For many, coming out of lockdowns has meant a more consistent return to office life. While remote working has come with its own challenges, office work often means longer hours with a daily commute, more rigid working patterns, and less time for personal activities.
It’s important to remember that returning to the workplace does not have to mean giving up the wellbeing routines that have helped you through this stressful past year. In fact, it’s more important than ever to make wellbeing a priority as we transition.
Experts at wellbeing platform Gympass suggest the following:
- Acknowledge anxiety: It is important for employers to put a range of measures in place to help their staff transition back to the workplace, including signposting and giving access to stress and anxiety management solutions. Suggest your boss encourages meditation and deep breathing exercises, regular exercise, journaling, and most importantly talking to people.
- Check in with yourself: Take time each day to make sure your physical environment and mental framework support your work and your mindset.
- Set simple goals: It is easy to get carried away setting goals when you feel motivated, but life inevitably gets in the way. So set actions for yourself that you can do with little motivation e.g. I will exercise for 15 minutes, three to five times per week.
- Make the journey count: Use the commute for simple wellbeing activities – mindfulness, meditation, stress relief. All you need is a set of headphones and your smartphone.
Water cooler wellbeing: Make the most of being part of the workplace community again and use those ‘water cooler’ moments (a quick catch up over coffee, supporting a colleague who you can see is having a difficult day) for wellbeing.
