The real solution to better health and wellbeing

I’ve spent the last fifteen years working as a workplace health and wellbeing consultant. In the early days, it often felt like no one was listening. Despite all the evidence and research, the business focus then, remained on increasing productivity and employee resilience. Health and wellbeing was a nice add-on, but few were taking it seriously.

Today, you can’t move without being bowled over by the plethora of well-being programs being offered online, face-to-face or digitally all offering their own version of a well-being model for what works best.

And yet, workplace well-being remains in decline as the prevalence of burnout, poor mental health and stress-related illness continue to rise.

How did we get it so wrong?

The real solution lies in adopting a fresh approach based on what has been shown to bring about positive and enduring behavioural change.

This is already happening in health care with a shift towards moving away from the prescriptive – “the doctor knows best” approach – towards coaching an individual to better health outcomes.

There are several factors to consider.

 

1. The way we work requires a reset.

No amount of legislation to support psychological safety and workplace mental wellbeing matters if the existing work culture continues to be based on overwork, the mindset that more is always better and the expectation that it’s normal to feel chronically exhausted and overwhelmed.

As humans we operate at our best when provided with support (and the encouragement we need) to deliver our best, the resources required (which alleviates a lot of anxiety), the challenge to help us gain new skills and greater mastery in what we do, and the acknowledgement and respect of good work being done.

The four-day week has been warmly embraced in those organisations where it can work well, enabling work to get done in a shorter time frame so that the employee has more downtime for non-work-related activities, enjoys less stress and hopefully better sleep.

 

2. Ideal is not the goal.

You’re probably very familiar with the 40-year-old public health message to eat more fruit and veg. We know, but don’t do. Why? Partly because, as with exercise, being told to do 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of intense exercise each week is meaningless. What does this look like if you’re working a 60-hour week, and you don’t have time to scratch yourself let alone get to the gym? This is where good intentions die a lonely death because they’re unachievable for much of the time.

Instead, ask yourself, what’s possible here?
How much does this matter to me?
What am I willing to engage in to get the health outcomes I desire?

If you’d like to get fitter, the best way to start is to assess where you are now and what would be a realistic goal for three months time.
Then, to assess what type of activities you enjoy the most and look at how you can access these most easily on a regular basis.

When you look forward to building your strengths to become more active, they are more likely to occur, and the benefit is knowing that even small changes in your level of physical activity can lead to significant health benefits.

 

3. Address your workaholism

As a recovering workaholic, I know only too well the danger of loving your work too much. Not only does this make you very one-eyed (as in boring) you’re denying yourself the opportunities for all those pleasurable non-work activities that make you more interesting, more rounded in your outlook and more attractive as a person. (Just saying.)

One of my dear friends took on a CEO role a couple of years ago, to bring the company back from the brink and reestablish it as a viable concern.
He was very excited about the new venture and launched into it with relish.

He’s still in the position and has achieved a great deal, but it’s taken a massive toll. He looks and is exhausted. He backs out of social activities and even planned holidays – because work takes priority.

I worry about his health and can see the massive reduction in his well-being and only hope he can relinquish his role soon.

If you’ve been justifying and rationalising why you work too much it’s time to challenge those oft-worn excuses and cliches.

We only get one shot at this time we call life, so why not make it the best experience you could ever wish for?

 

3. Change your work environment.

Are you a mole?
I’m not thinking you sell State secrets, rather that moles, especially the ones that lived in the field below my parents’ house in Cornwall, only make their presence known by the appearance of molehills.

As we have become increasingly urbanised, we have become more mole-like, rarely venturing outside, and this is known to be detrimental to our health and wellbeing. The mental strain from spending too much time in front of screens diminishes attention, increases stress and reduces work capacity.

Choosing to spend more time outside daily – you decide how, where and how much, has been shown to make a significant difference to broadening perspective, enhancing creativity and lowering stress.

If you’re surrounded by concrete, the alternative here is to invite nature in using biophilic principles – greening the office with oxygen-providing plants, natural textures and artwork. Natural light has been shown to matter more to how you feel about your workspace than having a barista on site.

Is that true for you?

The end of the year is the perfect time to press pause and reflect on how you’re travelling.

If there’s room for improvement, which aspect of your work will you address first?

• Do you need to review how much time you’re spending on work-related activities?
  Where can you trim down by ditching unproductive processes and procedures, getting better at saying no, and adding in a non-work related alternative?
• How will you reassess your overall fitness and determine one small change that can move you in the direction towards better health and well-being?
• Will you address your addiction to work if you recognise it’s doing you harm? Work can be fun, challenging and rewarding, but it’s never worth sacrificing your life for.
• Would you benefit from dropping your mole-like habits and choose instead to step outside into more natural light, in exchange for lower stress, better health and improved social connection?

As Leigh Hunt says, “the groundwork for all happiness is health.”

In 2025 I’m launching a new coaching program to help you reclaim the energy, vitality and joy you need to enjoy better heath and wellbeing and get the most out of life.

Stay tuned for more details!