The Garrett Learning newsletter. A mental health and wellbeing update to find out what has been happening, what’s coming up and what’s new!
Inside this month’s issue:
- Can we strive to achieve a work-life balance?
- Banger racing!
- What’s coming up in August & please join us for a complimentary introductory session, this month’s guest speaker is about neurodiversity and chronic pain
We are * Supportive * Curious * Welcoming * Encouraging * Straightforward * We are Garrett Learning.
What’s been happening?
I went banger racing! Unfortunately, the car didn’t make it to the last round!
What has Banger Racing taught me about running a business and training others?
Oddly enough, the two worlds aren’t that different!
Yesterday I had the opportunity to go out on the track! I’ve never done it before! Today, I’m back delivering operational performance coaching and workplace mental health training and doing yoga! Opposite worlds!
Apologies if this post feels a bit like a personal Facebook photo post; however, yesterday was all about leadership, pressure and performance. Things we need in the workplace:
– Preparation: Safety first! I attended the briefing from the race director, I understood the rules of what I could and couldn’t do. We ensured the helmet and overalls fitted and learned how to ‘hit’ a car safely!
– Learning from setbacks: I planned to undertake three races, well the first race didn’t go to plan, the car cut out and I couldn’t get it restarted! I learned from my mistake and made sure it didn’t happen in race two! And just like at work, if something goes wrong on the track, you don’t stop – you adapt. You get back out there. You learn, fix and improve.
– Resilience: Race one could have severely knocked my confidence. I felt a bit of a fool really, but I’ve never been in a banger car before so I chose to be kind to myself then also have a laugh about the whole situation with my supporters!! Not everything goes to plan and we have challenges to overcome. We can overcome these!
– The ability to stay calm under pressure: Well I didn’t know what to expect! Focusing on my breathing helped! And just throwing myself into the deep end! Even when the drive shaft was damaged and I was facing the oncoming speeding traffic, I remained calm and, well, I ‘braced myself for impact!!!’ I’ve never been hit by a car at speed before and if you take a look at the car in the photo, I was hit a fair few times!
– Working as a team: I’m so grateful to Tom! He allowed me to wreck his car! – I achieved that!! However without Tom and his team I wouldn’t have driven out onto the track. Having a great team around you working towards the same goal is so important. The team checking the car over, Tom’s 9-year-old daughter gave me guidance and advice, the team fixed the exhaust when it fell off after race 2!
So that was my weekend! Here’s a little video of my day! 👉 https://lnkd.in/erpXFYQ3
Have you ever picked up work lessons from a hobby? I’d love to hear yours.
Also, it’s August! Hands up, who is juggling the children off school, managing the home, work and perhaps packing for a little break away?
I’ve also volunteered to bake cakes for a Breast Cancer Afternoon tea fundraiser, I’m not sure where I’m fitting that in yet!
There are increasing demands of life, looking after children, elderly parents, running the home, working and managing a business. Plus we should try and fit in all the ‘good stuff’ that we’re told to do to keep us well: exercise, eat healthy, connect with others, take a break, rest, reflect and fit in a lunch break away from the desk. All of this should fit neatly into 24 hours!
Have you mastered the art of work-life balance yet? If so, please share your secrets with us! Or do you feel it is another unnecessary pressure we place upon ourselves?
The pressure of managing a ‘work-life’ balance can feel like an impossible and unrealistic goal – what does it look like anyway? It’s going to be different for everyone.
There is an ongoing debate on whether we are managing work-life balance. CIPD reports 60% of people surveyed working longer hours than they want to and 24% over-work by ten or more hours a week, which is causing disruption to family life and they reported that they find it hard to switch off.
(Read the full article here: https://www.cipd.org/uk/about/press-releases/poor-work-life-balance/ )
We could find ourselves in a negative cycle if we aren’t managing to switch off, rest and reflect. This could impact our sleep. If we don’t sleep well, a knock-on effect is that it’s difficult to perform well in life and at work. This will hugely impact your business/organisation: reduced efficiency and productivity, leading to staff absence, presenteeism, and therefore impacting the bottom line; sick pay, high turnover, the associated recruitment costs and grievances.
There are signs of poor work-life balance:
- Starting the working week tired and exhausted
- Feeling irritable
- Complaints about workload and ‘not getting everything done’, but struggling to focus
- Missing personal commitments due to work
- Not prioritising medical appointments over work. For example, not attending medical appointments as ‘I’m at work’
- Frequently working overtime shifts
- Not taking annual leave
When I was 23, I found myself working 50-60 hours a week, sleeping with a notebook and pen by the side of my bed to capture my work-related thoughts as I woke throughout the night. I never switched off from work. I didn’t take any annual leave in the first year as I thought it would impress my boss as I’m so ‘hard working’ and therefore be offered a promotion. The promotion didn’t come, I was completely exhausted, burnt out and ended up handing in my notice.
Can we break the cycle? – We certainly can try!
- Manage annual leave – if you/your team haven’t taken any time off in a while, encourage them to book in a break. People often return to work refreshed and raring to go!
