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To mark the end of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, your favourite Friday read has undergone a name change. While we love updating you on all things advertising, this week it’s mental health that matters…
Although we know that mental health awareness should span 365 days a year, we think that this week has brought with it a great opportunity to highlight the importance of mental wellbeing, particularly in the very place where it can be easy for other to-dos to come first. To do just that, and in turn start a conversation within the parameters of our offices, we planned lots of mental health-focused activities over the course of this week.
To kick things off, we had a ‘juice power’ session on Monday morning, where we squeezed an array of brightly coloured fruit and veg through a juicing machine to make delicious, healthy and nutrient-filled juices, from spinach and banana to pineapple and carrot. We learnt that juices are rich in anti-inflammatory compounds that can boost the immune system, and they can also help to keep cortisol levels (a hormone which is mainly released at times of stress) under control. Following on from this, at lunchtime that day, we were lucky enough to do a yoga class, which is known to be fantastic for both body and mind.
On Tuesday, we completed a half day Mental Health Awareness course with Michelle Morgan who is a Mental Health First Aid instructor. This training provided a further awareness of mental health, factors that can affect mental health, recovery, how you can begin a conversation with someone about their mental health and finally the importance of looking after your own mental health. The session covered topics such as depression, anxiety, suicide and eating disorders, and while they may not be the easiest things to talk about, it’s so important to be aware of the different ways in which mental health can manifest.
Then, yesterday afternoon, we had Luke Prebble from Karmarama come in to do a mindfulness session for the team, where he talked us through the basic theory and also provided us with practical tips. We even practiced a body scan meditation which was so relaxing that we can safely say not all of us stayed awake for the duration! Did you know that we have approximately 70,000 thoughts a day? If like many of us you find it difficult to keep the unhelpful ones at bay, practicing mindfulness can help you learn how to let them go and stay present.
As we know it’s also beneficial to spend time outdoors and take the time to enjoy ourselves, we will also be having (weather permitting) a picnic in the park together. In addition to this, we know that exercise can have a hugely positive impact on our mental wellbeing, so we have now implemented a stairs challenge where whoever walks up the stairs the most in a month (we work on the seventh floor!) will win a prize… It’s time to climb!
Our industry is lucky enough to have NABS – the support organisation for the advertising and media industry. They know that although we work in an incredibly exciting profession, it can also be an extremely challenging one, and so they offer expert, impartial and friendly advice. You can find out more about NABS here.
We hope everyone has been getting involved and using this week to raise awareness of mental health, whether that be at work or in personal life, but let’s not forget that we don’t need an awareness week to look after our mental health or support others… So let’s make sure we keep the conversation going!
If you’d like to know more about any of our activities, email Ellie at ellie.mason@adassoc.org.uk.
Tackling email pressures, Marketing Week – There can be enormous pressure at work to read and respond to emails quickly. Read how companies are shifting policies to improve productivity and mental health.
A guide to mental health for entrepreneurs, The Book of Man – Guy Tolhurst, leader of a new mental health initiative for businesses, discusses the mental and emotional toll entrepreneurship can have, and why we need a rethink on investor support.
The creativity key to well-being, Little Black Book – Create’s Chief Executive Nicky Goulder discusses the impact that creativity can have on people’s mental wellbeing with LBB’s Laura Swinton.
You’ve made it this far – why not treat yourself and watch our ad of the week?
Want the full edition to land in your inbox every Friday? Drop us an email on aa@adassoc.org.uk and quote ‘Ad Matters’.
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