Top ways you can stay well at work

Last week was Mental Health Awareness Week, and making sure you’re OK when working is more important than ever before

One in four adults feel lonely some or all the time, so that’s why this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week theme is loneliness. There’s no easy solution – everyone deals with mental health in their own way. But there are some common methods of remaining healthy.

For Mental Health Awareness Week last week, we highlighted the Mental Health Foundation’s report on loneliness and its link to physical health.

CIMSPA is partnered with MIND, the leading mental health charity in the UK. Across their website they have a host of mental health resources. We’ve highlighted some that would be useful for practitioners and managers in sport and physical activity.

Connect with your team

Relationships are work are critical for promoting wellbeing and preventing loneliness. At CIMSPA, we have a wellbeing committee that regular holds events, workshops, and friendly competitions to encourage everyone in the team to take part and socialise. Some simple things you can do to connect include:

• Talk to someone instead of sending an email
• Speak to someone new
• Ask how someone’s weekend was and really listen when they tell you
• Put five minutes aside to find out how someone really is
• Give a colleague a lift to work or share the journey home with them.

Minal Hawkins, Membership Services Officer at CIMSPA, said: “I have always struggled with my mental health, and it stems back to when I was a child at school and was bullied quite severely. Over the last few years, as Mental Health awareness has become much more prominent, I have been able to use resources to really delve into the root cause of mine. With the vast range of courses, podcasts, and books now available to help and motivate you as well as colleagues at work who are there to support, I have been able to work through my anxieties to ensure that I am truly in my happy place!

My team, my manager, senior manager, our wellbeing lead and the people development manager have played a massive part in this although they’ll never quite know the impact that they’ve had. At CIMSPA, we have a very open and honest culture where you are able to explicitly tell your colleagues how you are feeling, and I honestly feel that they actually care! We almost have a family-like culture where nothing is seemingly ‘off the table’ and I’d encourage that this is the culture that other organisations must strive towards.”

Stay active at work

For anyone working in sport and physical activity, this is a no-brainer. We all know the benefits of staying active. But exercise is essential for maintaining your mental health. Here are a few ideas:

• Take the stairs not the lift
• Go for a walk at lunchtime
• Walk into work - perhaps with a colleague – so you can ‘connect’ as well
• Get off the bus one stop earlier than usual and walk the final part of your journey to work
• Organise a work sporting activity
• Have a kick-about in a local park
• Do some ‘easy exercise’, like stretching, before you leave for work in the morning
• Walk to someone’s desk instead of calling or emailing.

If you’re working from home, take a lunchtime stroll around your neighbourhood and work in different places around the house if you can.

Ane Bedford Smith, Programme Manager at CIMSPA said: she does a variety of physical activity during the workday: “As a working mum with 2 young boys, it’s so important for me to take care of my own mental wellbeing. I block out time in my working day to do some form of physical activity. This could be anything from walking our sausage dogs, going for a bike ride, or smashing a x-fit session in the gym.”

Learn something new

Repetition can make work feel mundane and negatively impact your health. If you’ve got five minutes to spare, learn something new. A short break can help you feel better about what lies ahead:

• Find out something about your colleagues
• Sign up for a class
• Read the news or a book
• Set up a book club
• Do a crossword or Sudoku
• Research something you’ve always wondered about
• Learn a new word.

Nicola Edson, Marketing & Communications Coordinator at CIMSPA said: trying new hobbies helped her take her mind off things: “I’ve tried to keep myself busy throughout by taking up baking, piano (not trying as hard as I should!) and yoga. I’d never tried yoga before, but I found it to be a great help. My new thing is open water swimming (with a wetsuit!).”

Do something good for the community

As part of CIMSPA’s new environment policy, we’re offering all staff one paid volunteering day every year. This is the perfect opportunity for our team to get outside and help their community. Whether you’re litter picking or fundraising, any activity is a great chance to stretch your legs, clear your mind, socialise and make friends outside of work.

Phill Wright, Business Transformation Manager at CIMSPA, said: “End the day with a proper shut down. This has become even more important in the world of full-time home working. In the conventional sense of travelling to work, doing a day’s work, and then travelling home – the journey back home plays a vital role in being able to shut down mentally. Without replacing this journey, work stuff tends to just bounce around my head, and I end up not being able to fully shut down, be somewhat mentally absent from interactions with my family which is no good whatsoever. Doing something to fully shut down is key, as it’s Spring I’m finding getting straight into the garden is a great way to do this, but it really could be anything.”

Enjoy the little things

Take some time to enjoy the moment and the environment around you. Here are a few ideas:

• Get a plant for your workspace
• Have a ‘clear the clutter’ day
• Take notice of how your colleagues are feeling or acting
• Take a different route on your journey to or from work
• Visit a new place for lunch.

Ben Hulson, Regional Partnerships Manager at CIMSPA, who leads our wellbeing committee spoke about the little things he does to make his day better: “I could talk to you all day about the things I do working from home to look after my mental wellbeing, such as lunchtime walks, taking screen breaks or listening to music (mostly Reggae!) during focus time when completing tasks in-between virtual meetings or calls. However, the most important thing for me is communicating at work. Prioritising time to connect and support others – like talking to my line manager and colleagues when times are tough – so that we can pull together to support each other.

There are tons of activities you can do – both big and small – to help improve your wellbeing.

FIND OUT MORE ON MIND’S WEBSITE