It’s Mental Health Week from 10 – 16 May and the theme chosen this year by the Mental Health Foundation is ‘nature’. So, what better time to consider the impact that nature and the great outdoors can have on our wellbeing?
During the past year we’ve all had to adjust to a very different way of life due to the restrictions of the Covid19 pandemic, and many of our normal leisure pastimes and pursuits like the pub, cinemas and the theatre have been off the cards.
The impact of these restrictions, and the isolation that can be caused by the lack of places to meet and socialise, cannot be underestimated and huge numbers of people have turned to more outdoor leisure activities to combat stress and loneliness.
Whether it’s running, walking the dog or just a gentle stroll, nature and the outdoors has a hugely beneficial impact on our mental health.
Those of us lucky enough to have gardens have also rediscovered the joy of simple pleasures like listening to the birds sing to each other, watching squirrels pinch food from the bird table or just watching bees buzzing lazily among the flowers.
One of our lovely customers told us recently that her conservatory has been the perfect place to simply relax and look out on the garden.
The pandemic has also seen a rise in the use of wellbeing apps and there are a number that are easily accessible online, Headspace, Calm, Biamother, Babylon and Panic for example can be found in the App Store or Play Store alongside Thrive, Wyse (aimed at teens), Catch It, Chill Panda and Cove which are all free.
At SolarFrame we take the wellbeing of our teams very seriously and the past year has also been a tough one for businesses and employees. One of the steps we have taken is to implement the use of a wellbeing app, KAN, which is designed to help and support business owners and leaders take back control of their mental wellbeing.
The strategies on KAN are being rolled out to our staff and they will help us better communicate with our teams, welcome new employees, celebrate individual achievements, announce new initiatives, participate in individual and team challenges, and simply check in with each other.
We want our employees to have a good work/life balance so that they can offer the best service to our customers and enjoy a happy, healthy work life.
As we move forward, we are still doing our very best to maintain our exceptionally high standards and sometimes we do get things wrong.
This pandemic has pushed us all to our limits and there are external factors that are out of our control that could affect your order.
Please be patient with us.
We all need to take care of our mental health, not just now, but always. You can read more about Mental Health Awareness Week and business owners can learn more about the KAN app.
In a world where we can be anything, be kind.
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