Staying present & reacting to needs: help your people to help themselves in 2023 (for just ￡125 + VAT per month)

Welcome to the latest edition of "Thank God It’s Monday!", the newsletter designed to get you moving from awareness to action on all things mental fitness & wellbeing.

The most wonderful time of the year?

Where has the year gone? It feels like so much time has passed, yet it flies by so quickly at the same time. With Christmas around the corner and the snow-lined streets, it’s finally feeling festive for me. I loved the snowball fights with my son before school this morning, and hearing his laugh ring through the school playground and his little smile will stay with me forever. Small moments like this are what make the big efforts worthwhile.?

The holiday season can be a lot. It can bring up a lot, and it can be so busy that you don’t have time to process all you are doing, let alone how you are managing. Equally, it can echo loneliness for some of us. It’s worth asking yourself the question of how you can integrate those in your community who are feeling alone. And if you're feeling alone, it's worth asking for some company. People are more willing than you'd believe.

You’re not alone if you’re feeling the strain right now. We’re in a privileged position at fifty50 as we engage with so many people across different sectors and industries. One thing is clear; everyone is struggling, and pressures are mounting. Not unexpected, of course, as we’ve discussed in previous newsletters, but now the cold has hit and the dark nights have become a reality, we run the risk of spending more time in our heads than we do our bodies. We can end up inactive, escaping and pushing feelings aside, which can take a toll on our wellbeing.

Plus, let’s not forget that winter brings challenges to our physical health as head colds, flu, and other lurgies do the rounds. Add to the mix limited sleep and recovery, and we find ourselves brittle and ready to snap.

So we need to work harder to keep well,?both in body and in mind. Whilst physically, it’s not so easy to avoid illness, when it comes to our mental wellbeing, there is much preventative action we can take.?

Say "yes" to saying "no"

At this time of year, it’s very easy to get sucked into saying yes and feeling like you can’t say no. Sometimes it’s critical for you to uphold your boundaries and do what’s right for you. We’re human at the end of the day, and our capacity to handle difficult situations diminishes the more we take on, and the less time we make for recovery.

Each of us has unique circumstances and a unique tolerance when it comes to how much mental strain we can take. It’s important to be aware of your limits and to work within them. Notice when you overstep and correct your course.?

We can all do with reminding ourselves of the beauty of stepping back and taking a few deep breaths. Of stepping away from a situation and taking a short walk. Of practising to be mindful of the moment and giving ourselves permission to slow down and create space in our minds.?

Remember, anxiety simply does not exist in the present.?

What’s holding your people back right now?

At fifty50, we get a first-hand view of the biggest challenges impacting employee wellbeing.

The biggest trends we’ve seen this year include financial-related stress and anxiety, isolation when working remotely, feelings of disconnection, stress and imposter syndrome. Upskilling to be able to shift anxiety is important to the people we coach, as well as understanding how to prioritise wellbeing when integrating life and work. Working and leading through change and periods of growth and uncertainty are also big areas for us, along with helping people to communicate more effectively and support their career progression.?

We receive regular feedback that people want more support from us to help better overcome these challenges. Whilst we run a number of bespoke workshops and webinars, it’s time to do something on a bigger scale to reach more people.?

A huge part of my personal “why” and the reason I founded fifty50 is to help employers meet employees on the journey to positive mental wellbeing.

Yes, I believe employers have a duty of care to support wellbeing.

Yes, I believe employees need to own their mental fitness and invest time and energy in the same way we all do to support our physical wellbeing.

Only when we prioritise wellbeing can we sustain high performance.?

So today, I invite you to join the fifty50 community and take advantage of an incredible monthly subscription service empowering all your people to build and sustain positive mental wellbeing.?You can check out my LinkedIn post launching the service here. ?

We believe that everyone deserves to know how to manage their wellbeing, bounce back quickly and sustain high performance.

It's about removing the dependency culture and helping more people to help themselves.?

We’ve designed a calendar of live events to be held on the last Tuesday of each month from 12-1 pm GMT. Here is a snapshot of the 12?sessions:

• Celebrating difference, neurodiversity and identity at work
• Handling isolation and building connection in a hybrid working world?
• Leading through uncertainty, change and company growth
• Eliminating stress and anxiety through emotional wellbeing
• Thriving through work-life integration: a focus on parenting

Your people will have access to all the session recordings along with a library of resources helping them to self-coach and integrate learnings to build mental fitness.?

• The cost is ￡125 + VAT per month
• This is a flat fee charged per company.
• Sessions are broadcast live from 1-2 pm GMT on the last Tuesday of every month.
• The first session is scheduled for Tuesday, January 31st 2023.

SIGN UP FOR FIFTY50 MINDCOACH LIVE TODAY?

BONUS: For the first ten companies who subscribe, I’m offering a zero-charge 30-minute personalised talk to launch and embed fifty50 MindCoach Live into your wellbeing strategy

Read more about fifty50 MindCoach Live here.

Until next year!

Thank you for your support and for joining me on my journey this year. I've had such wonderful feedback and great constructive feedback. Thank you for putting up with the typos and accepting that the newsletter will arrive at some point on Monday afternoon(!!). Being a founder and solo parent and juggling all that comes with this means that my time is limited, and I'm often up against it. But I'll never stop investing my time in the things I care about most. In the things that make a difference. In the things that can move us all forwards in life.?

I hope what I share resonates, inspires and ignites action. I hope that in creating a conversation and building a community, together, we can shift the dial from stigma to support. To help people to own their mental health and fitness and live happy, productive and positive lives. That's what fifty50 MindCoach is all about.

I wish you all a happy, healthy and relaxing holiday period filled with love and many present moments with those you love and care about.

Looking forward to connecting with you in January; I'll be back with my newsletter on Monday, 9th January 2023.

Happy holidays!

Camilla & Team fifty50