This article has been brought to you by Slough Borough Council on behalf of Slough Children First for the attention of all schools.
In light of World Mental Health Day on Thursday 10 October, we will be following the ‘Hello Yellow’ campaign set up by mental health charity YoungMinds. There are days when we all struggle with how we are feeling and for so many, it can tough to talk about it, especially for young people.
This World Mental Health Day, we are asking everyone to come together to make World Mental Health Day that little bit brighter by wearing something yellow and if you’d like, to donate to YoungMinds. Wearing yellow will show young people that they are not alone with their mental health because “Together we stand brighter”.
If you would like to donate, please visit https://www.youngminds.org.uk/support-us/fundraising/helloyellow/
It is important that we look after our wellbeing in and out of work, as this can provide many benefits such as preventing stress, prevent burnout, create positive working environments where individuals and organisations can thrive and help increase productivity.
Research states that 15% of UK workers are estimated to have an existing mental health condition.
To help look after your wellbeing within the workplace, we would like to encourage everyone to:
- Talk
Whether it’s about workload, needing more support etc, it’s important that you speak openly in your 1-1’s and appraisals.
If the matter is more personal or where you feel like you may not be comfortable with speaking to your line manager, please try to speak to a trusted friend/colleague or someone else you feel comfortable to talk to.
- Work-life balance
While we know that all roles can be demanding we encourage everyone to make time for themselves.
It’s important to get your work done and meet deadlines but it’s also important to make time for you by making sure you eat regularly (and not always leaving it until the end of the day), make use of your annual leave and also keep some routine.
- Take breaks from your desk
For those of you who spend the majority of the day at a desk, getting up and taking breaks from your desk can reduce eye strain, boost productivity and creativity, improve concentration and reduce back pain.
- Make use of tools and resources
There are a range of resources available that can help with your mental health and wellbeing including podcasts and resources on websites such as Bupa.
