Member Article

Mindful Wellbeing Kit launches to combat Mental Health

Mental health is on the rise and now affects 1 in 4 people in the UK each year, yet, however we dress the issue up, there is still a stigma attached with many choosing to hide their struggles. An entrepreneur from Yorkshire has created The Woosah Kit and is encouraging employers to use this Mindful Wellbeing Toolkit in the workplace.

The Woosah Kit aims to change the language, look and feel of mental health in the workplace and to encourage a proactive approach to stress and anxiety management, which when managed actively, builds resilience, increases focus, productivity and efficiency.

In England, 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem, such as anxiety or depression every week. The Woosah Kit is a mental health first aid kit which is not labelled as such, making it the first and only Mindful Wellbeing Toolkit of its kind. By changing the language, it enables conversations to start, relationships to be built and support to become more easily accessible for those who are struggling.

The kit is non gender specific and includes 10 physical items which deliver over 40 activities that can be completed by individuals, in 121s, or in teams. The Woosah Kit is based on the 5 ways to wellbeing which are evidence based strategies to improve wellbeing.

Created by HR professional Sarah Kelly, The Woosah Kit is aimed at helping people to get the most out of themselves and their work. It encourages people to take time out to help them feel better.

On the kit, Sarah Kelly commented; “We are experiencing unprecedented numbers of people who are not coping with life today, they are totally overwhelmed and it’s not surprising because it is the most stressful time to be alive. With this, comes a natural fragility for which the infrastructure of the UK is simply not able to cope with. The key is to change the language around mental health, to save and change lives both inside and outside of work. I wanted to develop something that could help to bring calm and clarity to enable individuals to refocus in a clever and stimulating way that is laden with rewards.”

“By focusing on employees and Mindful Wellbeing, employers will see reduced absence, improved productivity, increased creativity, more engaged cultures and enhanced critical thinking to name just a few of the benefits. By encouraging people to take time out when they need it, we can take a step towards changing the direction the growing epidemic of mental health is headed”.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Claire@clairedavispr.co.uk .