Regular Staff Wellbeing Initiatives

*NEW* Returning Parents Support Group (TEAMS)

 

Have you recently returned from maternity, paternity, shared parental or adoption leave?

Or have you got little ones at home and you're having to juggle working, school drop offs, childcare, and the rest?

 

Within the Staff Wellbeing Team, we are familiar with the challenges and positives that returning to work after becoming a parent can bring. Although returning to work does have its positives such as giving you back part of your old identity after being so focused on being mum or dad for a while, it can also be a challenging transition.

 

After being with your little one almost 24/7 during your period of leave, it can be difficult to relinquish their care to somebody else for longer periods of time, and you will inevitably miss them. Therefore, we are starting a support group aimed at staff returning to work after becoming a parent.  We hope you will find that having other members of staff to talk to who are going through the same thing will be beneficial and make this an easier time for you and your family.

 

So we would like to reach out to parents returning to the workplace after having a child and bring you together as a group. The group is aimed at those in the first few years of being a parent, whether for the first time or the sixth time!

 

Join our parents support group on Teams ...

To start the group, we have set up a Microsoft Teams channel to get the discussion started. We will then discuss with you how this group would work best moving forward with options for future in-person or virtual support meetings.

 

If you are interested in joining the Microsoft Teams channel, please email us at staff.wellbeing@hud.ac.uk to be added or follow this teams link to request to join. If you know a colleague who may be interested or is returning to work soon, please do spread the word.

Active Hud Wellbeing Classes and Social Sport Sessions

We all know that exercise improves your physical wellbeing. But did you know it helps to improve your mental wellbeing as well? Sport and physical activity can help lift your mood and take away built up stresses. It can also improve sleep and reduce anxiety levels.  Did you know being active releases chemicals in your brain that make you feel good? Boosting your self-esteem and helping you concentrate, sleep well and feel better.

 

Active Wellbeing

To see Active Hud's wellbeing timetable, with classes such as 'Tai Chi', 'Pilates' and 'Posture and Mobility', click here https://active.hud.ac.uk/wellbeing/

 

Social Sport

Active Hud's social sport programme gives you the chance to take part in sport in a fun and relaxed environment, with most of the sessions being free. With over 20 sessions each week, it is the perfect opportunity to try something new and keep active whilst at university. Click the link to find out more: https://active.hud.ac.uk/sport/socialsport/

What is Get Set Goal?

Get Set Goal is a free wellbeing service that forms part of the Health and Wellbeing Academy at the University of Huddersfield. It is a service that is committed to improving the health and wellness of individuals and communities by helping people to achieve personal goals by making informed and positive lifestyle choices.

 

They offer free one to one appointments and workshops to help you to achieve your wellbeing goals. The service is open to all students and staff, as well as members of the public.

Get Set Goal is delivered by healthcare students at the university. All students are supervised by registered healthcare professionals. Click here to find out more - https://www.hud.ac.uk/gsg/

We hold twice weekly Time Out sessions. These sessions will take place in our Wellbeing Room (SB9/07a), be open to all staff and will provide quiet space to pause and rest during the working day.

We will be running the following sessions starting from Tuesday 10th January 2023:

• Tuesdays - 12:00 - 13:00 - Relax and breathe: In this session, there will be low lighting, calming music and scent, and on the screen, there will be 'breathing shapes', which expand and collapse in order to guide your breathing for optimal relaxation.
• Thursdays - 12:00 - 13:00 - Guided Mindfulness: In this session, there will be low lighting, calming scent and there will be audio of guided mindfulness exercises (ranging from 8 to 20 minutes) being played.

There will be no need to book, just turn up. Although the sessions are an hour, there is no need to attend for the full hour, you can just come at any time during the session and stay as long as you need.

We hope that you will come and try the sessions and take the opportunity in your schedule to pause and reset.