It was a privilege to be invited last week to speak with 400+ colleagues at Maidstone Borough Council for their annual One Council event at Maidstone Leisure Centre.

Every day, they support the thousands of residents, visitors, and businesses in the area through their vital work including: waste collection, parks & gardening, IT & finance, museums & creative arts, communications and emergency housing.

It’s tough working in local government right now.

With services squeezed like never before, and looming organisational restructures, people are carrying daily pressures alongside uncertainty about the future.

So it felt good to lead an interactive, mid-morning energy-boosting session — designed to give everyone a wellbeing break halfway through the event, sharing 5 simple actions to build resilience and feel good every day 🌟These small shifts can ripple outwards into teams, families, and the wider community to enhance engagement, productivity and positive impact.

Our Mission Director Anwen shared these 5 simple things you can do every day to keep you performing at your best, all inspired by the evidence-based 5 Ways to Wellbeing that informs the Thrivall Pillars of Wellbeing framework and our Group Training Workshops.

1. Connect – take a moment to check-in with yourself – how are you feeling physically? How are you feeling emotionally? What kind of thoughts are you thinking? What could help you feel better? Connect with others around you – saying hello, smiling as you pass your colleagues, making an effort to notice how people are doing, taking time to listen and have conversations. Connect with nature and notice what the weather is doing outside, go for a walk, look out of the window and spot birds, trees, flowers, wildlife.
2. Be active – take regular breaks from your work, especially if you need to spend a long time sitting. Get up and stretch, move about, go for a walk. Yes doing moderate-intensity exercise several times a week is also important, but even small bursts of activity like running for the bus, taking the stairs and playing with your children has a positive impact on both your physical and mental fitness.
3. Keep learning – be curious about other people, stay open to developing new skills, trying new food, exploring new places, meeting new people and you will surprise yourself and keep your brain active. Learning is obviously good for building knowledge and it can also boost your self-esteem and sense of self.
4. Give – sharing your time, expertise and resources generously obviously benefits the person you are giving to, and it also will give you a boost. As pack animals, humans are wired to be empathetic and to look out for each other, and it is in our interests to ensure the wellbeing of others. We might do this through donating money or volunteering for a charitable cause, joining a community group or doing a kind deed or favour for a friend, family member, colleague or neighbour.
5. Take notice – developing self-awareness, empathy for others and mindfulness will help you feel more calm and confident. Just spotting things you can sense around you – things you can see, smell, hear, taste and feel and being fully present in the moment, rather than worrying about the past or future will keep you focused and grounded. Gratitude and appreciation also plays a big part – take a moment to think of people you want to say thank you to today.