Wellbeing is political

I am becoming increasingly frustrated about the discourse around wellbeing. Having spent many years working to improve wellbeing within voluntary sector organisations, COVID has at last brought a welcome new emphasis on staff welfare, although mostly on an individual level. It is however, painfully clear that those who have suffered the most during the pandemic are the poorest, those with unstable working patterns, ethnic minorities, and those on the lowest wages. Whilst a massive amount of money has been thrown at protecting businesses, very little extra is being done to eradicate the causes of this inequality.   

Through lockdown pretty much everyone has experienced poor wellbeing at some point, due to the dramatic changes in working life, isolation, unemployment, furlough and illness. These and other wellbeing issues have been brought to the fore by COVID, but are not new. Organisations are lining up to talk about how they are putting staff health and wellbeing first, and this is to be welcomed. However after the pandemic (and it will come at some point), will we continue to put wellbeing first, both in the workplace, and more crucially install it as a central priority for government policy?

We tend to talk about wellbeing as though it is a personal journey, fundamentally within the control of an individual. Whilst individual self-care skills need to be taught and available to all, without an understanding of power there is a limit to the amount of change that an individual can make. Whilst we have responsibility for our own wellbeing, employers also have responsibility for the wellbeing of those who work for them. I have previously talked about the role that employers play, and the importance of supporting employee wellbeing through workplace structures and culture (see my blog about defining wellbeing at work). I talk about the functional ways you can design the structures and build the culture of your organisation to increase engagement, efficiency, autonomy, sense of purpose and environment, to dramatically increase a sense of wellbeing. However, none of this makes a meaningful impact unless senior staff are leading by example. Saying that you value staff wellbeing is all but useless if you yourself are constantly stressed and overworked. 

Personal and organisational approaches to supporting wellbeing are of course important, but there are societal forces which can work against those efforts, and can affect how we are made to feel, for example by advertising and social media which either depress us with an onslaught of negative news or make us feel inadequate by making it appear that other people are living amazing lives full of home baking, beautifully clean houses or the latest gadgets. These forces are pervasive yet it is possible to take a radical stand against them, and many voluntary and community sector groups are part of this movement of giving rather than taking, and focusing on positive change.  

There is  another level of influence on our wellbeing, and it is related to structural power. Personal and organisational approaches are hampered when a person or group of people experience discrimination or poverty, that they are unable to solve themselves. Inequality breeds poor wellbeing. Even if we acknowledge these factors it will not have a positive impact on our wellbeing if there is nothing we can do about them. It is not possible for one person on their own to solve inequality for example, so how can a consideration of these factors help boost wellbeing? Many charities and community organisations already know part of the answer to this, because their core goals are often to increase equality and social inclusion, so their work really does make a difference. We might expect levels of wellbeing therefore to be higher in these organisations, but unsustainable workloads and lack of funding almost certainly counter against this affect. This is something that needs to change. We cannot help others unless we look after our own wellbeing.

Wellbeing is political, not purely personal. If we believe that wellbeing is entirely within the power of an individual then the root causes of inequality may not be addressed. Charities and voluntary groups are in a good position to do something about this, yet unless work practices become more sustainable they cannot be fully effective. So, what can we do to address the situation practically:

• Employers can develop workplace culture and organisational structures to support employee wellbeing. They should regularly monitor wellbeing and have a written plan to support it. Organisations should be clear about their objectives and the impact of their work and recognise that good staff wellbeing is vital to achieving their goals.
• Senior managers and leaders can honestly appraise their own working life to ensure they are modelling the kind of behaviour that supports wellbeing. Say no to extra work. Delegate where possible. Trust your staff.
• Trustees should take the lead in asking about wellbeing, by having a wellbeing champion on the board and by ensuring that senior staff are working in a sustainable way. 
• Funders also have a role in unpicking this unsustainable situation. We've known for a long time that applying for funding comes with its own cost in energy and time, and there are many grants made with completely disproportionate monitoring criteria. Longer-term core grants help organisations to become more sustainable and reduce the amount of time scrabbling around for small pots of money.

The importance of rest in a global pandemic

 

With a few months before the end of the holiday year, people are finding it challenging to take all of their annual leave. As well as having too much work, the reasons given include, 'there isn't anything to do' or 'I can't go anywhere'. Even in such difficult times when the voluntary & community sector is more stretched than ever, it is important to get a decent break from work. Given though that we can't travel, stay in a hotel, go out to dinner or even get together with friends in the middle of a national lockdown, what can you do?

The point of annual leave is to have a break from work, and taking this rest is important for our mental health and wellbeing. We can not help others whilst our own wellbeing is suffering. However not all rest is equal, and since our options this year are limited, it might be useful to re-think what the best kinds of rest are for you. There are two distinct approaches. One is to tackle your break like a project, planning and executing a challenging and meaningful programme. The other is to chill and relax. Both I think have their place.

Active rest

In the book Rest; why you get more done when you work less, Alex Soojung-Kim Pang suggests that rest should be taken seriously and practiced. He says that being deliberate about rest and having a tangible plan helps us to recognise its value. He talks about 'active rest' which is mentally absorbing and needs focus. This could be a challenging activity like learning a language or taking on a physical challenge. Sometimes this can provide a connection to what you used to do with your own parents, and it can also provide the novelty of new experiences. What is clear from reading this book is that physically and mentally absorbing activity is more restful than we might expect, and therefore a break that includes both provides a restful antidote to work. 

Chilling out

Does the above sound exhausting? Maybe you have just had enough and want to read a book, lounge about on the sofa and watch TV. Those are also good forms of deliberate rest. Claudia Hammond in The Art of Rest: How to find respite in the modern age lists the top 10 activities that people find restful - the number one is reading, followed by spending time in nature, being alone, listing to music, doing nothing in particular, a good walk, a nice hot bath, daydreaming, watching TV and mindfulness. However you choose to spend your time please be kind to yourself - your annual leave is not a competition, and doing that 'nothing in particular' is absolutely fine.

