One of the unexpected and heart-warming things to come out of our current situation, is the contact I seem to have had with such a range of people. People I haven’t seen in contact with for years, sometimes decades are back in my life, albeit virtually.

I also seem to be having a lifetimes worth of conversations with people who are more regularly in my life, and we all seem to have slipped easily into a routine of using technology to aid our communication.

In my work over the last few weeks, I have had many conversations with people who, like me, are spending hours and hours every day in virtual meetings. Although they are productive, helpful, and in no way comparable to the challenges faced by our colleagues on the front line, they are draining and sometimes overwhelming.

One of the joys of being part of The Wellbeing Collective is hearing the ways in which people enhance their lives. Here are five of the things that have really inspired me to maintain balance and work on my own wellbeing, as well as the wellbeing of others.

1. Contracting – Basically means having a focussed conversation with those you live with, about how you are going to live well together during this time by sharing roles and responsibilities.
2. Communicating how you feel – This seems obvious but it can be over looked when trying to keep a “stiff upper lip”.
3. Carving out time – This is about time for you, time doing hobbies, things you like to do that may not be useful or worthy but give you pleasure and a dopamine hit.
4. Commuting – Add in a walk around the block or even in your garden before starting work for the day, punctuate the start and end of your day with fresh air.
5. Cutting off – It might be that you need a technology detox and choose to turn off gadgets for a few hours, every so often, to recharge your own batteries.

 

It would be great if you could share some of your tips for thriving in these unprecedented times.

Best wishes,

Amy, The Wellbeing Collective

 

#wellbeing #contracting #communication #conversation #technologydetox #commute #detox #technology #gadgets #positivemindset #stayhomesaveslives #frontline #contact #isolation #lockdown

Throughout life, we have probably all taken for granted the ease with which we can see people, or see the people we want to see, when we want to see them. Now, we find ourselves in a time where that isn’t as straightforward. So, TWBC thought it might be helpful to share a few tips we are using to help us personally during this time.

Take a moment to think about what it is that you value about your connections with people. Are there other ways we can keep in touch?

One of the advantages of lockdown and staying at home, is that we can make contact with people who we haven’t been in touch with for some time – somehow there are more periods of the day to make that quick phone call for example. There are platforms, some we used before and others new, that enable us to speak to more than one person at a time, hearing their voice, seeing their faces. After these moments, when you do connect with that person/s whom you haven’t connected with for some time, take a moment to reflect, to value, and appreciate that connection.

There are now several community contacts and networks set up that are either new or have a lot of new members – could you offer support with this in order to connect? Or are you in need of support yourself, would you consider joining one? By valuing the contacts we make, we can appreciate some of the positives that this situation brings.

What have you learnt about keeping in touch with people? How has it changed for you over the last few weeks? What would you like to keep for the future? We would love to hear your ideas and how you have kept in touch. What have you found helpful that others may also find useful?

TWBC would like to end today’s blog on a little taskette – perhaps you could send a message to 1 or 2 contacts, every day for the rest of the week, that you haven’t spoken to in a while. See how they are, let them know how you are. Value that connection.

The Wellbeing Collective x

 

#wellbeing #mentalhealth #isolation #anxiety #communication #conversations #lockdown #coaching #coach #connections

If we have an approach to looking after our wellbeing, we are more likely to do it. So TWBC would like to give you a few pointers on things that you might consider when putting together your own wellbeing plan.

We have developed a CALM model: Connected, Active, Learning, Mindfulness, to help with the planning process.

How do you connect with others? What ways could you actively meet your needs? How could you learn from your thoughts and feelings? How will you mindfully ground yourself?

Once you have identified things that help boost your wellbeing, what are the realistic things you can do each day and week to implement those boosts? They don’t have to be big things. It is better you have a few small things you can commit to do, than one bigger thing that you may forget about or not do. You could set a timer on your phone to remind you to do something.

A timer once a week may also help in making you stop and think, to have a mindful moment about what difference this process is making for you, and are there any things you would change or add to.

