Tips for sharing about your life outside of work – and why this is so important for workplace wellbeing.
OBJECTIVES
Why is sharing about how you unwind important?
Sharing how you unwind with coworkers gives others permission to do the same and normalises conversations around wellbeing
It’s a great way for everyone to get ideas on new ways to look after themselves
At an individual level, downtime is important for:
Brain health: it frees up the prefrontal cortex of your brain – the part of your brain responsible for both concentrating on tasks and combining them with existing information. Taking downtime allows that part of your brain to get around to the second part of that equation (the ‘sifting through existing information’ part).
Giving our constantly stimulated senses a break
Self awareness
Helps us to be creative by giving the space to ‘think outside the box’
At a workplace level, encouraging people to take regular downtime can help promote a culture of wellbeing and reduce the risk for burnout
HOW TO GET STARTED
1. Set up an internal communications channel, such as Microsoft Teams or Slack, to share ideas, ask questions, and chat about all things wellbeing at [workplace]. This can be physical, too, by utilising a whiteboard and/or pin board.
2. Determine how everyone can share in a way that works for your workplace. We recommend tagging/inviting people to share in an online forum, and ask them to tag/invite the next person – and so on until everyone has had the opportunity to share.
3. Post in the channel with the ‘what, why and how’ of this activity (see above). Include examples, such as:
Sitting in the car for 5 minutes before or after the drive and taking a few deep breaths
Walking around a green space (garden/deck) with a warm beverage in the morning/afternoon
Eating a meal alone away from screens once a week
Taking a walk without music
Enjoying a long shower
4. As needed, ask prompting questions such as:
How much time do you have available realistically? (e.g., 15 minutes during weekdays and 1 hour in the weekends)
When is the best time for you to do this? (e.g., before bedtime, before driving home, after putting the kids to bed)
What do you like doing?
What can you do?
5. As needed, comment on people’s posts to keep the activity interactive
6. Share relevant information from below:
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