Blog

One of the more positive things for me about working from home during the pandemic was that that I finally had to have that long-promised clear-out of the office. I got rid of a lot of clutter and rediscovered some useful things that I had forgotten I had. Amongst...

The language people use can be an indicator that they are beginning to struggle with our mental health and wellbeing. Taking a little time to investigate the meaning behind their words can often be a good idea. Here are 10 bullet points about the kinds of words people...

David Rock’s SCARF model relates to what he sees as the 5 domains that influence our behaviour in social interactions. These are: StatusCertaintyAutonomyRelatednessFairness An effective understanding of the model can improve communication in the workplace, based on...

In the UK it is estimated that 1 in 4 people will experience a diagnosable mental health problem in any given year. That equates to a cost to UK businesses of £45 billion per year and has risen by 16% (£6 billion) since 2016. Further research has indicated that as...

Since 2007/8 the media has portrayed the banking crisis as the responsibility of a handful of people with serious personality flaws. The poster boy in this blame game was Fred Goodwin, whose grandiose and sometimes bizarre behaviour whilst CEO of Royal Bank of...

Historically, the role of peer-to-peer mental health support was one of the Mental Health First Aiders. A reactive role focussed on identifying and supporting/signposting colleagues who have reached or are close to breaking point. In the last few years, the role has...

Back in the middle of 2019, I took a call from a friend and business colleague who I hadn’t seen for a couple of years. I have known this person for a long time, and I know that they work incredibly hard in stressful circumstances, so it was great to hear that,...

In 1985 Edward L Deci and Richard Ryan produced the book “Self Determination and Intrinsic Motivation in Human Behaviour”. This built upon research carried out in the previous decade into intrinsic motivation, the role that it played in human behaviour, and...

I recently returned to three images that have a lot in common for me as they sum up my understanding of recovery when applied to the subject of mental health and wellbeing. The first is this tree. I used to see it every day in the grounds of the Saint John of God...

Many of us begin our working days in a state of near panic as we, maybe, sleep through the alarm for a few minutes, struggle to work out what to wear that day and then have to scour the house to find out where we have left the car keys. We might well benefit from...