Fika. What is it and why should we make time for it? We take a look at the Swedish tradition of Fika and how creating a daily ritual of Fika can help you to develop resilience, reduce stress and increase your wellbeing.
What Marshmallows Reveal About Your Willpower
What can marshmallows reveal about your willpower when it comes to goals? Yes, we know, seemingly nothing much. When you set yourself a new goal, you can bet that willpower, grit and determination will be key components. Enthusiasm can get you started but what happens when the going gets tough? Willpower makes or breaks your dream or goal. But is willpower something that we are born with or can it be developed to help us work towards positive change? We take a look at an iconic marshmallow experiment all about cognitive control (you’ve got to love science that uses marshmallows), three steps to help you develop your willpower along with evidence from the world of neuroscience to help you reach your goal.
Need a January Pick me Up?
Need a January Pick Me Up? A winter boost? It’s that time of year again. The days are short and the nights are long and you wonder if you’ll ever see the sun again. Fear not. We have a whole host of free stuff to build your resilience, improve your wellbeing and make you feel warm inside as you toast yourself by the fire. Go on. Treat yourself. It’s time to grab a mug of hot stuff, take time out and give yourself lashings of self care. We’ve got your back this winter gorgeous!
Need a January Pick Me Up 1:
Check out our fab podcast. We’ll take you through a whole host of topics ranging from positive psychology, resilience, mindfulness, self care and tons more.
Need a January Pick Me Up 2:
Dive into our extensive library of blogs. We’ve got hundreds of blogs, just for you. They’re right there at your fingertips – go on treat yourself.
Need a January Pick Me Up 3:
Sprinkle on our huge range of free resources. You can try everything from psychometrics to emotional intelligence tests. Whether it’s for your own personal development, to use with loved ones (and yes, we include your furry friends in that) or to use at work with your team, there’s something for everybody. Feel free to share ’em.
Stuck In Sacrifice Syndrome? Here’s How To Rekindle Renewal
Sacrifice Syndrome: The Cycle Of Wellbeing Deprivation
Sacrifice Syndrome. The cycle whereby leaders are caught in a corrosive pattern of workplace behaviours; working late, skipping lunch, catching up on weekends….the list is endless. The result? Dissonant leadership, bleeding into the rest of your organisation causing stress and burnout.
Join The Positive Change Guru Tribe!
Come over and visit our YouTube Channel to find out what we’re up to and how we can help you!
How Re-Thinking Stress Could Rewire Your Response To It
The second in our series of July blogs live from New York examines the latest US research and takes a deep dive into the work we’re doing here with our clients. Here we look at how rethinking stress may rewire your response to it
‘For there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so … since nothing is really good or bad in itself—it’s all what a person thinks about it.’
Hamlet: Act 2, Scene 2, Page 11
Stress has a bad rap and with good reason. Conventional wisdom dictates that prolonged stress will kill you (it’s true). Stress will make you ill (it will). Stress is bad for you (it is). Stress will …. (fill in the blanks). It’s all true and we know it. But is it possible that rethinking our perception of stress might increase our ability to manage it? New research suggests that the way we perceive stress may be critical in terms of how we respond to it. So what is re-thinking stress and how can we do it?
Work, Words and Wellbeing
Using words to increase wellbeing? Writing for wellbeing as a method of reducing workplace stress? We bring you the lowdown. The latest estimates from the HSE Labour Force Survey shows the total number of work related stress, depression and anxiety in 2015/16 was 488,000 cases with a staggering 224,000 new cases. The cause cited? Workload, tight deadlines and poor management. An increasingly stressful corporate environment means that employees are feeling stretched across all sectors. But where do words fit in this corporate conundrum and how can you use them in your anti-stress arsenal?
