Looking Good, Feeling Great

with Will Mbanga

Happy New Year! l wanted to share some thoughts as you begin to plan around the changes and growth you may wish to experience in the year ahead.

Our lives can sometimes feel like we’re on a treadmill, which can be quite hard work. But imagine for a moment that, like a very expensive treadmill, you can speed up, slow down, change the incline, distance and terrain in your life – how different could it be? Because you can and you already have at various points in your life.

By actively setting out to manage your life, intentionally designing it for your skills, your uniqueness, your energy, purpose and passion, you can design a ‘treadmill’ that nobody can compete with you on. of mental health conditions are often limited via health services. I believe there is also a need for more support and effort focusing on the prevention of mental health conditions in business. Successful people are masters of reflection Reflection as a tool is a powerful enabler when we are Improvements with mental health in the workplace honest about what we want or Thankfully, there has been a need to change, and when we shifting regulatory landscape have the right motivation. when it comes to workplace Whether in professional sport, mental health, despite society business or personal life, the in general lagging behind. The most successful people in the key change is that, if not world share a common trait – already, businesses will soon they are masters of reflective be required to apply a risk practice. management approach to psy-

This is how they continually chological health and safety. perform at the highest levels This is an exciting developand sustain their performance ment in the world of work and and mental health. Their ability I would encourage those of you to reflect and adapt from their in decision-making positions to learnings gives them an evolu- encourage this process. tionary edge. By intentionally taking control

As you go into the New Year, of your life, you can build your many of you will have thought own treadmill. Remember, your about resolutions, changes and life is your field of play! My goals you’d like to achieve or departing question for you to make in your personal and/or consider is, “What does your work life. Some of these will be treadmill look like?”

deeply personal, while others will be the more usual things, such as making improvements in areas like losing weight, eating better, or getting a promotion at work. In order to reach these decisions, you might work through a variety of methods and techniques, but essentially you will be using the process of reflection to help choose a better or more desirable future. Instead of going into 2023 with a ‘new year, new me’ attitude, why not strive to become a better version of your current self? One way in which we can all make a conscious effort to improve our wellbeing is with regard to our mental health. While the statistic pre-Covid was one in four people, this year more like one in three people in the UK will experience a mental health condition or episode. The personal costs of this are huge, as are those to family and communities. For various reasons, awareness, treatment and prevention The Local Answer To advertise call 01242 510500 Page 7