Mental Health Awareness Week 2020: COVID-19 Help & Resources

18 May 2020

Posted in: Agency Culture

Mental health is something that everyone has, and during these times of heightened stress, fear, and anxiety, it’s something that should be talked about.

This Mental Health Awareness Week, Seeker Digital is opening the discussion around mental health with a full itinerary of events, activities, and guest speakers.

Seeker’s wellbeing commitments

Mental health is a universal topic, and it’s something we take seriously at Seeker. Our commitment to employee wellbeing is entrenched in our agency culture.

Even before the lockdown was announced, we introduced a number of measures into company policy, including mental health days, and provided our team with a comprehensive list of resources and tools should they need it.

With the coronavirus crisis ongoing, these measures offer a vital lifeline for the upkeep of our mental health.

Mental Health Awareness Week: The Itinerary

Monday the 18th May 2020 marks the start of Mental Health Awareness Week, a national campaign to shine a spotlight on our mental health and highlight the many resources available to those who need them.

The theme for this year’s campaign is kindness, and to mark the occasion Seeker has a week of talks and activities planned.

Mindful Monday

To kick the week off, Seeker’s own Triin Kambek will be sharing an anxiety-coping breathing technique with the team. This will be followed by a lunchtime challenge to take a photo of something that makes us feel good: a sunny spot in the garden, a green space nearby — whatever makes us feel calm and centred.

We’ll also be joined by Lindsay Madden-Nadeau, Global Director of Wellbeing at luxury brands like Raffles, Orient Express, Fairmont, MGallery, and Mövenpick. She has years of experience working in the health and wellness industry and is an expert in the strategic development of luxury brands and adapting to changing environments.

Lindsay will be sharing a seminar titled Talking Wellness: The Future of Wellness. We’ll listen to her expert future predictions on the wellness industry in general, both for the greater community and for each of us individually.

Stop, Collaborate, and Listen

On Tuesday, Seeker will open the floor for everyone to share ideas on what helps them cope during times of stress. Whether it’s a good friend, a favourite TV show, or a good book, we’ll be sharing our own personal rocks with the agency.

Wellbeing Wednesday

Many of you in the SEO scene already know Hannah Butcher for her stellar appearances at a range of industry events. From Shine Bootcamp to BrightonSEO, Hannah has done an impressive number of SEO speaking gigs.

But beyond her digital marketing credentials, Hannah is also an inspirational mental health speaker and blogger. She is currently training to become a mental health nurse, and on Wellbeing Wednesday, she will join Seeker (virtually, of course) to share her insights on mental health in the workplace.

Project 84

Suicide is the single biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK, but it’s rarely talked about in every conversation. On Thursday, Seeker will explore the vital work of CALM’s Project 84, a campaign launched with the aim of preventing male suicide.

Witness The Fitness Friday

Exercise is one of the best things you can do for your mental health. It relieves stress, helps manage anxiety and depression, improves memory, boosts your mood… The list goes on.

And who better to get us moving than the epitome of feeling good, the lovely Joe Wicks? On Friday, Seeker will be heading to Zoom to partake in a live workout session. Feel the burn, feel the positive vibes.

Mental health tips, tricks, and advice from Seeker

The daily standup is an agency staple, and Seeker is no different. It’s a chance to catch up on the previous day’s work, set out the day ahead, and collaborate on shared tasks.

But during the lockdown, standups and debriefs also serve another purpose: as an opportunity for teams to stay connected. Beyond the usual workday chatter, these daily meetings let us check in with our colleagues, making sure they’re staying well in the unusual times.

Seeker also recently introduced the aforementioned optional mental health days as part of our corporate policy. They give staff the opportunity to take a day off at times of mental or emotional stress, something particularly essential during the lockdown.

Of course, all work and no play isn’t something Seeker does, and we regularly hold post-work socials, where we swap our local Bocabar for Zoom. Optional fun aside, this gives us a chance to let our hair down without the constraints of work. No, it’s not the same as the real thing — but it’s a good approximation.

Seekers are no strangers to pub quizzes either. Like the rest of the country, we’ve had a regular rotation of quiz nights (and yes, of course there was an SEO round). To give you a flavour, our latest quiz involved a Destiny’s Child-based scoring system, courtesy of Campaign Executive Sinead McLarty.

Finally, there are plenty of great resources available online that are always there in times of need:

  • Samaritans: the UK’s primary resource for anyone in emotional distress, struggling to cope, or at risk of suicide — call 0330 094 5717
  • Shout: a free 24/7 text service, free on all major mobile networks in the UK, to help anyone in a crisis — text Shout to 85258
  • NABS: the support organisation for the advertising and media industry, NABS offers professional and accessible guidance for industry professionals at all levels — call 0800 707 6607
  • Mind: the mental health charity provides advice and information to people with mental health problems and liaises with local and national on their behalf
  • Every Mind Matters: the NHS and PHE’s collaborative project aims to help people look after their mental health and improve their mental wellbeing.

Mental Health Awareness Week ends this Friday, but the conversation about mental health goes on.

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