6 ways to boost your wellbeing in Launceston

In our busy modern lives, keeping up with everyday demands can sometimes feel like a struggle. Pressures like work and study, maintaining relationships, and managing finances can easily gobble up our time and headspace. If we’re not careful, healthy habits can be the first to fall by the wayside, leaving us a bit zonked, flat, or simply out of sorts.

The good news? This beautiful city of ours is the perfect place to forge healthier habits for the mind, body, and soul. From trying a new yoga class to bagging fresh produce at the farmers’ market, this article shares 6 simple things you can do locally to look after yourself throughout the week.

If you’re going through a hard time and need someone to talk to, contact your GP or visit Beyond Blue.

A quick way to boost your wellbeing is to get your body moving. Just 30 minutes of physical activity a day can benefit your physical health, lower stress levels, lift your mood, and help you sleep.

Lower-impact types of exercise, like yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi, are great ways to improve your strength, balance, and concentration without placing excess stress on the body. Studios like the Yoga Loft, Vivid Pilates, and Launceston Pilates offer a range of classes to suit all experience levels, while Active Launceston offers free Tai Chi and yoga sessions in the calming surrounds of City Park.

If you’re keen to get your heart pumping, gyms like Anytime Fitness, Curves, F45, and Health & Fitness World have the equipment and guidance you need to get going.

Eating well is so important for our health and wellbeing, but it’s something many of us struggle with. In Tassie, only 3% of us are eating enough fruit and veg every day!

A good hack for upping your intake of nutritious foods is to fill your fridge with them. Harvest Market, happening every Saturday on Cimitiere Street, is the perfect place to snag fresh fruit and veg, meats, seafood, dairy, and much more.

For nourishing pantry goods like grains, nuts, legumes, and peanut butter, local health food shops like The Grain Grocer, Eumarrah and Nature’s Works have got you sorted.

If you’re meeting up with buddies for lunch, don’t feel like cooking, or simply fancy a feel-good treat, there are plenty of places to grab a healthy cafe meal, snack, or drink in town. LivEat, Fusion Green, Earthy Eats, M&B, and VegOut are some local faves serving up tasty, nutrient-packed salads, wraps, curries, smoothies, and more.

Studies show that learning new things is important for health and wellbeing at every age. Not only is learning fun, but it can also help us feel more confident, find meaning in life, and cope better with stress.

Into arts and crafts? Launnie has a bunch of exciting hands-on classes to try. You can give pottery a whirl at Glazed and Confused, wield a paintbrush at Frida’s Sip n Paint or Paint the Town Red, start scrapbooking with Ashcraft & Gifts, pick up crochet at Knits, Needles & Wool, or jump on the sustainability train with a class at The ReDress Hub.

Consider yourself a foodie? Keep an eye out for cooking classes offered by Tsing Wah Asian Grocers, or mix things up with a cocktail class at Tenebris or Cinco Passiones.

Whether it’s a massage, haircut, new set of nails, or a full-day spa session involving all three, a little primping and preening can work wonders for our confidence and mood.

For a luxurious relaxation massage to melt away your worries, Purebody, Cinergee, and Ambiance Skin & Body Centre come highly recommended. (Insider tip: a sesh in Cinergee’s infrared sauna is a great way to sweat out some toxins and boost your energy.) If knotted, tight muscles are bothering you, consider booking in for a rejuvenating remedial massage at Clover Massage, Solace, or Nature’s Energy Oriental Sauna and Massage.

Tresses need some TLC? Launnie is brimming with talented hairdressers and barbers at places like Harmony Hair and Beauty, Dollhouse Hair, U.R. Unique, the Kingsway Barbershop, and Al’s Barber Shop for All. For fresh nails you’ll want to flaunt, some of our top salons include Nails Wonderland, Cosy Nails, and Lulu Nail Spa.

Naturopathy, a medical system rooted in natural methods of healing, is one of the oldest wellness approaches around. It’s all about looking below the surface and tapping into the healing properties of nature to help you feel good.

If you’re not sure where to start, a local practitioner can help identify your wellness goals and suggest some natural therapies. Wuji Medicine, Launnie’s newest traditional Chinese medicine clinic on Charles Street, offers a range of therapies and herbal formulas to help address individual needs. Vibrant Life is another top-notch natural medicine clinic offering one-on-one consultations and a variety of treatment options.

For something quick and easy, growing evidence suggests that simply spending time in nature can promote good health and wellbeing. From City Park to Riverbend Park and Cataract Gorge, Launnie has plenty of lush green spaces to stretch your legs in.

Spending time with others, especially people we’re close to, makes a massive difference to our wellbeing. So it’s a great idea to do things with others when you can, especially if you’re one of many Tasmanians who live alone. (Almost a third of us do!)

There’s nothing like heading out for a meal with mates to lift your mood. Some of our best-loved brunch spots include Bread + Butter, Inside Cafe, Tinka Coffee Brewers, and Bluestone Bar & Kitchen. For dinnertime, why not invite friends to experience flavours from around the world at popular restaurants like Gatsu Gatsu, Pickled Evenings, La Cantina, and Elaia.

Other fun activities to do as a group include hitting (virtual) holes-in-one at X-Golf, and sitting down for a picnic at City Park. Depending on your interests, you might like to bond over music while flipping through vinyl at Avenue Records, interesting history and literature at Quixotic Books, or pick up a new puzzle or tabletop game at Gamesworld Plus to get stuck into at home. The city is your oyster!

Everyone has ups and downs, but making time for self-care can help you stay well when life gets busy. Trying just one or two of these activities (or making a plan to do so) is a great first step in taking better care of your body and mind.

Up for more wellness tips? The Beyond Blue website is well worth a visit. Young locals can also get in touch with headspace on 03 6335 3100 for free support.