red mittens holding heart-shaped snowball

Taking Care of your Mental Health this Winter

30 Nov

by Suzie Business Owner & Senior HRBP

❄ Taking care of your physical health is an important part of caring for your mental health, so try to keep yourself hydrated and warm through the winter. If the colder weather makes it difficult to take your usual forms of exercise, why not research some indoors exercises you could do? YouTube has lots of different videos to choose from, so you can find an indoor exercise routine that’s right for you.

❄ Try not to become too reliant on electronics for entertainment as the nights draw in. Set aside time to do something that isn’t screen-based, such as reading, chatting with your loved ones or getting stuck into a favourite hobby.

❄Try to keep to a routine even as daylight hours change. Keeping to a consistent routine of eating, sleeping and exercising at the same times every day can provide a feeling of security as well as giving your day a sense of structure.

WINTER WELLBEING IN THE WORKPLACE

The cost-of living crisis is set to affect people through the winter due to the rise in fuel cost.

A potential consequence of this is that lots of people aren’t able to access their usual support networks due to travel costs. Have a look at the support links below to find organisations that could provide support to you or someone you’re concerned about.

Keep lines of communications open so that anyone struggling over the winter period feels able to talk to you.

Bare in mind that not everyone in your workplace will celebrate Christmas. Be respectful of anyone who declines to take part in Christmas activities and be aware that having a lot of Christmas activities in the workplace may be distressing for some.

Prioritise your tasks so that you spend your time on things that will make the biggest impact and accept that you may not have time to do everything today. This will help with managing stress and work-related anxiety.

Try reaching out to your manager if you feel you are struggling with your mental health. The decision of whether or not to do this is entirely your own, however talking about it with someone at work can help you access any available support.

QUARTERLY WELLNESS CHALLENGE 💚

Many people use winter as a time to think of others, as it’s a time of year when many struggle due to the cold and the financial strain of winter celebrations.

Search for local organisations that could really benefit from your time and support over the winter period. Giving back it is a great way to improve mental wellbeing as it creates positive emotions and improves self-esteem.

SUPPORT LINKS

In emergencies, please call 999 or if you need urgent advice about a medical problem, please call 111.

Able Futures	https://able-futures.co.uk/	0800 321 3137
Bereavement support	https://www.gov.uk/bereavement-support-payment	0800 731 0469
Family Lives	https://www.familylives.org.uk/	0808 800 2222
Eat Well	https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/
Rethink	https://www.rethink.org/aboutus/what-we-do/advice-and-information-service/get-help-now/
Mental Health UK	https://mentalhealth-uk.org/partnerships/projects/support-groups/
MIND	https://www.mind.org.uk/need-urgent-help/using-this-tool	0300 123 3393
Samaritans	https://www.samaritans.org/	116 123
SHOUT	https://giveusashout.org/	Text 85258
Step change	https://www.stepchange.org/	0800 138 1111

Don’t forget you can access free Mental Health Awareness training support and Stress Management – A Line Managers Guide through our website portal How To HR (management section).

✅ https://breathingspacehr.co.uk/how-to-hr/

Breathing Space HR Employee Wellbeing Mental Health

Taking Care of your Mental Health this Winter

WINTER WELLBEING IN THE WORKPLACE

QUARTERLY WELLNESS CHALLENGE 💚

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