Have a think about the approaches you take now in managing your wellbeing. Once the world returns to some resemblance of normality, think about the things you want to keep doing.

We would love to hear how you get on and what you may be doing to help with your wellbeing?

Are there any ideas that you are happy to share with other people?

The Wellbeing Collective x

#wellbeing hashtag#resilience hashtag#restorative hashtag#calm hashtag#conversations hashtag#coronovirus hashtag#mindfulness hashtag#corporatewellbeing hashtag#selfcompassion hashtag#mindfulnessatwork hashtag#mindfulleadership hashtag#mindfulliving

Video link (short link): https://www.instagram.com/p/B-XOqDwDfgI/?igshid=f9yav2o9l9zq

Video link (more detailed): https://www.linkedin.com/posts/amy-hobson-twbc_stayhomesavelives-frontline-support-activity-6650494890713104384-gVDt

A message from our CEO, Amy:

Hello,

I wanted to tell you a bit about what The Wellbeing Collective have been working on over the last few weeks.

We are a small company and we concentrate on people development and staff wellbeing. With that in mind we have adapted what we do to create something that is relevant for the here and now for frontline staff.

Every day this week, we will be sharing a bit more info on offers we have produced, in order to support you on this tough and demanding journey.

Please get in reach out to us in any way you can, and start a conversation. We will be in touch again tomorrow.

Amy x

#stayhome #frontline #support #coaching #wellbeing #resilience #restorative #conversations #mondaymotivation #covid19 #coronovirus #lockdown #smallbusiness #coach #train #teach #UK

Message from Amy, CEO of The Wellbeing Collective.

I have sat here, wondering what and how I should write this blog. These are unprecedented times and I don’t know about you, but my brain is still trying to catch up with our current situation. I hope you are all safe and ok!

My world, as well as so many others has been turned upside down, however, I am determined to look on the bright side and to bring positivity, practicality and sensitive humour to the TWBC blogs. You will be seeing a lot more of me and my colleagues as we progress into our new way of working and I can’t wait to speak and interact with you all.

TWBC have been working very hard behind the scenes for a few months now on our own digital, personal mastery offer. Over the past week, we have adapted some of the content and format in order to meet your immediate wellbeing needs. We have produced a virtual  alternative for our coaching and development programmes, as well as four key new products , directed at those working on the frontline under immense pressure. Our values are especially critical now and staff wellbeing is our absolute priority.

You will see every Wednesday, free, 10 minute live videos, going over tools and techniques we that we teach, that may help anyone during this turbulent time.

Our offers for frontline staff can be found on all our digital platforms, as well as by contacting us at info@thewellbeingcollective.co.uk

Keep  safe, show kindness  and remember, we are all in this together and together we can accomplish anything.

#stayhome #stayhomesaveslives #staysafe #bekind #stayindoors #covid #digital #staypositive #wellbeing #mentalhealth #nhs #frontline

Happy World Book Day!

It’s safe to say that everyone at TWBC is a self-confessed book worm, and today is the perfect opportunity to share some of our favourites. In return we would love to hear what books you couldn’t do without in the workplace.

 

• Peter Hawkins, ‘Leadership and Team Coaching’. It does what it says and applies the discipline of coaching to team dynamics. Great mixture of theory and practice.

 

• David Rock, ‘Your Brain at Work’. David Rock manages to pull together the latest neuroscience research on the brain and use it to formulate models which I often use in training, particularly the SCARF model.

 

• Richard Rohr, ‘Falling upwards’. One for any age, but particularly those in the second half of life. It’s super spiritual and has been transformational for me.

 

#worldbookday #book #reading #bookshare #bookswap #leadership #coaching #theory #practice #SCARFmodel #richardrohr #davidrock #peterhawkins #thursdayreads

Happy International Women’s Day!

The Wellbeing Collective is honoured to have a strong, empowering female CEO. Her exemplary vision and passion for delivering our core values to each and every person we meet is, as a young women writing this post myself, nothing other than inspirational.

