Bitesize health and wellbeing resources
Taking short breaks to step away from our busy lives and away from busy schedules helps us to reset. Find tips, ideas and exercises to help you maintain your mental and physical wellbeing in short bursts.
Resource description:
Exercise is a great way to beat stress, boost our mood and keep our bodies healthy, but finding time to fit in a home workout session after a long shift can be challenging.
Westfield Health has found and tested ten 5-minute workouts that are easy to build into your morning or evening routine, or even for a quick burst of activity during the day.
All these workouts are on Youtube, and you can find links to each one in the PDF wellbeing guide below.
Link to resource:
Download the Wellbeing Toolkit: Active at Home PDF
Topic: Physical health
Audience: Health professionals; social care professionals
Who is this for: Individuals
Resource format: PDF and video
Resource description:
Dominic O’Ryan qualified as a Clinical Psychologist from UCL in 2000. He is the Lead Psychologist in Substance Misuse Services and the CBT Training Lead for Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust. In this podcast, he talks about three simple approaches to sleeping well.
Link to resource:
Listen to the podcast
Topic: Sleep difficulties
Audience: Health professionals; social care professionals
Who is this for: Individuals
Resource format: Podcast
Resource description:
A guide by NHS People on creating and using a pause space: an essential ‘pop-up’ space for teams and colleagues to re-set, recharge and recommit.
Link to resource:
Visit the webpage
Resource description:
Being able to use the breath is a good way of finding an anchor when storms arise in our lives or if we just need some steadying. Jane O’Rourke leads us through a short practice to help us find a resource that is always with us, our breath. Jane is a Child, Adolescent and Family Psychotherapist, and yoga and mindfulness teacher. She teaches Yoga4Trauma in the Trauma Service at the Tavistock Clinic.
Link to resource:
Listen to the podcast
Topic: Mindfulness
Audience: Health professionals; social care professionals
Who is this for: Individuals
Resource format: Podcast
Resource description:
We would like to help you to manage your wellbeing in and out of work. This personal wellbeing plan, although it belongs to you, is a tool to help you and your manager have open conversations about things that are important for your health and wellbeing.
This document looks at things that you can do or change to help you feel well and also helps your manager know if there are things they can support you with that could improve your wellbeing. You can use it to aid discussions about those areas which are important to you and that may impact on your health and wellbeing.
The things you record in your plan are to help facilitate open conversations with your manager. This document is yours to own and should not be kept on your personal file.
Audience: Health professionals; social care professionals; health and social care leaders
Who is this for: Individuals; Teams
Resource format: Activity
Resource description:
Practical guidance for using grounding techniques during Covid-19 from the Traumatic Stress Clinic, Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust.
Link to resource:
Access the Grounding Techniques poster here
Resource description:
Find a moment of calm with colleagues practising mindfulness together. This is a peer-led initiative on Teams with 15-minute sessions on Tuesdays at 12:00 and a 30-minute session on Fridays at 10:00. No need to register, simply join via the link below.
Link to resource:
Join the session on Microsoft Teams
Topic: Mindfulness
Audience: Health professionals; social care professionals
Who is this for: Individuals; Teams
Resource format: Online sessions
Resource description:
Emily Shaw is a Clinical Psychologist working at Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust. In this podcast episode, she speaks about the unhealthy habits we may have turned to during the pandemic to give us immediate relief and how we can reprogram our behavioural patterns by practising being BOLD.
Link to resource:
Listen to the podcast
Topic: Coping with stress and worry
Audience: Health professionals; social care professionals
Who is this for: Individuals
Resource format: Podcast
Resource description:
Sarah Carney is an Independence & Wellbeing Service Manager in Enfield. She shares her experience of supporting a care home at the onset of a pandemic and the need for emotional strength during a time of uncertainty.
Link to resource:
Listen to the podcast
Topic: Coping with stress and worry
Audience: Health professionals; social care professionals
Who is this for: Individuals
Resource format: Podcast
Resource description:
This leaflet focuses on managing depression during the pandemic and is one of a series of guides about Coronavirus and mental health produced by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. The leaflets contain information on how the pandemic might affect your mental health, how to look after yourself, what to do if a problem persists, and where to find further information.
Link to resource:
Access the PDF guide
Topic: Managing low mood
Audience: Health professionals; social care professionals
Who is this for: Individuals
Resource format: PDF
Resource description:
Our world is changing rapidly. Given some of the news coverage, it would be hard not to worry about what it all means for yourself, and for those you love.
Worry and anxiety are common problems at the best of times, and when it takes over it can become all-encompassing. Psychology Tools has put together this free guide to help you to manage your worry and anxiety in these uncertain times.
Once you have read the information, feel free to try the exercises if you think they might be helpful to you. It’s natural to struggle when times are uncertain, so remember to offer care and compassion to yourself, and to those around you.
Link to resource:
Access the Managing Worry PDF here.
Topic: Coping with stress and worry
Audience: Health professionals; social care professionals
Who is this for: Individuals; Teams
Resource format: PDF
Resource description:
An infographic developed by NHS Scotland on the stress that healthcare workers may face and developing a balance of resilient coping strategies.
Link to resource:
Access the PDF poster
Topic: Coping with stress and worry
Audience: Health professionals; Social care professionals
Who is this for: Individuals
Resource format: PDF
