: Doing something kind for others, even something small, is linked to feeling good and connected.
Completed on the Formulate platform, your client's answers are saved automatically and shared straight back to you, so you can review them before the next session rather than waiting for a paper copy to come back.
The CBT approach behind it
In common with other CBT methods, ‘Five ways to wellbeing: a small-steps plan’ works by re-engaging with meaningful and rewarding activity (behavioural activation). The aim is not positive thinking but a clearer, shared understanding of what keeps a difficulty going and practical, testable ways to change it.
Because it is a CBT tool it stays focused on the here-and-now links between thoughts, feelings, the body and behaviour, and it works best as one part of a wider course of therapy rather than as advice or a diagnosis.
Evidence & sources
This worksheet is grounded in established cognitive behavioural therapy theory and practice. Key sources include:
- Aked, J., Marks, N., Cordon, C., & Thompson, S. (2008). Five Ways to Wellbeing: A report presented to the Foresight Project on communicating the evidence base for improving people's well-being. London: New Economics Foundation.
For use alongside professional support
Formulate provides educational CBT resources for use with a qualified therapist. They are not a substitute for professional assessment, diagnosis, or crisis care.
If you need urgent help now:
- Emergency services: 999 — if you or someone else is in immediate danger
- NHS 111 (NHS 24 in Scotland): 111 — choose the mental health option for urgent help, in England, Scotland and Wales (in Wales, press 2)
- Lifeline: 0808 808 8000 — for urgent help in Northern Ireland, free, day or night
- Samaritans: 116 123 — free, day or night, 365 days a year
- Shout: 85258 — text SHOUT, free, day or night
- SANEline: 0300 304 7000 — 4pm–10pm, every day
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