When we think about wellbeing in comms, we tend to think about it in the context of crisis situations. And while there’s recently been a noticeable increase in the number and intensity of crises, there are also a vast array of other challenging situations comms professionals deal with every day.
With the growth of social media, we’re closer to our audiences than ever before. But with this growth also comes the pressure of being ‘always on’, the expectation of needing to respond instantly and the increasing inability to switch off.
Comms professionals are also increasingly finding themselves on the frontline, whether people are asking their charity for help or trolling them. On top of all of this, comms professionals can be exposed daily to the challenging stories of the people they seek to help.
To coincide with the recent launch of our wellbeing in comms best practice guide, we developed a special seminar to share tips and advice around how we can best support ourselves and each other to improve mental health and resilience at work. In this seminar, we explored:
- The scale of the problem – what does social media and modern work do to our brains and why are charity communications professionals vulnerable?
- Tips to improve mental health – warning signs and advice
- Looking after each other – benefits of team support and checking in with colleagues
- Frameworks to protect wellbeing – putting a plan in place
- Investing in staff wellbeing – leadership from the top
Resources
Guide: A wellbeing guide for comms professionals – Kirsty Marrins, trustee, CharityComms
Article: Practical tips for dealing with trolling online – Zoe Williams, communications manager, Kidscape
Article: Tips to protect the mental wellbeing of social media managers – Lola Phoenix, charity professional, freelance
Further reading: books, guides, newsletters and web resources
10 Keys to Happier Living by Vanessa King
50 Ways to Feel Happy: Fun activities and ideas to build your happiness skills by Vanessa King
Action for Happiness helps people take action for a happier and more caring world. Runs events and courses as well as having lots of free resources on their website including the 10 keys to happier living podcast. Twitter: @actionhappiness
Bird offers resiliency-building programmes and workshops. They also have a super useful wellbeing blog and newsletter
Getting things done, the art of stress-free productivity by David Allen
How Emotions are Made by Lisa Feldman Barrett
Flourish: A New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being – and How To Achieve Them by Martin Seligman
Spill offers a message-based therapy which your organisation can sign up to for staff to use
Mental health at work offers resources and information to help support mental health in the workplace
Mental Health First Aid England offers expert guidance and training to support mental health. It also has some great free resources including the Take 10 Together toolkit
Voxel Hub – Digital Wellbeing Hub offers training, coaching, counselling and online courses around digital wellbeing. Also have a useful resources section and blog full of advice and useful tip bits. Twitter: @voxelhub
Presentations
What are the active ingredients for a happier and fulfilling life? – Vanessa King, author of the 10 Keys to Happier Living, board member and lead positive psychology and workplace expert, Action for Happiness
** Presentation video to added **
Challenges, protection and burn out – Helen Breakwell, qualified counsellor and founder, Wellbeing Therapy Service
- If you are a member, you can watch the video of Helen’s presentation here. Please contact our events team for the password.
How trolls impact mental wellbeing in the charity sector – Zoe Amar, director, Zoe Amar Digital
and Matt Collins, managing director, Platypus Digital
- If you are a member, you can watch the video of Zoe and Matt’s presentation here. Please contact our events team for the password.
A three-minute mindfulness practice to use in challenging situations – Hannah Massarella, founder, Bird
- If you are a member, you can watch the video of Hannah’s presentation here. Please contact our events team for the password.
- You can see notes from Hannah’s presentation here.
Tips for cultivating a supportive and open team culture – Mike Keating, digital communications officer, Samaritans and Hannah Lattimer, social media officer, Samaritans
** Presentation video to added **
What is a mental health first aider and why have one? – Vicki Cockman, head of client delivery, Mental Health First Aid England
** Presentation video to added **
How technology is actually affecting your brain – what we actually know – Sylwia Korsak, digital wellbeing consultant and social media community champion, OTR Bristol
- If you are a member, you can watch the video of Sylwia’s presentation here. Please contact our events team for the password.