We want to help break the stigma surrounding mental health, and create a working environment at Mexa Solutions, that encourages communication and support of our mental wellbeing.
This year, the focus for Mental Health Awareness Week is on Anxiety.
Many of us will experience anxiety in our lifetime. Especially within our careers progressing up the ladder, interviewing for jobs or making career-changing decisions.
For some, Anxiety can get out of control, and become a mental health condition. It is one of the most common mental health problems we can face.
This week, we spent time discovering more about mental health, and exploring different ways we can look after our mental wellbeing, with presentations, workshops and more at the Mexa Solutions office.
One of the first activities we did was mindfulness colouring.
We set up the boardroom with mindfulness colouring, meditation music and clips on different mindfulness techniques.
In recruitment it can be tough to take a break or to fully switch off, so we wanted to give our team a chance to relax.
Being aware of stress and anxiety, especially in the workplace, is so important – so you can recognise when things are getting tough and set aside time to get your mental well-being back on track.
On the Wednesday, Louise Holdstock, our Mental Health Champion, delivered a presentation to our staff on mental health – what it is, how it affects you both mentally and physically, and what steps you can take to improve your mental well-being.
Louise focused on 3 main areas which affect many people – stress, anxiety and depression.
Using the Level 2 course that she qualified in last year, and her own personal experiences, Louise explained what these conditions do to our health, and some techniques we can implement to help lessen their impacts.
For our final session, we we decorated plant pots with things that make us happy ?
With positive music playing in the background, we let the creativity flow and our minds relax.
The point was to create something that would be motivational, calming, or give us happiness when looked at.
And there were some fantastic ideas!
We were able to take time away from screens and the pressures both work and general life throws at us – and many found it even more enjoyable than expected (even those who said they weren’t the artistic type)!
We each planted a sunflower seed in our pots, and have our fingers crossed they’ll start growing in the next few weeks.
There might even be a bit of competition as to whose will grow tallest (not surprising with a company of recruiters ?)…
Finding activities that take you away from the demands of everyday life, such as art, music, or reading, is a great way to help improve your mental well-being.
Giving yourself some “me” time will allow you to recharge and is a great mood booster.
At Mexa Solutions, we prioritise the mental well-being of our staff. We introduced the Mental Health Champion scheme here at Mexa last year, and it’s really improved our offering of support to our team.
This scheme is fully bespoke to each of our staff, and through Lou, they are able to discuss any issues they have and work with her and the directors to put in place further support when they most need it.
So many workplaces are now taking seriously, the mental well-being of their staff. We partner with many companies that offer support to their team, in various ways. If you’d like to find out more about these organisations and the opportunities they have, then please get in touch.
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If you do struggle with your mental health, please do not struggle alone. There are many incredible organisations and charities out there to help (as well as NHS/GP help):
The Samaritans (FREE support 24/7): 116 123
Shout crisis line: Text Shout to 85258
Anxiety UK (9:30am – 5:30pm Mon-Fri): 03444 775 774 and text service on 07537 416905
CALM (5pm – midnight 365 d/y): 0800 58 58 58
