Do One Thing December

It cannot be denied that 2020 has been a trying year in more ways than one. COVID-19 came crashing in and decided to play havoc with our personal and professional lives.

The impact it has had on thousands of people’s physical health has been frightening to see, but it has also had a significant effect on people’s mental health and wellbeing as well. Lockdowns, movement restrictions, confusion about rules, social distancing and anxiety about contracting the virus have all played their part in affecting people’s state of mind.

Mental health involves our emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing and is a huge factor in determining our ability to handle stress, relate to others and make choices. No wonder we feel the effects so much when it is damaged.

It is unsurprising that mental health charity Mind has found that more than half of adults (60%) and over two-thirds of young people (68%) said their mental health got worse during lockdown.

As the festive season approaches, many people are understandably worried about the extra pressure this may put on people’s already-strained mental health. Christmas is, of course, a time for celebration, but many of us find it to be a particularly challenging time and this year may be even worse due to families being separated from loved ones and normal traditions.

Employer responsibility for mental health

Here at White Label, we have always tried to have a focus on the mental health and wellbeing of our employees. Not only do we care about each of them on a personal level, we also understand that creating a culture of health at an organisation can be vital to its success.

Employees who are supported by their workplace are more likely to feel motivated, engaged and committed to their position. At the end of the day, healthy people are needed to drive a healthy business!

Unfortunately, there is still a stigma associated with mental health and many of our personnel at White Label are working hard to change this. We have seen first-hand how important it is to keep talking to each other. To support this, many of our staff have taken part in comprehensive mental health training so that we are all better prepared in how to support and value each other.

Given the year we have all had, we think that there has never been a better time to refocus our efforts on protecting mental health and supporting our employees’ wellbeing.

#DoOneThingDecember

To strengthen White Label’s commitment to improving mental health and passion for our employees’ and customer’s wellbeing, we are launching a new Christmas Mental Health Campaign.

Inspired by Mind’s World Mental Health Day initiative of #DoOneThing we have decided to get the whole team together to #DoOneThingDecember.

This new endeavour will encourage our dedicated recruitment consultants to do one thing each day in December that centres around them either reaching out for support, helping someone else (such as a customer, colleague or loved one) or simply doing something positive for their own wellbeing.

This might involve physical exercise, speaking to family, friends and colleagues, doing something creative, having a hot bath at the end of a day, investing in their personal growth or even treating themselves to a nice something to eat!

We will be documenting everything our team is doing throughout December via our social media platforms and we are hoping to inspire others in our networks to Do One Thing in December too!

Our ultimate goal is to build a conversation around mental health and wellbeing; how to protect your own and how to look after other people as well. We really hope that our project will do a little bit to help others at the end of a difficult few months.

Where to go for extra support

There are a number of excellent organisations and charities out there who are all committed to supporting the mental health of people across the UK. Some of these are listed below – please don’t hesitate to contact them if you or someone you know needs some extra support at the moment.

Anxiety UK

Charity providing support if you have been diagnosed with an anxiety condition.
Phone: 03444 775 774 (Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5.30pm)
Website: www.anxietyuk.org.uk

CALM

CALM is the Campaign Against Living Miserably, for men aged 15 to 35.
Phone: 0800 58 58 58 (daily, 5pm to midnight)
Website: www.thecalmzone.net

Mental Health Foundation

Provides information and support for anyone with mental health problems or learning disabilities.
Website: www.mentalhealth.org.uk

Mind

Promotes the views and needs of people with mental health problems.
Phone: 0300 123 3393 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm)
Website: www.mind.org.uk

Samaritans

Confidential support for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair.
Phone: 116 123 (free 24-hour helpline)
Website: www.samaritans.org.uk

Relate

The UK’s largest provider of relationship support.
Website: www.relate.org.uk