Heartbeat: The Sanctuary: Reduce your anxiety and stress in a place of calm

August 2, 2020

In the last edition of Heartbeat, we featured an article on the Wellbeing Sanctuary, a place where colleagues can share their stories and offload about their anxieties and fears. A month on, we are delighted to report that many of you have been taking advantage of the many services on offer such as deep relaxation and massage therapy.

Heartbeat caught up with Lawrence Kelly, Learning Works Co-ordinator who told us he is pleased to see colleagues taking time out for their wellbeing. “We have had 250 visits from colleagues enjoying more than 420 sessions. It is also pleasing to see colleagues returning as they have enjoyed the benefits and are seeing a real difference in the way they are feeling.”

Lawrence said the sanctuary is seeing colleagues from a wide range of professions including senior clinicians and wards service officers. He told Heartbeat: “Colleagues are coming here, seeing the benefit and then spreading the word to their teams. We have also recently extended the service to 30 nursing homes and local community GP services.”

Kate Pilkington, Clinical Lead, Your Health Partnership has used the sanctuary. She remarked: “The sanctuary is an extraordinary refuge of support that I have found to be invaluable. It helps me to manage my stress levels and restore my sense of balance so that I can be a better leader during these challenging times. Actively choosing to engage with the amazing staff at the Sanctuary and taking the time to decompress is one of the best decisions I have made. I can see and feel the difference immediately after a visit. I would highly encourage all colleagues to further explore how it could benefit them as well.”

The psychological wellbeing of all colleagues is of utmost importance and our organisation wants us all to benefit from the extended offer of wellbeing and kindness. The new Thrive mental health app is complementary to all the relaxation therapies on offer. It is a chance for colleagues to continue to use de-stress techniques to improve health and wellness. This includes cognitive behaviour therapy, deep muscle relaxation and meditation.