Global Wellness Day 2022: practical tips from our experts
This year, Global Wellness Day focuses on the importance of mental strength in stressful or difficult periods. We asked four experts for their personal tips on living and working (more) healthily throughout the year.
A tip from Verina Servranckx, psychosocial prevention adviser
Resilience is indispensable for your mental resilience and… you can train it!"
"Resilience differs from person to person. Not everyone can handle stress or setbacks equally well. At the same time, our resilience also varies from situation to situation. So, an employee's perception of stress is subjective. However, the signs and symptoms are objective and visible to everyone."
A tip from Dorien Simons, Vitality adviser
Intensive exercise is not required to get enough exercise"
"Everyone knows that exercise is beneficial and needed for good health. Yet, we are often quick to make excuses. No time, too tired, too difficult… But exercise does not have to be strenuous or time-consuming to have a beneficial effect. Ten minutes of moderate intensity exercise three times a day – like walking or gardening – helps maintain your health level when you do it five days a week. And you can start today!"
A tip from Anneleen Vanlook, psychosocial prevention adviser
Care providers must be alert to compassion fatigue"
"The empathic capacity of care providers, such as nurses, doctors, or psychologists has limits. When the emotional load gets too high, they can fall prey to compassion fatigue. They have less patience, get irritated more quickly, or even risk losing empathy temporarily. It's a relatively unknown phenomenon, so it's important to raise awareness about it, so that care providers – or people in their environment – can recognise the first signs and intervene."
A tip from Hanno Van Eldik, psychosocial prevention adviser
Be smart getting your mental energy from the circle of influence"
"Everyone gets worried sometimes… a problem at work, difficulties at home, or a sick family member. But the extent you can influence the circumstances differs from situation to situation. Two circles provide insight here: the circle of involvement and the circle of influence. Being smart about it can save you a lot of mental energy for things you do have an impact on."
Getting started with resilience and vitality
Want to know more about resilience? In resilience training, employees gain insight into stress management and resilience.
Looking for more information on vital living and working? Raise awareness among staff about the importance of a healthy lifestyle with our lifestyle training.