Following the introduction of our mental health section within our newsletters, I’m delighted to bring you the next instalment, this time looking at movement and physical activity - following on from ‘Movement’ being the theme of Mental Health Awareness Week 2024 which took place in May. This theme is relevant to our industry, where the mental wellbeing of employees directly influences productivity, decision-making, and overall business performance. The reality is that your mental health is as important as your physical health, but the two are intrinsically linked. Regular physical activity is known to have a big impact on our mental health, our quality of life, and also our wellbeing. It also plays a crucial role in the prevention and management of various conditions, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and breast and colon cancer, and more. However, despite this, more than a third of UK adults don’t do the recommended amount of activity. You can read more about this in the Mental Health Foundation’s report here. So, lets quickly recap on why physical activity is crucial for mental health: • Releases endorphins which naturally lift your mood and reduce stress, helping you to feel calmer. • Can boost your self-esteem and selfconfidence. • Can improve your concentration and productivity and can enhance brain functions like memory and attention. • Contributes to better sleep quality, can help you to relax and also reduce fatigue. • Can have a positive impact on any stress or anxiety that may be being experienced. • Can help you to connect more with nature, or with other people, e.g. if you go for a walk with someone and catch up. Many of us will sadly know from personal experience that the pressures of the industry, from long hours to the highstress environment, can take a toll on employees’ mental well-being. As advisers you will know that often the trigger for someone seeking financial advice can be a stressful life event, such as divorce, bereavement or financial pressures. Of course, it follows that the professionals who provide services in these emotionally charged situations may struggle, and sometimes manifest mental health issues of their own. In turn, this may affect performance and can ultimately lead to absences and impact upon a firms’ income. In fact, Deloitte found that in the UK, “presenteeism is the largest contributor, where people work in spite of illness and not perform at their full ability, which is costing employers around £24 bn annually”. Furthermore, last year’s Mortgage Industry Mental Health Survey discovered that nearly a quarter (23%) of participants classed their overall state of mental wellbeing as either ‘poor’ or ‘of concern’, while nearly one third (30%) had seen their work/ life balance either ‘somewhat worsen’ or ‘greatly worsen’. Mental Health & Movement 10 SUMMER PROTECT NEWSLETTER Riona Mulherin Director of Marketing & Operations Paradigm
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