- The introduction of well-eing plans will identify what the individual wants and needs to be physically and mentally well. Check out mind.org.uk for a Wellness Action Plan template.
- Adapting a flexible approach to work, including hours worked and the location, allows employees to work around their personal schedules; which will reduce stress and help manage the increasing demands of life.
- The ‘four-day working week’ (I’m a personal fan of this idea!)
The UK Campaign is currently being trialled and hopes to improve employee well-being by compressing the hours worked into four days without affecting pay and benefits.
At Garrett Learning we can help you to train your team to spot signs of poor mental health and have a supportive and encouraging conversation.
Here are three tips on improving work-life balance:
- Book some time off, change up location for this break if you can. Try to switch off from work, take that all-important ‘you time’. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love holidays! On the last trip I went on, I left my laptop at home!
- Plan your working week. Schedule start and end times, including breaks. Eat lunch away from your work area. Add in appointments. Block out time to work on tasks. Reduce the number of times you check your emails (if it’s really important, they will call you). Add in your leisure time or family activities. Unplug from technology. Try some of these ideas and reflect on how it makes you feel.
- Be present. When you’re not in ‘work-mode’, be in the moment and embrace all that is going on around you. Unplug from technology, take a break from the screens. Take that walk in nature, listen to the birds, feel the sun/wind on your face, or just sit for a moment and enjoy the quiet. One friend of mine mentions she sits in her car alone for a couple of minutes and mindfully breathes before stepping back into the family home.
Remember, there is no ‘perfect work-life’ balance. It’s about how you feel and when you perform at your best without it impacting your mental and physical health – last week I took a spontaneous couple of days away to Cornwall. The fresh sea air worked wonders.
What’s coming up in August:
We are jam-packed with lots of open courses for you and your team to join, however, if you would like to run a private cohort, or want to attend a programme later on in the year, please do get in touch with me: wendy@garretlearning.co.uk or call/WhatsApp on 07859 878 599.
Workplace Wellbeing Champion
Monday 11th August
13:00-13:50 on Zoom
Try one month for free
If you’re a Workplace Wellbeing Champion or Mental Health First Aider, come and join us. This month we are joined by Narinda Sheer from MapCoach and we’ll be discussing Neurodiversity and Chronic Pain. We’ll have a chance to share our thoughts, questions and offer support to each other.
Join the Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3901133666?pwd=RnN2N1hRR3NUT0FwcUlzUFVPd29wUT09
Meeting ID: 390 113 3666
Passcode: nimwS9
Other training:
MHFA England Mental Health First Aid (MHFAider)
Monday 18th to Thursday 21st August
09:30-12:30 on Zoom
£325 per person: Book and pay here: https://buy.stripe.com/8wM9AH8Ne8cNfyE00e
Mental Health Skills for Managers
Tuesday 26th August
09:30-13:30 on Zoom
£150 per person. Book and pay here: https://buy.stripe.com/4gw7szbZq64F3PW3cJ
MHFA England Refresher
Wednesday 27th August
09:30-13:30 on Zoom
£150 per person. https://buy.stripe.com/28odQX0gI9gRdqw5ks
MHFA England Aware
Thursday 28th August
09:30-13:30 on Zoom
£150 per person. Book and pay here: https://buy.stripe.com/28o0071kM2Stcms8wF
MHFA England One Day Champion
Monday 1st September
09:30-16:30 on Zoom
£195 per person. Book and pay here: https://buy.stripe.com/cN2aELbZqct32LS3ce
MHFA England Refresher
Tuesday 2nd September
13:30-17:30 on Zoom
£150 per person. https://buy.stripe.com/28odQX0gI9gRdqw5ks
MHFA England Mental Health First Aid (MHFAider)
Wednesday 3rd & Thursday 4th September
09:30-16:30 on Zoom
£325 per person: Book and pay here: https://buy.stripe.com/8wM9AH8Ne8cNfyE00e
Want to find out more on how Garrett Learning can help you??
Garrett Learning creates welcoming, memorable, and learner-focused learning experiences to reach individual and business goals.
Book a discovery call with us to see how Garrett Learning can offer:
- Lunch and learn workshops
- MHFA England Programmes Open courses
- Bespoke training
- 1:1 well-being strategy development
- Business mentoring
Chat with Wendy: Book a call
We (Wendy and her growing team!) are here for you when you need us. We are here to hear you! We are kind in nature and open to hearing everyone’s point of view. Our training and overall learning experiences are built to ensure you feel comfortable and can be yourself.
If you want to discuss your future plans, I’d love to hear them! Get in touch!
m: 07859 878 599
c: https://scheduler.zoom.us/garrettlearning/1-1-cuppa-and-chat
l: www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-garrett-7522bb50/
f: www.facebook.com/GarrettLearning
i: www.instagram.com/garrettlearning
t: www.tiktok.com/@garrettlearning
Y: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRq7TIWs7iqeaOvA3hdFN3w
