Mental Health Awareness Week 2023

Small steps to support anxiety.

It’s Mental Health Awareness Week, and this year the focus will be familiar to many of us: anxiety. This is one of the most common mental health challenges we can face, with an estimated 22.5% of people experiencing high levels of anxiety in the past year[1]. As a natural response to the fast-paced world around us, we all feel anxious from time to time. But it’s important that we learn to recognise and respond to these feelings to make anxiety easier to manage. Here are some simple ways to help…

Get moving

Movement isn’t only great for physical wellbeing, but also mental wellbeing. Being active releases endorphins that make you feel good, boost your self-esteem, and even help you concentrate and sleep better. This doesn’t have to be vigorous, either; some gentle stretches, yoga, or stepping away from your desk and going for a lunchtime walk all count — just get your body moving!

Spend time in nature

We know that spending time in nature has a positive impact on our mental health, helping us feel calmer and more grounded. Multiple studies have found a link between access to green space and a reduced risk of mental health problems, improved mood and increased life satisfaction. Here at Bistech HQ, we even brought the outdoors indoors by building a living wall in our office space!

Connect with others

Anxiety can be lonely, so connecting with others and talking about how you feel can help. That’s just one of the reasons we foster an open and compassionate workplace culture. We’ve also recently appointed a dedicated Mental Health Responder, and with 24/7 access to our Employee Assistance Programme, we know that our people will always have someone to talk to.

At Bistech, we take mental health seriously. We’re passionate about supporting our people — not just this week, but every day. To find out more about how we’re doing this, take a look at our other careers blogs. And for more resources on anxiety and information on seeking support, visit the Mental Health Foundation’s website.

[1] Personal well-being in the UK – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)