Mental health is an important topic and one which I am passionate about at work and also within my personal life. I recently completed the training to be one of three mental health first aiders at LCA Group and I am always looking at ways we can promote a positive environment and improve our communications and efforts to normalise mental health.
This year to mark Mental Health Awareness Week the Mental Health Foundation have chosen a theme of ‘nature’, which seems very fitting when I consider personally how many walks I have gone on over the past year and how much effort I have put into my garden in a bid to make the space more usable and enjoyable, even throughout the colder months where I would not normally consider sitting outside.
Having our luxuries of travel, entertainment and seeing friends and family taken away from us has made us go back to basics and appreciate the simple things we have on our doorsteps.
The Mental Health Foundation reported that 59% of us have used going for walks outside as a coping mechanism to deal with the stress of the pandemic and 42% of the population have found visiting green spaces helpful for their mental health.
To mark this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, we have asked everyone at LCA Group to show us photos or videos of how they have been enjoying nature, and it is clear to see from these photos that we are very fortunate to live in a part of the UK which has outstanding scenery.
The management team have also decided that it would benefit everyone to have a more usable outside space at our office in Hawarden. We are fortunate to sit on a large plot of land and works are currently underway to transform a section of unused space into a communal seating area with plants and greenery. In addition to providing our staff with a pleasant outdoor area in which they can take time out away from their workstations, this also offers those ‘green fingered’ team members an opportunity to become involved with the care and maintenance of the garden.
Whilst the weather over the last week has slowed down our progress, we are looking forward to unveiling the new space and making use of it over the summer months.
