As Mental Health Awareness week is behind us once more, we think it’s important to remind ourselves that our mental health, and that of our work colleagues, is something we should focus on year-round.
We wholeheartedly welcome the focus on mental health and anything which throws a spotlight on wellbeing, particularly workplace wellbeing, is, in our book, something to celebrate.
But, just as all reasonable people understand that the responsibilities of owning a puppy stretch well beyond the 12 days of Christmas, you should not leave your focus on your own and your work colleagues’ mental health fallow for too long.
Keeping your glass half full
The NHS provides typically sensible and achievable evidence-based advice, suggesting five steps to mental wellbeing:
- Connect with other people. We’re social animals after all. Call your friends or family, take a colleague to lunch and build bridges. If you know of a neighbour who lives alone, check in on them or put a note through their door.
- Be physically active. You don’t have to run a marathon or cycle 100 miles, get away from your desk at lunchtime, walk a different route home or to the next bus stop along. Tune into your surroundings. There’s a whole world out there to explore.
- Learn a new skill. This can help boost your self-confidence and provide a new purpose. What will you do next? What can your employer do to help?
- Pay attention to the present moment. What are you experiencing right now? Build your self-awareness. Challenge yourself to understand your thoughts and feelings. And be honest.
- Give to others. This can create positive feelings of self-worth. It could be as simple as helping somebody with a deadline or just saying thank you.
Wrkit are privileged to offer a product for every bullet point of advice, giving a 360 Wellness solution:
- Connecting – with changing working environments, see each other face to face and even calling without purpose can be difficult to fit into the working day. Wrkit’s Recognition tool provides a social wall that takes less than 30 seconds to populate with stories of thanks, well wishes or congratulations.
- Physical Activity – not just exercise, but movement. Moving every hour on the hour is so important for supple joints, and Wrkit’s Move module provides on demand movement, deskercise and exercise videos that take no longer than 2 mins to complete.
- Upskilling – learning what you want, when you want, is even more of a breeze when it’s free of charge. Wrkit’s Learning tool offers over 4500 courses in Nutrition, Pet Care, History, the Arts and professional skills such as leadership, technology skills and management – and 92% of courses are free to learn.
- Being Present and Self-Aware – Wrkit’s POWR module provides scores in 6 key pathways: Mind, Work, Life, Sleep, Active and Food, providing a visual representation of how you’re doing and where you’re in need of a boost. Self-awareness is the key to change, and the scores are just the beginning. Tips, tricks and plans are provided to improve scores, optimise resilience, and drive longevity of positive mindset.
To find out more about how Wrkit can support your company with its talent engagement and wellness strategy, visit www.wrkit.com.