Mental Health Awareness Week: Home Office

It’s Mental Health Awareness Week, so we’re helping our colleagues around the UK and Europe to celebrate the event. Aside from the Art and Crafts Competition focused around this year’s MHAW theme of "kindness", we’re sharing tips on how to look after your mental wellbeing. First up is a guide to achieving a productive, welcoming and efficient working arrangement at home.

Get comfy
By this we don’t mean lying on the sofa, but instead arranging your home office so that you remain comfortable whilst working. For instance, your desk or workspace needs enough room for easy movement and your keyboard should be positioned in a way that prevents wrist ache. Also, the top of your computer screen should be at eye level or a little lower and you can adjust the brightness to prevent eye strain. Arranging your home office setup around comfort will ensure that you don’t develop aches and pains, all while helping to maintain a positive mood.

Keep it clean and tidy
Multiple studies have proven that an organised and hygienic workspace does wonders for mental health. From minimising clutter and creating an effective storage system, to removing mugs, rubbish and waste paper on a daily basis, by keeping your surroundings clean and tidy you’ll find that there are fewer distractions.

Take breaks
Some people take shorter breaks whilst working from home or even forget about them entirely. If this applies to you, set an alarm or reminder so that you stretch your legs and take a breather when you normally would. If you live with family, this is a good opportunity to have a chat with them and find out what they’ve been up to, or you could call a friend for a catch-up. If you own a dog, take it for a walk during your lunch hour and enjoy the fresh air in the process.

Stay hydrated
Chances are you remember to have a cup of tea in the morning, but are you drinking enough water throughout the working day? Some of our colleagues find it easier to drink water at work because they take it in turns to fetch some for their team, but this isn’t an option at home. Instead, you could try filling up a large bottle with fresh water and keeping it by your desk, with the goal being to take regular sips and finishing it off by the end of the day.

Catch up with colleagues
Are you taking part in Virtual Cuppa Breaks? We recommend having these on a regular basis with your workmates as a way to unwind and stay connected. Many of our colleagues are also holding quizzes, bingo sessions and other activities on an evening through video conferencing platforms, which are a great way to have fun and stay in touch.

What else will help your wellbeing?
There are all kinds of other small changes you can put in place that will make a big difference to how you feel whilst working at home. Some of these are so simple, such as opening the window, listening to your favourite tunes or adding some plants to breathe life into the room.

--
Don’t forget that our chosen charity for this year is Mind, which offers help and support to anyone struggling with their mental health. If you’d like to make a donation, please visit our JustGiving page, 

We’d also love to hear how you’re getting involved in Mental Health Awareness Week, so if you’d like to share anything please tag us in your pics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn

Popular posts from this blog

Diadeis and Bridgehead Support Orphans in Mauritius

Image
We’re very excited to share news about a wonderful collaborative project between Bridgehead and our Diadeis team. Together they’re helping to raise funds and make improvements to an orphanage in Mauritius that’s home to dozens of abandoned children. Laura Crosby and Vicky Skelton from Bridgehead and Daniel Deverell from The Maltings (both based in Hull) are currently working on secondments in our Diadeis office in Mauritius. Whilst there they heard about an organisation, SOS Children’s Villages, which was asking for 100 volunteers to help paint the homes in a local orphanage. There are two SOS Children's Villages in Mauritius that care for around 113 abandoned and parentless children; this project focused on the one in Beau Bassin, which was established in 1992. Designed with attractive Créole architecture and situated close to the Balfour Garden, it’s an excellent arrangement that consists of nine family houses with the capacity to accommodate around 150 c...
Read more

Apprentices Hand Over Donations to HHCP

Image
SGS Packaging Europe has three busy offices in Hull, with a combined workforce of around 500 specialists. To reflect its commitment to high-quality training, in 2018 it launched its apprenticeship programme, presenting an exciting way to enter the industry and begin a fulfilling career. There are currently 16 apprentices working at SGS offices in The Maltings and Bridgehead Business Park. Alongside in-house training, one-to-one mentoring and regular development days, they have also been given ownership over a series of community projects taking place throughout 2019. Ranging from fundraising activities to hands-on community support, the four chosen charities benefitting from this are Hull Homeless Community Project (HHCP), Yorkshire Cancer Research, Hull and East Yorkshire Mind and Aaron’s Battle. Since early February, the SGS apprentices have been encouraging their colleagues to donate everyday items to collection bins that were placed in the canteens on bo...
Read more

Supporting Hull Homeless Community Project

Image
This year our apprentices in The Maltings and Bridgehead have chosen four charities that will benefit from fundraising activities, volunteering sessions and brand advocacy: Hull Homeless Community Project (HHCP), Yorkshire Cancer Research, Hull and East Yorkshire Mind and Aaron's Battle. The first community project for HHCP began on Monday 4th February, with the apprentices placing collection bins in the canteens and encouraging all of their colleagues to donate essential items. To make this easier for everyone, they recommended that fellow employees add one extra item to their basket or trolley each time they go shopping. This way it has minimal effect on the weight of the groceries and the total of the bill, yet it has an enormous positive impact to how the charity operates. These items will be used by HHCP as part of its Move On project, which helps individuals and families who have been victims of homelessness to transition into independent living. The HHCP team starts w...
Read more