Chloe Thompson
As 2023 is closer than ever, many are thinking about those dreaded (or exciting, depending on if you’re a glass half full or empty kind of person!) new year’s resolutions.
A popular place to start is with your own wellbeing. But what does that mean, exactly? Is it wellbeing at work, is it wellbeing outside of work, or something in between? In today’s world of 'work-life integration' versus the age-old 'work-life balance,' it can be difficult to understand where one starts and one ends.
But the reality is, what you do in your day-to-day, no matter what time of day that might be, has incremental effects on your overall wellbeing.
Think about it, how productive are you really when you’re just (day)dreaming about getting more sleep at night? So with that, we wanted to round out 2022 with 5 ways to build connections and improve wellbeing among your own team:
Practise mindfulness. Mindfulness, according to sources, is 'the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing.' Being present, yet non-reactive – simply 'being.' Start with just 10 minutes a day by downloading an app to guide you through a meditation, or see if there is any information available that you could share more widely with your employees through a wellbeing resources centre.
Commemorate moments of gratitude. You know we love a good recognition shoutout, but sometimes the inner reflection is just as important for your overall wellbeing as compared to the external. Write down just one one thing you’re grateful for every day. At the end of the month, reflect on what you’ve written down and think about how you can bring more moments like the ones you’ve captured into your day-to-day.
Catch those zzz’s. Yes, it’s that simple: Sleep more! The Sleep Foundation suggests that adults between 18 and 64 need seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Try cutting out tech (and snoozing your Slacks) a few hours before bedtime, and pull double-duty for your wellbeing by meditating before you shut off the lights. And skip that afternoon caffeinated pick-me-up – studies show that six hours after you’ve had caffeine, half of it is still in your body.
Amp up the outdoor activity. Depending where you are in the world, it may not be the coziest atmosphere outside, but you can still shake up your routine to make sure you see sunlight at least once a day. Take a stroll with your four-legged companion, plug in some headphones and make it a walking meeting with your boss or opt to eat your lunch outside.
Step it up. Literally. Can you go beyond the usual 5,000 steps on your app? What about friendly competition between colleagues? Internally, we’ve used the employee wellbeing app MoveSpring to pull together step challenges from office to office and to connect with our teammates around the world.
For more ideas on how to improve your overall wellbeing and mitigate the signs of employee burnout, don’t miss our 2022 report on The State of Employee Burnout.
