It was Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK last week, which provided a great chance to shine a spotlight on this important topic and consider what more we could be doing to support each other.
At Gearset, prioritising and supporting our team’s wellbeing and mental health is always a priority. We care about each other, and feel that no Gearcitizen should ever feel they’re alone.
Our open team culture makes Gearset a safe space for people to share their struggles and get support from colleagues. We also provide confidential counselling and professional support whenever any of the team needs it.
We know taking time to prioritise your wellbeing to protect your mental health can be challenging in such a fast-paced world, so we took the opportunity with mental health awareness week to run a wellbeing week at Gearset. These are weeks we do regularly at Gearset to help our team take time out and prioritise their wellbeing.
What did wellbeing week look like at Gearset?
We kicked off the week with a virtual breathwork session, led by our regular yoga teacher Lucy who runs our weekly yoga sessions. This was a chance for the team to focus on something that we all take for granted, and to provide the tools to use breath for relaxation and repair.
Next up, two Gearset colleagues Holly and Rachel brought out our inner artists with an engaging art and wellbeing session. This was virtual and in person, and gave the team a chance to step away from our busy days and take part in some mindful, creative exercises. During the session we also discovered we had some budding artists in the company!
On Wednesday, we had an insightful session from Dr Claire Gillvray of Cognitive Sports Therapy, a registered GP and psychiatrist who delivers our confidential counselling service. In this session, Dr Claire shared the evidence and advice around how to combat that feeling of loneliness that comes when we feel low, stressed and anxious. It was a real feel-good session, with lots of advice for life, not just for wellbeing week!
We know moving our bodies has such a positive impact on our mental health, so on Thursday we got our heart rates up with a movement session aptly named cardio is hardio! It was great to get moving in a virtual cardio class run by our very own Jed Ingram.
Finally, to wrap up the week, we heard from Jonny Say of That Day, an NHS High Intensity Therapy Councillor and Mindfulness coach. This session was to help the team with feelings of uncertainty that lead to rising anxiety levels and feelings of loneliness and isolation. This interactive workshop led us through the Finding Certainty Process, which helps combat feelings of uncertainty and provides tools to cope with them.
Outside of the sessions we ran during wellbeing week, we also found ways to further support the team. These included a voucher to a well known coffee chain for people to grab a coffee and cake with a friend whenever they wanted, a wellbeing hour for people to take during the week to spend doing whatever supported their mental health, and an optional daily virtual chat with 4 different colleagues from across Gearset.
Wellbeing week was a great reminder for us all to look out for each other, check in and see how we’re doing, and take time to protect our mental health. Let’s keep talking, keep connected and keep supporting each other.
If you’re new to Gearset, we’re a friendly bunch! Find out more about us.