Today, 10th October, marks the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) World Mental Health Day.
This year’s theme is ‘Mental Health at Work’, with the WHO using the day to highlight the vital connection between mental health and work.
Safe, healthy working environments can act as a protective factor for mental health.
As we continue to create a better world through netball, at our World Netball (WN) Head Quarters mental health is a priority, not just today but every day.
WN has a suite of policies that support our commitment to mental health wellbeing, these include our Code of Ethics, Code of Conduct, Equality and Diversity and Safeguarding policies.
All our staff also have access to the ‘Wisdom’ application on their work phones.
With daily prompts, this mental wellbeing app allows our staff to track their wellness through an interactive mood tracker, helping to identify patterns and trends to improve overall wellbeing, and it can also be personalised to help our team access the correct content and resources to improve their own wellbeing too.
As part of World Mental Health Day, we asked our staff what they do during a working day that helps them to ensure they protect their own wellbeing and have a good work/life balance.
The teams’ top tips included:
- Cycling or running before/to/from work to help clear the mind
- Taking a lunch break and going for a walk (sometimes with a dog in tow, sometimes stopping for a coffee)
- Going to yoga, zumba or ballroom dancing
- Taking regular short screen breaks
- Speaking to and supporting other colleagues in the office, and on our twice weekly team calls
- Working by the window in the office with a view of the Quays
- Attending activities put on in the hub area of the offices, including painting, candle making, and pumpkin carving
- Picking up a magazine, book or non-work-related online article to read
- Writing tasks down to clear the mind.
To learn more about World Mental Health Day, visit the World Health Organisations website here.