What is mental wellbeing?
According to the mental health charity Mind, mental wellbeing doesn't have one set meaning. We might use it to talk about how we feel, how well we're coping with daily life or what feels possible at the moment. Good mental wellbeing doesn't mean you're always happy or unaffected by your experiences. It can be described as a combination of how we feel and how we function.
Poor mental wellbeing can make it more difficult to cope with daily life and affects our resilience. It's important to understand how good mental wellbeing benefits our mental health.
Managing stress
We are working hard to prevent and manage work-related stress. We aim to do this in various ways:
- by monitoring perceived levels of stress through our Staff Survey in order to identify problem areas and devise action plans to address these
- through the development of guidance and information for both staff and managers
- by close collaboration between People and OD, Occupational Health, the Counselling Service and the Disability Advisory and Support Service
- by raising awareness and addressing the issues in our leadership development programmes
Resources for colleagues and managers:
- Stress prevention and management toolkits
- Learning and Organisational Development e-learning resource: Work-Related Stress
Looking after your health and wellbeing is key to feeling good and functioning well.
Getting help when you need it is also important and you will find a range of services and advice at our University to support you.
Workplace health
Advice on occupational health and disability support
Wellbeing Rooms
Take time to look after your physical and mental health
Tackling bullying, harassment or discrimination
Our Report and Support platform provides confidential support if you think you have experienced or witnessed any form of bullying, harassment or discrimination.
Mediation
Our Mediation Service can help you address an issue or concern, or resolve a disagreement or conflict in a safe and supportive environment. It examines the relationship and communication between two parties.
Wellbeing through change
Everyone experiences change differently. For some people, change can have an impact upon personal wellbeing and resilience levels.
These resources have been collated to support your wellbeing if you feel you are impacted by change.
Learning and Development toolkits
- Top tips for taking care of yourself
- Top tips for good mental health
- Coping with uncertainty
- How to build personal resilience
Interactive workshop
Guidance for managers
As a people manager you may be responsible for staff who experience change. These resources will help you to support your team through change, including anyone whose wellbeing is affected. Don't forget that your wellbeing too can be impacted by change.
- Managers' Essentials pages - Supporting wellbeing
- Managers' Essentials Guidance - Wellbeing
- Managers' Essentials pages - Leading through change
- Change Management Essentials
- Sixty second skills Wellbeing Videos
- Learning and Development Toolkits: Tips for improving the psychological wellbeing of your team, Recognising symptoms of stress
- How to help your team thrive
- Wellbeing for managers workshop
Compassionate Colleagues
Compassionate Colleagues are University staff who have a basic awareness of the signs and symptoms of poor mental health and know how to signpost colleagues to sources of help and support.
Compassionate Colleagues:
- Take notice of the wellbeing of others.
- Are empathetic and non-judgemental.
- Are willing to have a conversation about mental health.
Compassionate Colleagues don’t need to provide advice or be an expert in wellbeing or mental health – they just need to be willing to attend a briefing session to build their own knowledge: