Kindness matters more than ever
Kindness is a principle that makes all our lives better and it’s important to us that we are kind to each other at work and to ourselves. Being kind can mean asking someone how they are or helping out with a task. It can also mean taking care of ourselves and asking for support if we need it.
If you want some more ideas about how to be kind to yourself and how you can look after your mental health, WeST has partnered with Able Futures and they are available to provide support at no cost to you.
To help you remember ways you can be kinder to yourself and to other people, here are some little things you could try to do each working day this week.
1) Take your full lunch break – eat something nutritious, go out for a short walk and don’t start back at work until you’ve had your full lunch break.
2) Ask someone you work with if there’s anything you can help with – sometimes just sharing some ideas about a new task is a good way to help someone you work with relax and feel more confident about what they are achieving.
3) Why not find an inspirational note-card and give it to a coworker who might not expect it.
4) Arrange to take your tea break with someone you’ve not caught up with for a while. Having a quick virtual chat while you’re both making a cuppa could be a way to ask someone if they need to talk about anything that’s on their mind.
5) Don’t forget to say thank you when colleagues go out of their way to help you.
For more information on how kindness affects our mental wellbeing, visit the Able Futures website. Able Futures delivers access to the Work Mental Health Support Service which can give you nine months support from a mental health professional at no cost to you. There’s no waiting list and you can apply online or by calling 0800 321 3137. If you are experiencing issues such as anxiety, depression, grief or stress, or are struggling to deal with problems such as debt, disrupted sleep or relationship breakdowns that may be affecting your mental health, Able Futures can help you build resilience, tackle issues, feel better and learn new ways to manage your mental health throughout the ups and downs of life.
have appointed a new Health and Safety (H&S) Manager to support each School across the Trust. Liam Cox commenced his role on Monday 5th October. Starting his career with the Royal Navy and then supporting the Navy as a civilian contractor, he has extensive knowledge in the field of Health & Safety. Liam has also worked for Interserve on the Sir John Hunt PFI schools. He will make a valuable contribution to the service that WeST provides and will be supporting our schools by developing the H&S sub-polices, such as working at height, lone working, accident reporting etc.
There's only ONE You
For more advice, tips and tools to help you make the best choices about your health and wellbeing please also visit: 
