A holistic approach to wellbeing and good mental health
“…each tiny move toward a more positive mindset can send ripples of positivity through our organisations, our families and our communities” (Shawn Achor, author)
At Just Audit, we strongly resonate with the idea that you are a whole being, not one at work and one at home, so the phrase ‘life-work balance’ (we prefer it that way round) applies to having a positive experience in both. Your different environments will affect your immediate state of wellbeing, but it’s important to keep checks across your life generally to maintain a healthy and positive balance overall.
We recognise that the lines between personal life and work can (and will) blur. If you care about your work (as we do, of course) it can be tempting to finish tasks or reply to emails after office hours, but it is important to understand that this may not always be the best decision to make for your wellbeing. Having a sensible approach is key – can it wait until tomorrow? We aim to insulate our teams - when they are at work, they are at work, and when they are at home they are just that – not at work! Our team don’t have work phones or work email on their own phones and we discourage dipping into work emails out of hours.
Having a healthy life-work balance has been proven to significantly improve employee wellbeing: through stress reduction; emotional stability; and forming stronger relationships. In a society that embraces hustle culture it is important that choosing a different route should be celebrated, with the understanding that everybody deserves rest and breaks. The competitive busy-ness we encounter day-to-day is often unwarranted and toxic. A positive, rested team member with energy and clarity is way more use than someone with burnout, constantly radiating tension.
We recommend starting with the ‘holy trinity’ of sleep, diet and exercise which underpins absolutely every element of our health.
Good rest
Sleep is crucial for overall wellbeing, serving our cognitive function, decision-making, energy levels, regeneration and overall mental clarity. Experiencing these positive effects can boost us across all areas of our life - so it’s important for a good night’s sleep to be prioritised.
One significant way sleep can be disrupted is by using phones and laptops before bed. These devices constantly bombard us with information, preventing our brains from unwinding, as well as emitting blue light that significantly diminishes sleep quality. Take an hour before bedtime to disconnect from all screens, even your Kindle, allowing your brain to relax properly.
Just one extra hour of sleep from using this technique could help you handle challenges and allow you to feel more present and engaged across all areas of your life.
Varied nutrition
Just like sleep, what you eat significantly impacts on your overall wellbeing. It can be tempting to skip meals or opt for convenient but unhealthier options when you’re out and about, driving or busy at work. However a nutritious diet is a fantastic way to boost your energy and mood. It leads to higher productivity levels and a more enjoyable experience both at work and in your personal life. And let’s not forget, a better diet will support your health generally.
What you eat has a huge impact on how you feel. If you’re feeling low it can take a determined effort to chop a salad, make a home-made soup or bother to cook dinner from scratch. The irony is that good food, that serves you properly, is truly medicinal and will always lift your spirits. Over time you’ll start to notice the food that affects your mood negatively.
Meal planning is an excellent strategy because you have to plan, prepare and control what you eat, ensuring that you consistently make healthier food choices. It’s a great feeling to open the fridge in the morning and have a delicious breakfast and lunch ready and waiting for you!
Movement
Exercise is a key component in maintaining good mental health and contributes to overall well-being in several significant ways. Notably, it helps to reduce stress hormones like cortisol, while increasing the release of mood-enhancing hormones, endorphins. Don’t mistake exercise as being limited to an intense run or heavy weights session. A simple lunchtime walk has the same great effects, still triggering the release of endorphins whilst hugely benefiting your physical health and clearing some space in your mind. Whatever form of exercise you choose to do can provide a reset and help you to think more clearly - for both work and personal matters.
By understanding the importance of sleep, diet, and exercise - and how interconnected these aspects are - you'll gain valuable insights into your own body and mind, helping you recognise when it’s time to switch off or discover methods to rejuvenate yourself after a stressful day.
Future articles will delve deeper into this theme, providing additional techniques, specifically to help within the workplace: avoiding distraction, protecting our time and how we can help others in our team.
Karen’s take-aways
I usually list 3 things – it’s easy for this article… rest, nutrition and exercise!
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