health Archives • Page 3 of 3 • Bridge

Day 5: Masking and Faking Resilience

Posted on 3rd March 20198th March 2019 by Lauren Whalen

Today was one of the busiest days I have had in ages and it hit me out of nowhere. The day started with one call and then another and so on with each one taking longer than expected and each one putting me a little more behind schedule. However, it did highlight to me just how much my energy can turn on a dime as my low energy over the last few days was replaced with that of a more manic and frantic one. This was like a pendulum swinging from one direction to the other and after a full day like this, it can leave one very exhausted. Without question, it is the complete opposite of being balanced and is one of the areas that I personally wish to explore over this 50-day challenge. A very close friend of mine often reminds me that I need to find more balance in my energy in which I totally agree. I do find that mindfulness and meditation have gone some way to assist me in doing this better, as this has helped me slow the swing from depression to overtly positive and manic. This is something that I have had to deal with for many years and therefore can fully appreciate others that also have this impacting on their daily mental wellness. I see leaders from across all businesses running them self from meeting to meeting and have to begin to question the impact this has not only on their own well being but that of their productivity and ability to truly lead their team forward. It is very much easier to put on a mask and fake resilience but after a while, this does take its toll on our wellbeing and ability to successfully manage our ways through busy days or periods like this. I know that this is very early days in this challenge and this first week for me is very much about looking at my mind, body and spirit and how I am currently managing these areas and I have to say that I am slowly uncovering lots of core areas that I need to focus on and change.

Mantra: Mindful minute stop, relax, take a breath

Day 4: A Gift of Thirty Minutes

Posted on 1st March 20198th March 2019 by Lauren Whalen

My low energy has definitely carried forward into the start of the day as I still felt a little exhausted and not very clear headed. I think what it has shown me is a little bit about my impatient approach to change and have forgotten that it works at a different pace to that of transformation. Ok I changed my diet (for two days) and have been eating well, I sat and talked about my inner feelings with a mindset coach (once), I have even worked hard for an hour in the gym – so why am I not fixed yet! I ticked all the boxes and all I feel is tired and more stressed. I had to remind myself that transformation is more of a journey and its special ingredients include perseverance, time, and patience, as it may be a slow burner to start with. However, something did happen today that gave me a sense of personal power as due to unforeseen circumstance Tom had to postpone our PT session until tomorrow. My first instinct was to just wait until then but then I decided that I too need to become my own wellness participant and decided to use that time as an opportunity to get off my ass and head to the pool for a quick swim. As leaders and employees, we must take more personal responsibility for our own wellness and health. It is just too easy to get caught in the next email or call or meeting or or or.. and forget to take some time for ourselves in whatever capacity. In 30 minutes I ticked two boxes in that I felt more clear headed but also a revived sense of accomplishment in the fact that I took the time and just did it. So find your special activity that you own, whether that be a short walk, a quiet coffee, a meditation, ten pages of a book, but own them and enjoy them as they are your 30-minute gift to self.

Mantra: Be Kind to Myself

The Nature of Change

Posted on 1st March 20191st March 2019 by Lauren Whalen

It is a reality most of us aren’t very good at handling significant change in our lives. We do a fine job with minor changes and usually handling them easily. It’s the big changes, like redundancy, ill health and divorce, which are often thrust upon us and have a greater impact on our lives that we struggle with. These demand incredible energy, determination and time to manage, get used to and accept and can even need the help of others to cope with.

‘A change is as good as a rest’ describes our ability to manage and even enjoy most changes for a short time simply because we know it’s limited. Make the change permanent and we can perceive life as being hard going, even overwhelming, mentally, emotionally and physically.

There is also a misguided belief that change is somehow an ‘optional extra’ in life. We can keep things ‘the same’, ignoring change if we want to, whilst at some level knowing life moves on and change is guaranteed. This internal conflict creates a tension within us that makes the idea of change in our lives something we are fearful, even terrified, of and try to avoid. We project into the future and live in a world of fearful outcomes. As Mark Twain said, “I’ve lived through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened!” It’s no wonder many of us use lots of energy trying to keep things, everything, the same.

Change is an inevitability of life – like the sun rising, tides turning, death and taxes. It’s the scale of change, how it happens and your perception of change that is crucial to your overall wellbeing! Trying to ignore change is a fool’s errand.

Although it can be hard to cut old ties and leave behind the habits, places, and people you’ve become used and accustomed to, it’s always useful to remind yourself whilst familiarity is comforting it also breeds contempt and often for good reasons! Look at the life you are living now. Do you really want absolutely everything to stay the same? Are you certain all the things you are going to leave behind really that amazing and great?

We do like keeping things the same. Maybe we even love it. Stability is necessary for our survival. After all, part of the role of our ego is to protect us by keeping our patterns the same so we have the same results. The ‘what happened yesterday worked so let’s repeat it today’ approach. Too much of anything though is never good for us. We also need stimulation and challenge to thrive and grow otherwise we wither, become scared of new experiences and our world grows smaller and ever more fearful. Our comfort zone shrinks.

Isn’t it great news the ego can be fooled though and will quickly adopt new habits when you make the changes so that those new habits become the new safe zone to live your life from?

Despite some changes in your life being beyond your control and others within it, it’s how you see change and are able to respond to change that makes the difference to your life.

Along with change sometimes feeling overwhelming and taking time and effort to assimilate, it is also exciting, life-affirming and rewarding. It is an essential part of your life and how your comfort zone expands. By recognising the inevitability of change and embracing it you create the opportunities to experience life on your terms.