One of the most important elements of a holiday, common to both the active and relaxing approaches is to detach & disconnect from work. Checking or answering work emails does not help to achieve this disconnection. If you do have to be available try to set expectations about how the office contacts you, to explain to colleagues what kind of emergency might be a reasonable justification for them to contact you. Social media is also an activity that appears on neither list, so consider a break from social media as well.

With a beach break in Spain out of the question, here are a few ideas of things you can do in your annual leave during lockdown. Some are physically or mentally absorbing, and some are pure indulgence. The joy of lockdown holidays are that they do not cost much, either in terms of money or carbon footprint, and most of these suggestions are free. I hope it will provide a little inspiration for your own creative approaches.

• Go somewhere different. Although the options may be limited at the moment this forces you to be creative. Try walking or cycling down streets that you have never been down before, or go the opposite direction to your usual route. Try the 'blue test' where you take a picture of everything you can find that's blue. Turn it into a sensory walk, by noticing what you can see, smell and hear.
• Set yourself a creative challenge. Try papier mâché, make your own soap, try drawing yourself, write a poem, or short story. Stuck for ideas? Look at 64 Million Artists, whose dothinkshare.com site exists to inspire anyone who wants to run their own creative activities, share their work and be part of a supportive community
• Buy some seeds and grow some vegetables or flowers
• Have a day of doing nothing. When was the last time you had no responsibilities? No alarm clocks, no plans, no expectations. Do exactly as you please, and enjoy that delicious feeling of freedom or boredom. Take the day as it comes and if you feel like doing something, do it! 
• Learn to cook a new cuisine. Whilst the idea of sourdough bread may be 'so last lockdown', there is a wealth of amazing cuisines out there to try. You can easily find videos on YouTube to teach you how to make Mexican food (or a vegan version).
• Re-set your physical health. Set yourself a physical challenge such as doing yoga every day (try Yoga with Adriene) or walking 15,000 steps (try to find a different route each day)
• Take a day's trip by foot. Take a packed lunch and flask of coffee and plan the route beforehand.
• Explore music that is new to you, sing along to old favourites or (my favourite) have a disco in the living room
• Read a book. Many local authorities are offering e-loans so you could try a different genre than you would usually read. You could take the opportunity to re-read that book you have been meaning to for ages, or tackle something you wouldn't normally pick.
• Make an effort to sleep well, eat healthily, drink plenty of water and exercise regularly. This might seem self-evident, but it's something I have to remind myself regularly when I collapse exhausted onto the sofa and have an urge to reach for a large glass of wine. A refreshing break requires you to be at your best.

Everyone is entitled to a break, and if you disengage, disconnect and use the time deliberately you will get the optimum benefits that a proper rest can bring. Most importantly, cut yourself some slack - it is not always possible to try or finish a challenging activity, and whether or not we are in lockdown, we above all need to be kind to ourselves. 

In praise of walking (in a pandemic)

I had a moment of euphoria in Peckham Rye Park the other day. The dogs in their Christmas coats were out in force, the winter sun illuminating the trees, and I felt the deep satisfaction of a long walk and the sheer joy of being alive. 

Without the normal commute to work, popping out for a sandwich at lunchtime, visiting friends etc, the everyday options for keeping our bodies active have declined significantly during COVID, not helped by the closure of sports and exercise facilities. It turns out that without our normal activities it is not easy to get to the World Health Organisation’s recommendation of 10,000 steps a day. For me this takes about an hour and a half of walking, much more than I would usually do as a form of conscious exercise. I discovered just how difficult it was to reach this target consistently by attempting a challenge that I rather optimistically set for my colleagues at Hackney CVS, to walk, run or cycle the equivalent of around the UK, a total of 6,500 miles, to improve wellbeing and raise money for Hackney Giving.

As the pandemic struck we had to re-invent the way we worked and have been in a state of high alert and change ever since. To Zoom fatigue can be added COVID burnout. One of the most powerful ways we can counter this burnout is by walking. Feeling personally responsible for the success of the challenge, I’ve increased my steps by an average of more than 30,000 a week and I’m starting to feel the results – my fitness is increasing and the feeling of a crushing weight sitting on my shoulders has lifted. Others at work have talked about the impact of more walking on their mental as well as physical health. For a charity that supports the voluntary and community sector in Hackney, this is hugely important – how can we help others if we are not ourselves healthy? 

Research has shown that walking can have other wellbeing-boosting effects. A study from Stanford University showed that it can boost creativity by 60%. Another study from the University of Vermont concluded that exercise should be prescribed to patients with mental health issues before psychiatric drugs. The lead author, David Tomasi, (psychotherapist and lecturer at the University of Vermont), says ‘The general attitude of medicine is that you treat the primary problem first, and exercise was never considered to be a life or death treatment option. Now that we know it's so effective, it can become as fundamental as pharmacological intervention’. Other research in Nature has shown that spending at least 2 hours a week outside in nature, either in one go, or broken into chunks, is associated with good health and wellbeing. 

I have found that walking gives me space to reflect and think things through. I can usually rely on a good long walk to provide my brain with a few creative solutions, leading to greater productivity as well as better wellbeing. In fact everything seems a bit better after a walk in the open air. 

Books to read

• These are lovely choices in a lockdown.
• Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust: A History of walking (Granta, 2014)
• Haruki Murakami, What I talk about when I talk about running (Vintage, 2009). Translated Philip Gabriel.
• Mason Currey, Daily Rituals (Picador, 2014) – demonstrates how often creative people use walking to support their work.