A growing body of research has demonstrated the power of words upon wellbeing. Yes, writing is fun but is also has a meditative effect upon our stressed minds. Let’s take a look at the science:
Writing has been linked to a whole host of health benefits;
“Expressive writing influences attention and habituation to stressful stimuli and to negative emotions and … it may influence restructuring of cognitions related to stressors and stress responses.” (Lepore et al, 2002, p.114)
An analysis of preliminary findings linking expressive writing and reductions in blood pressure (Davidson et al, 2002)
A recent meta-analysis showed that “experimental disclosure is effective, with a positive and significant” effect (Frattaroli 2006, p. 823)
Reduction in resting blood pressure levels (Crow 2000)
Psychological effects, such as lowering of depressive symptoms, rumination
and general anxiety (Lepore 1997)
But what does this mean for workplace wellbeing? Here’s what the evidence
suggests so far. Workplace writing for wellbeing sessions;
▪ Reduce levels of stress
▪ Staff recover more successfully from traumatic events
▪ Result in fewer days lost to sickness, absenteeism and presenteeism
▪ Improve working memory
▪ Increase flow
▪ Strengthen immune system
▪ Improve creativity and innovation
▪ Increase wellbeing
▪ Build stress management capacity
▪ Improve confidence
▪ Increase mindfulness
1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem in any given year so it’s likely that there’s someone in your team, department or organisation who is experiencing a mental health issue right now. That figure is compounded by a recent Shaw Trust survey which found that 72% of workplaces had no formal mental wellbeing policy. In addition to this, 23% of managers were unable to name a single mental health condition.
So what can you do right now to introduce writing for wellbeing into your day?
Journalling:
Keep a journal. Make time each day to journal about whatever is important to you. Commit to 10 minutes and go wherever the muse takes you. There’s increasing research to suggest that journalling provides improved leadership insight resulting in greater clarity of thinking and better decision making.
Connect to your authentic self:
Brene Brown describes authenticity as
“The daily practice of letting go who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.”
Set time aside to ‘check in’ with how you are feeling. Are you able to sum it up in one word? Good.
Now take five minutes and without censoring yourself, expand upon that word. Don’t worry about style, spelling or grammar. Let go of your inner critic and just go for it. Unleash your creativity.
Take a look at what you’ve written. What does it tell you about how you really feel? Writing for ourselves in this way can tell us a lot about who we are. Perhaps something you’ve written resonates or provides an insight into some aspect of your day, your life, or a project you are working on.
Turn down the volume on the constant chatter, press pause on workplace pressures and tune in to your authentic self. This exercise will help to ground you creating a mindful space for you to reflect before you continue with your day.
For more information or to talk to us about our Workplace Writing For Wellbeing training courses contact us at admin@positivechangeguru.com
5 Simple Hacks To Create A Mindful Workplace Culture
Mindfulness has been identified as an increasingly critical skill required to navigate the corporate world. But how do you create a mindful workplace?
Setting Intentions: Connecting With Your Authentic Self
‘Intent is a force that lives in the universe’ Carlos Castenados
Does every day feel like groundhog day? Are you stuck in negative patterns wondering when things will start to change? Perhaps your career is draining your creativity, you want something more but don’t know what it is. Maybe you do know and you’re afraid to take the necessary leap of faith? Perhaps you’re a square peg in a round career or it could be a relationship that is slowly sapping your self esteem adding to your feeling of disconnection. Maybe you’re too scared to leave. Or you feel that wherever you are or whoever you’re with, you will never be enough.The truth is, as Einstein observed ‘Nothing changes until something moves’. That something is you. And the movement you need is intention. Intention enables you to live with heart rather than habit.
Introducing Writing For Wellbeing Into Your Workplace Health Strategy
Taking a holistic approach to your wellbeing strategy is never simple. Even when your wellbeing strategy is established, growing the health of your staff and remaining proactive is crucial. As Prof. Cary Cooper states, “A workforce that is well works well.” Creating a culture of wellbeing takes time, commitment and constant innovation. The old one size fits all approach to wellbeing is now obsolete. One of the most new and innovative ways to support staff wellbeing is writing. Long since recognised in the US as a workplace intervention, it is slowly gaining popularity in the UK.
