Sleep your way to better wellness (and better work)
Apr 04, 2022

You’ve probably heard it more than once in your life, ‘sleep is the best medicine’. Your mum probably told you. Your family doctor told you. And now, we’re telling you. Good sleep is not just vital to your overall wellness, it can have a huge impact on how you perform at work. Sleep loss can have a meaningful impact on key work skills like cognitive function, attention, and decision make, that’s before we talk about the link between poor sleep and a range of chronic health conditions – including Alzheimer's, anxiety, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes.

But improving your quality of sleep can be easier said than done. Work stress, family stress, juggling childcare, and watching a constant rolling feed of global news can all leave you staring at the ceiling rather than getting much-needed shuteye.


In this blog, we look at some fast and easy ways to improve your sleep and it starts before you even get under the covers…

 

Get Prepared


If you’re someone who shuts off your screen or tv right before you close your eyes then you could be (unintentionally) keeping your brain in awake mode. Blue light from devices can stop you from being able to go to sleep, so aim to turn off all digital devices and screens at least an hour (and ideally two) before bed. You should also try to practice good sleep hygiene by creating a calm, dark, relaxing, and cool environment in your bedroom; clear away clutter, make sure you have good-quality, light-blocking curtains or blinds, and open a window in the evening. Fresh air and exercise are both great ways to improve your chances of getting to sleep and staying that way, so a walk or a workout before you head to bed can be a useful way to wind down. You should also consider other relaxing activities like reading, stretching, or a warm bath before you turn out the lights.

 

During the Night


Do you ever wake up at 2 am and just can’t get back to sleep? Work. Relationships. News. As hard as you try to relax, you can’t get your brain to be quiet. This happens to us all occasionally, but when it’s nearly every night, it’s exhausting. Practice relaxing breathing techniques – just focusing on quietly inhaling and exhaling slowly to find some peace, or, if you really can’t relax, take out your book and try reading for ten minutes to reset your brain.

 

TheNext Day 



Do you work from home? Consider taking a short (less than 30-minute) nap during the day to recharge your energy levels. If you work in an office or onsite, find a quiet spot to simply relax and recharge for a few minutes. A walk can be equally relaxing and a way to find some ‘you time’ in the middle of a hectic day. Reducing anxiety levels and practicing activities that help you find a moment of calm, whether that’s a yoga class or a walk around the block can be really helpful in supporting good sleep at night.

 

Your physical and mental health is a crucial part of helping you to perform at your best – at home and at work. When you’re exhausted and run down all the time, how can you move forward in your career or meet your goals? Make healthy choices, create supportive routines, and make time for self-care. And remember to seek professional medical health if you’re struggling to get the sleep you need.

14 Aug, 2023
Rephrasing the famous song, “Love is in the air”, let’s talk about change is in the air – and everywhere. We grow. We change. Look at your childhood photos. Watch your kid, your nephew, your niece. The change is there, and it’s incredible. Nature is constantly changing. We wait for summer as the time to enjoy outdoor activities and gardening, for a quick visit to the beach, or simply take time to relax and spend time with family, friends and loved ones. We wait for winter (even if we never see snow falling) to decorate the house for the holidays, pack presents for the people we love and unpack our own. The colour of the leaves changes, the weather shifts, and flowers blossom in their time – the landscape is constantly transforming. The world around us is changing. We travel to other countries and learn new things, cultures and languages. We take on new hobbies. We get new skills. After a couple of minor kitchen accidents (sometimes), we can cook delicious dishes and get compliments from family and friends. We transform our bodies at the gym or simply by creating the habit of walking every day. We meet new people, we sometimes fall in love, we build families, we have kids. And if you step back for a second, you realise you might have met your other half by pure accident. But you took a leap of faith into the unknown. We embrace many types of unknown change, except for the one that can change how we live five days a week – to change jobs. “I am too old/too young to change”, “I’m used to this environment; It’s my comfort zone”, “Well, I don’t get any promotion, and what I do doesn’t change the world, but it’s stable”, “I am afraid to ask for more interesting projects. What if my manager fires me?”. We often don’t want to change because that step requires a vision, courage, external support, and a leap of faith into the unknown. Scary? Yes. But also promising. A step into the unknown? Yes. But it can open a new door. Do your inner values marry what you do? Yes, it is essential. There is nothing terrible about staying in your comfort zone. At some stage of your career, staying put can be an excellent decision. But if you feel that you need a change – talk to Kelly. We don’t mind going the extra mile and support your wish to embrace the change. The one which will give meaning to what you do, feel proud, motivated and fulfilled. Ready for changing? We’ll make sure your talent can truly shine.
10 Aug, 2023
You’ve seen these guys before when a circus came to your city or maybe on TV. They walk on a wire at an impressive height, sometimes without insurance, sometimes with a long stick that probes the void right and left. They walk slowly, trying the wire with their toes first, making small steps, their eyes fixed on the small platform where they plan to land soon. They never watch down. They don’t listen to an audience that applauses or gasps in awe. They are concentrated on keeping their balance. To keep balance. Let’s come down from the wire above the arena or stage. Let’s look closer at balance, where it has its roots and the secrets of keeping it. Is it an art? Or is it a skill? Can you learn to keep balance? Or is it an innate skill that only gymnasts, figure skaters, circus artists and ballet dancers are born with? Want to know the secrets of a ballerina that must perform 32 fouettes, a complex ballet movement that requires turning 360 degrees at a high-speed standing on the point of a ballet shoe? First, keeping balance is a skill people must learn for years. In ballet, sport, circus, real life, and… work life. A ballerina is taught to pick one point and to fix her eyes on it when she makes her 32 fouettes, a complex ballet movement that requires turning 360 degrees at high-speed standing on the point of a ballet shoe. She focuses on one thing that keeps her upright. She doesn’t look anywhere else. Gymnasts in some disciplines are constantly trained to feel the bar under their feet. They are prepared to land precisely on the bar after they jump, and the incredible contortions we admire in competitions. But let’s come back to the circus artists we have begun with. Often, they have a long stick in their hands to keep their balance. Is their secret hidden in the stick? And what is the secret? You don’t need to be a ballet dancer, a gymnast, or a circus artist to get the idea of balance. Here are your first two steps in your balance training: 1. Keep your main priorities in mind. And have a clear idea about what is very important for you and where you are ready to compromise. But don’t listen to external opinions that don’t align with your ideals. Forget about the audience’s applause – focus on you. 2. Use some help to stay upright and get to your goals. Imagine your life split on two ends of the helping stick, your job is on one end, and your private life is on another. How comfortable do you feel at your height now with the load on both ends? You need support. We at Kelly pay a lot of attention to balance. The balance between people’s private lives and their jobs. The balance between feeling appreciated and professional goals or between achieving extraordinary results and being inspired. Talk to Kelly today. We are not ballet coaches or sports trainers, but we know much about how important work/life balance is in our lives.
03 Aug, 2023
We often associate certain qualities with individuals who seem to possess a natural talent for creativity. We convince ourselves that painting, singing, or dancing are pursuits reserved for these "real" artists while we remain mere spectators. Creativity? Inspiration? No, it's not about me.
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