World Wellbeing Week 2023

The 26-30th June is World Wellbeing Week so we thought we would give you some ideas on how to improve yours and others wellbeing.

Let’s start by looking at the Five Ways to look after your Wellbeing.

·       Connecting with others

·       Giving to others

·       Learning

·       Being active

·       Take notice.

·       Connecting with others – Connect with your friends and/or colleagues by going for a walk, going for a coffee, or something you both enjoy and having a good chat. This helps improve your social and emotional wellbeing.

·       Giving to others- Give something to a friend such as a mug, sweets, a plant or even a poem.

·       Keep learning- Have you always wanted to try something but been putting it off? Well now is the time to start trying your new hobby and expanding your horizons. You could try something like mindfulness colouring to help with grounding techniques.

·       Being active- Being active everyday has been proven to help improve your wellbeing physically and mentally. Do something you enjoy or try something new yoga is an excellent way to recharge your mind and body.

·       Taking notice – Taking notice of your surroundings and your own feelings. Different tasks can give you different feelings so take note of this and reflect on how this affects your wellbeing.

Try to do a wellbeing activity every day if possible.

Daily self-care practice is a great way to improve your wellbeing by taking the time for yourself to do something you enjoy such as journaling, yoga, cooking, gardening, walking, or talking with a friend.  

Talk to your family and friends about wellbeing. Starting a conversation about wellbeing is a great way to check on how they are doing and to talk about your own mental health. You can talk to your child about their feelings and help them to understand them. When talking to a child about emotions remember these points below:

·       Create a safe space for children to open up.

·       Be open and honest.

·       Give them time.

·       Reassure them that you are always there for them no matter what.

·       Spend time together having fun.

Let’s improve wellbeing this week for yourself and others. Let us know what you get up to and how it works out.

To find out more about our Mental Health Courses please visit:

https://www.strongrootstraining.com/mhfa

Mental Health in the Workplace

Is your workplace helping or hindering your mental health? Mental Health awareness is so important for individuals and employers. Employers must take responsibility for their employee’s mental health in the workplace.

Some factors that can have a negative impact on your mental health are:

·       Unmanageable workloads, long hours and increasing pressures

·       Lack of control over work and poor supervision from management

·       Bullying, stigmatisation, and bad relationships with peers

·       Lack of involvement when the workplace is undergoing change

·       Inadequate pay, problems receiving pay and lack of reward or recognition

·       Dangerous or poor physical working environments

·       Traumatic experiences

 There is legislation in place relating to mental health in the workplace such as: Health and safety at work act 1974, Mental Health Act 1983, Mental Capacity Act 2005, Equality Act 2010, Date Protection Act 2018 and the Human Rights Act 1998.

 Guidance can be found at www.nice.org.uk and www.hse.gov.uk

 HSE work related statistics show that a staggering 595,000 workers suffer from a work-related stress, depression, or anxiety and 15.4 million working days are lost due to this. The amount of working days lost due to stress, depression, or anxiety accounted for 57% of all working days lost due to ill health.

 What employers can do to help build a positive mental health culture in the workplace:

·       Develop a mental health action plan and implement an effective mental health policy.

·       Provide mental health training including specific first aid for mental health for employees across all levels of the organisation.

·       Publicise the organisations commitment to mental health, as with environmental commitments.

·       Evaluate the possible causes of mental ill-health in the workplace and signify which areas need improvement.

·       Ensure employers and management spend time getting to know employees and communicate with them.

·       Monitor employee performance and provide recognition and reward for achievements.

·       Introduce networks, initiatives and activities involving mental health and communicate this.

·       Offer occupational health services, return to work schemes, employee assistance programmes and allow flexible working hours to help employees meet their responsibilities outside of the workplace.

·       Make employees feel valued by involving them in decision making and managing their own workloads.

 Employees can also build a positive mental health culture in the workplace by:

·       Educating themselves on mental health and wellbeing and participate in workplace initiatives.

·       Make an effort to talk to their colleagues and ask how they are feeling.

·       Don’t be afraid to talk to someone about their feelings and ask for help.

·       Build friendships with colleagues.

·       Make the most of their lunch break- eat healthy, read a book, listen to music, or take a stroll.

·       Take a break.

·       Ensure they have a good work-life balance and don’t overdo it.

·       Have a good sleep pattern.

There are so many benefits of having a positive mental health culture in the workplace if you would like to learn more please visit https://www.strongrootstraining.com/mental-health-first-aid-courses

Anxiety

Most people will feel anxious at some point in their lives but for some people this can become a daily feeling that impacts everyday activities.

 Anxiety can affect people in different ways some of these include:

·       Trembling or shaking

·       Strong, fast, or irregular heartbeat

·       Excessive sweating or shortness of breath

·       Feeling nauseous

·       Feeling tense

·       A sense of dread

·       Irritability and difficulty concentrating

·       Social withdrawal

·       Seeking lots of reassurance from others

·       Dizziness and tiredness

·       Lack of energy, muscle aches and pains

·       Dry mouth

·       Headaches

·       Panic attacks

 Things that can help reduce anxiety include:

·       Talking to a friend/ family member

·       Change location to somewhere you feel more comfortable in

·       Breathe slowly in through nose out through the mouth

·       Try to focus on positive things

·       Regular exercise

·       Eating healthy foods

·       Taking time for yourself to relax

·       Meditation

·       Mindfulness

·       Avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and smoking

·       See a professional, a GP can help with a referral for treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy, antidepressants and applied relaxation

 To help someone who is experiencing anxiety stay calm, listen to them, and reassure them. Accept what they say without judging them and show you understand the situation and their feelings are valid. Suggest they seek professional help if this is appropriate, there is also a lot of help from organisations online.

 In the UK over 8 million people are experiencing an anxiety disorder at any one time and less than 50% with a generalised anxiety disorder access treatment. There are many self-help techniques, online support, and professional support to help you cope with anxiety and you do not need to do this alone. Some organisations that can help include:

www.anxietyuk.org.uk

www.anxietycare.org.uk

www.youngminds.org.uk

www.breathingspace.scot

www.nhs.uk

www.rethink.org

www.samaritans.org

www.samh.org.uk

 If you are struggling with anxiety please seek help and if you suspect someone is struggling with anxiety make time to talk to them and offer them a safe, supportive and listening ear.