At TWBC we believe in equality and celebrate diversity, whether that be gender, race, sexuality… Therefore, on this day, we are celebrating not only the incredible women we work with, and who work for us, but also the incredible men, together we are strong.

 

“An equal world is an enabled world”

https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Theme

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#EachforEqual #internationalwomensday #celebratediversity #empower #diversity #everyoneisworthhearing #weareequal #femaleCEO #smallbusiness #women #men

Do you ever get that feeling in the pit of your stomach that comes with a Monday?

I know some Mondays I am up and ready to tackle the week full guns blazing, and other Mondays the weeks workload can make me feel like I am already falling behind. The affect this can have on my working week is immense.

Today, I am personally taking some mindful advice that we teach our clients… to slow down. Right now I am a little overwhelmed, so I am going to go for a walk, in the rare British sunshine, take a deep breath, re-set and come back after lunch ready to tackle the week with a positive mindset. I know this will improve my productivity and outlook.

At TWBC we teach various courses which help staff and teams work cohesively and support one another, no matter what your Monday feeling brings. What do you do to ensure you get your mindset back on track?

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#mondaymotivation #mondayblues #Monday #bekind #positivemindset #mentalhealth #lookafteryourself #itsoktonotbeok #slowdown #takeabreath #coaching #training #facilitating #transformation #powerofpostivity #sunshine #walk #practicewhatwepreach

Everyone has the power to enable positive change. Everyone benefits from kindness.

No one can know what anyone else is going through, what kind of day they have had, what troubles or joys are whirling through their mind. What we do know, is that everyone benefits from kindness.

There are always situations or people at work that bother us, but what if we put ourselves in their shoes – could we be more generous with our time, our patience, our kindness? TWBC challenge you to follow these 3 kindness steps on #randomactsofkindness day, to prove being generous to your colleagues can make a massive difference.

1. Smile and be patient
2. Put yourself in your colleagues shoes
3. Do something nice for a colleague you may not always see eye to eye with

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TWBC’s values are an intrinsic element of everything we do, from our CEO to our consultants. We ensure these values and ethics are the golden thread of every piece of work we do with our clients. Together we can make a difference.

• Every conversation counts
• Everything is possible
• Everything can be better
• Every action can add value
• Everyone is worth hearing
• Everyone benefits from kindness

Get in touch to learn more: info@thewellbeingcollective.co.uk

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#bekind #values #ethics #smallbusiness #coaching #facilitating #coach #leadership #teamwork #makingadifference #randomactsofkindness #kindness #patience #generous #blog #randomact #positivethoughts #mondaymotivation

World Mental Health Day and Workplace Wellbeing

For some, the pressures of work can be overwhelming and cause real and lasting misery. We also know from the evidence of two decades of vocational advice services that employment can be good for our mental health. Returning to work after a spell off with mental health issues, managed well, has clear mental health benefits. There are employers out there whose staff enjoy coming into work, feel emotionally supported while they’re there, know their issues will be taken seriously, and perform brilliantly. At TWBC we work with some of them.

Maybe on World Mental Health Day it’s time to stop bookending our working week with the language of ‘Monday Morning Blues’ and ‘Thank God it’s Friday’. Instead we could start celebrating all those workplaces where people recognise and talk openly about their mental health, listen with care and attention, and look after themselves and each other.

Some of the work we carry out in TWBC is explicitly about workplace wellbeing, e.g. looking after ourselves and looking after each other workshops. But you could make the case that everything we offer touches on mental health and wellbeing. Our coaching, reflective practice and leadership workshops ask people to draw deeply on their emotional responses to the challenges they face. And people really value the offer of “restorative headspace”, where staff who have been through the most stressful of times have the chance to open up in confidence.

For more information please do not hesitate to contact us directly at info@thewellbeingcollective.co.uk

#worldmentalhealthday #mondayblues #mondaymorningblues #friyay #friday #thankgoditsfriday #enablepositivechange #positivechange #greenribbon #mentalhealth