Like all new ways of seeing and experiencing the world, accepting and accommodating change as a natural part of the process of life takes time and effort. Getting used to enjoying the small changes of walking along a different street to work, buying your coffee from that new cafe that’s just opened or getting up ten minutes earlier than usual are places to start from. Your comfort zone grows and it’s at the edge of your comfort zone where the magic happens.

Time to change?

Martin Feaver, Contributor & Balance Team Expert
Martin is a Life-Coach and Therapist with over 30 years of experience, specialising in treating professionals through his unique philosophy of the Mind-Body Activation.

Day 3: The Storm Before My Calm

Posted on 28th February 20198th March 2019 by Lauren Whalen

I am already feeling the strain of this challenge and it is only day three. My first mindset session has opened up a few cans of worms that have been playing on my mind coupled with a newly found stiffness after my first PT session. However, it is more than that as my stress level seems to be on the up and energy to be on the down. I am thinking that maybe I became more dependent than I thought on the lovely glass or two of wine in the evening coupling with the additional sugar intakes throughout the day. Removing them cold might be a factor but I guess this is all part of pushing through. Also, 2018 was not a great year for me as I purged a few toxic people from my life, however today I met one of them after a long period and must say I could feel the energy shift in me and my resilience dropped. The energy it took to be kind and respectful in light of the hurt and disappointment this person caused. The power of others to impact on our wellness is massive and hence must be considered greatly when looking at the parallel of one person’s journey and that of organisational culture. It can be exhausting having to work with others that do not bring out the best in you or leave you with a sense of stress or negative feelings about yourself. This being a real-time experiment I am not sure what the next 46 days hold. I am excited by the challenge but must be kind to myself and ensure that over this time I find Balance between the discovery that this project brings and maintaining my day job. In the spirit of transparency and honesty, I was very irritable and even irrational at times today as I really feel that my mind, body and spirit are all moving in different directions. However, this is no excuse to project this on to others as yes it is ok to not be ok but we need to be honest about this and should ask for support and compassion from those around us that we trust and respect. Not project outwardly negative emotions that clearly impact those around us – something that I acknowledge I did not manage well today.

Mantra: I own 2019

Day 2: Feed My Face or My Body?

Posted on 27th February 20198th March 2019 by Lauren Whalen

I started to feel better today and made the decision to focus a little more on research around my diet. It has become clear that I have been managing this aspect of my life much more poorly than I ever thought. As part of this research, I have begun reading several articles on diet and different foods that benefit and stimulate a healthier mind and body. Through a new lens, I have started to explore my own diet and see that my yo-yo eating pattern has not been feeding my body the right levels of nutrients needed and how this has extended beyond the body to both my mind and my spirit. I have been treating healthy options as a tick in the box exercise and seeing not eating as an option for weight loss. There has been no consistency and my approach to diet has resulted in my body not knowing when to burn energy, when to save it and when to even ask for it. As a parallel to wellness across an entire organisation how many leaders and employees are living their daily existence in this manner. This clearly has not worked as the right food is not just about feeding my face it is about helping the body fight illness and making it stronger. As with an organisations approach to wellness it is not just about ticking the box, it must be a lifestyle change. I see that I have lots to learn here. It is both important and also fascinating to explore what different foods give the body the assistance or repair its various moving parts. I encourage others comments and advice on more tips for healthy options and how to introduce better eating patterns to others. The science of food is definitely something that I have ignored and therefore have not been benefiting from. I also kick-started my first PT session with Tom which went well and I am sure will be highlighted more in future days.

Mantra: Food is Energy

Creating a happy and healthy workforce

Posted on 10th August 201625th January 2018 by David D'Souza

By Charley Maher, Managing Director, Bristol Wessex Billing Services

I created a vision for ‘Health & Wellbeing’ for my business a year ago and since then, my team have exceeded my expectations in terms of what we have achieved.

BWBSL is jointly owned by Wessex Water and Bristol Water and are responsible for the customer journey for their 1.5 m customers across the South West. Their customers rely on BWBSL to provide them with an efficient and helpful service.

I knew that people were core to the success of the business and wanted to ensure that my team of 380 people were not only focused on providing an excellent service experience to customers but I also wanted to create initiatives to support a healthy and happy team to enable brilliant employee engagement.

Our health and wellbeing initiatives over the last year have touched everyone across the business. Each month is themed and a key objective for the H&W charter is to ensure that my entire team are happy and healthy at work. Mental health is high on my agenda too. Interestingly, I was really pleased to read that ‘Mental Health Awareness Week’ in 2016 focused on highlighting the impact of relationships on our mental health. The charity has asked people to commit to maintaining good relationships with friends, family and colleagues, which they believe is fundamental to our health and happiness.

We took this objective to a different level at BWBSL and set about creating stronger relationships in the workplace both within teams and cross-functionally. New working groups and project teams were set up to pilot and launch the monthly health and wellbeing initiatives and in our recent employee engagement survey, there was overwhelming feedback from team members talking about improved relationships at work and how well team members support and help each other more than ever. I also asked my learning and development team to design and launch a mental health awareness training programme, making it available to all team members. This has received great feedback and increased levels of empathy demonstrated across the business.

The last year has been full of great achievements, in 2015 the business won ‘Best Place to Work’ at the UK Customer Experience Awards and earlier this year we were recognised with a total of four awards at the UK Employee Experience Awards, however, a happy and healthy, engaged team is by far the best achievement of all.