Supporting you to support yourself

There are many resources out there used to promote, support and improve health and wellbeing for individuals, your team and organisations. We’ve asked experts working in the field what they’re listening to, watching and reading as helpful resources.

Resources for health and wellbeing

Amanda Super is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist who specialises in developing self-compassion in the workplace. She suggests a range of tools:

• Self-Compassion (2011) by Dr Kristin Neff – this seminal book paved the way for bringing self-compassion to the mainstream and is an easy and insightful read which brings the practice of self-compassion to life.
• Headspace – this app enables the user to select a good range of high-quality meditations of different durations; it is suitable for beginners, and the first ten are free.
• Self-compassion.org is a key website that offers a variety of guided relaxation exercises and an assessment to enable you to test your current level of self-compassion in real time.
• Food Psych with Christy Harrison (podcast), who talks to guests about their relationship with food, body image, eating disorders, weight and size acceptance, non-diet nutrition, exercise, body politics, feminism, self-compassion and self-care – all from a body-positive, health at every size perspective.
• NHS Employers – Health and wellbeing resources help you consider your health and wellbeing as an NHS employee for yourself as well as colleagues. There is a wealth of resources available here, including an emotional wellbeing toolkit and a library of relevant information.

Rene Barrett is an independent development consultant with a focus on improving organisational and individual performance, resilience and wellbeing. Below are her ‘top five’ suggestions:

• Positive Psychology – A toolkit for happiness, purpose and wellbeing by Bridget Grenville Cleave – This is a practical translation of the research evidence that suggests around 40% of our happiness and wellbeing is determined by our intentional activities, i.e. the things we can do every day. It provides dozens of different activities and exercises which show you how to apply the scientific findings to your own life both at home and at work.
• Action For Happiness provides hundreds of resources, books, worksheets, posters, exercises, etc… To help you explore our inner attitudes, how we approach our relationships, our personal values and our sense of purpose. Based on the latest research, they have identified 10 Keys to Happier Living that consistently tend to make life happier and more fulfilling. For each of the 10, you’ll find information to help apply them in your daily life.
• On Managing Yourself: HBR 10 Must Reads – This is an excellent collection of insights by leaders and writers on how to better manage yourself in our busy working lives. It is relevant to those who are feeling the pressures of daily living – to help them perform better at work and develop a better work-life balance.