Alive and Well

I’m passionate about wellbeing. When we’re well, we thrive, but it can affect our whole being if we’re out of kilter, writes Christina Dove, Partner at Mercer UK. To best describe how I’m staying well and keeping myself energised, I’m going to cover Working with a sense of purpose, Enjoying the great outdoors,Lists and Laughing (a lot!).

Work with purpose

There is much evidence that working with a purpose in life goes a long way towards improving our mental health, which gives us the energy to keep going. I must admit, I was struggling a little at one point last year. I needed to discover what would energise me, and I threw myself into one aspect of my role at the time, which was the Culture Leader for Mercer UK. I worked to reconnect with people at all levels in the organisation to inspire them to make a difference, and I had a renewed sense of energy. 

If you ever feel that you just don’t have the energy you previously had, think about what will bring purpose to your work. Talk to people — they will have insight — and work out how to get that energy back so you can once again work with purpose. 

Enjoy the great outdoors

There is nothing more energising for me than being outside, no matter what the weather. The rush of endorphins from a simple walk can be enough to energise me and set me up for the day. At Mercer, we’ve introduced #walkntalk meetings to get people outside and away from their desks. Some I know simply incorporate a lunchtime walk into their day as part of the routine. Just seeing greenery or water or being in the sunshine can benefit our health and thus energise us. 

Next time you’re sitting at your desk, feeling lacklustre or you need a short break, I urge you to get outdoors, if only for 10 minutes — I promise you’ll feel better for it.

Make lists and cultivate daily habits

Do you love a good list? Sometimes there’s nothing more satisfying than ticking something off a list. In 2020, I was participating in a Partners in Growth program with Mercer. One thing we were coached on was the importance of cultivating daily habits — creating tiny habits, something you do every day, that become the norm over time. I started using these in July and was astonished at how much I achieved in a month by simply completing several small tasks every day. I invested in a whiteboard, wrote down tasks and moved little magnets across the board as habits were completed and renewed each day — a creative to-do list. At the start of each day, I know if I do one thing in every category of my list (my habits), I will move forward with my goals — this energises me and gives my day purpose. 

If you lack energy, try creating a list of daily habits that you start today. You’ll be amazed at what you can achieve.

Laugh

Who doesn’t love a good laugh? Yes, many serious things are happening in the world right now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t laugh when the time is right. I was on a call recently as part of our AccessAbilities group, where we were discussing caring for elderly parents and all the challenges that come with it. One colleague shared that she had many sad times but laughed whenever she could because otherwise, she would cry. There is absolutely a time for crying (and I can cry like the best of them), but don’t forget to laugh too. For much of 2020, my son was in the room next to my home office, and one day he said, “Mum, do you ever do any work? All I hear is you laughing all the time!” Working hard doesn’t mean we can’t still laugh. Next time you’re on a Zoom call, remember to try to bring laughter in — it’s contagious and will definitely lighten the mood and energise the call.

I hope this blog inspires you to look at ways to increase your energy levels to be the best, most productive you.

Christina Dove, Partner, Mercer UK

Join the Mercer UK team at UHR21: Refreshing HR

Wednesday 12 May, 9.15am

“A new approach to employee engagement and wellbeing” with Nick McClelland and Dr Wolfgang Seidl