WIRRAL NHS Community Foundation Trust chief executive Karen Howell writes for the Globe...

THE links between people's housing and their health have long been recognised, so I was privileged to be asked to open Magenta Living's Housing and Health workshop last week.

It's fantastic that here in Wirral health organisations and local housing providers now work so closely together to try and address health inequalities.

The workshop covered lots of topics, such as how we can help people who have been admitted to hospital to get back to their own homes as quickly as possible by ensuring they have all the right support in place.

We also looked and how housing and health organisations can better support people with complex needs.

It was a superb afternoon and the action plan that was developed will really help to improve the way people can live longer independently, with support or intervention only when needed.

Meanwhile here at the Community Trust we ran a very successful 'mindfulness' workshop for our own staff last week, to support them and their resilience.

Many people are talking about mindfulness.

But what is it and how could it help you?

Mindfulness can help you manage your wellbeing and mental health.

It can enable you to feel less overwhelmed, improve your sleep and positively change the way you think and feel about your experiences, especially stressful ones.

Mindfulness can help you manage difficult situations, reduce anxiety, depression and stress.

It's all about focusing on the present; enjoying the here and now rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future.

There's lots of useful information about mindfulness on the NHS Choices website.

Another great website we use is the Action for Happiness website.

Many studies have found that happier people have better overall health and live longer.

Anxiety, depression, pessimism and a lack of enjoyment of daily activities have all been found to be associated with higher rates of disease and shorter lifespans.

'Action for Happiness' have all sorts of tips and advice about how you can improve your happiness by the choices you make.