In the Media
Be A ‘Self Care Champion’ – Be More Mindful
For over 40 hours a week, our overall state of wellbeing is on a collision course of high levels of both personal and professional stress. The impact of this collision can affect your state of mind, life enjoyment and capacity to deal with day to day tasks. When this impact occurs your individual Self Care plan should be right there by your side, just like your best friend.
The passion of ‘Be More Mindful’ to upskill workplaces in Mental Health support and Self Care comes from many years of working in the area of Mental Health program development, support and education. All workplaces need to FACE IT : Work can be stressful, MAKE IT: a Self-Care plan for individual employees and EMBRACE IT: continually follow the plan. Self-Care is not negotiable for not only the productivity of employees but the longevity and success of a workplace. It is imperative that a Self-Care plan encompass the ‘Super 6’ aspects of Wellbeing – physical, psychological, emotional, human spirit, professional and social.
‘Be More Mindful’ recently had the opportunity to work with staff from not-for-profit organisation Ladder. Ladder is the official charity of the AFL Players Association and works with young people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. They provide specialist development programs, education and employment support services, health and wellbeing programs, mentoring and opportunities for young people to connect with the broader community.
Ladder staff work with vulnerable young people on a daily basis, making their need for self-care greater than the average employee. Ladder identified the importance of educating their staff on how to manage their own mental health and that of the young people they support.
With the support of Be More Mindful, Ladder staff from across Australia successfully completed 12 hours of Mental Health First Aid Training and became accredited First Aiders. In addition, staff in NSW completed Mental Health First Aid for the Suicidal Person training to better equip them to work with young people with complex needs. This training has provided an important foundation for staff, but ongoing management and frequent reviews are critical to its success. Ladder conduct monthly program learnings for their operational staff with topics covering Self Care, Work Life Balance, Coaching Conversations and Trauma Informed Practice. All staff are currently working on individual Self Care Plans to gain more of an insight into what ‘they need’ to support them best in the workplace.
Ladder is just one of many best practice examples of a ‘Self Care Champion Workplace’ that Be More Mindful has supported. Whether you’re a not-for-profit organisation like Ladder, or a corporate organisation, don’t hesitate to educate your staff on mental health. Knowledge is power but it also brings comfort to employees. Building this capacity within your staff can make them healthier and more resilient.
Date: Feb 2
Author: K. Meadows
© Keir Sinclair Photography