The summer holidays are starting and the past week has been a sizzler! As our Summer Ready campaign ramps up to support colleagues with wellbeing help and tools, meet Dru, who is a Digital Operative and Wellbeing Champion at Hastings Direct – he tells us his thoughts on the importance of wellbeing. I wanted to learn about the different aspects of wellbeing and use my knowledge to provide bespoke advice, and signpost colleagues to the right help. An individual’s wellbeing, which consists of their mental and physical health, is a fundamental aspect of their overall health. With a healthy mind and body, an individual can better overcome adversities and daily obstacles in life. Knowing that I’ve contributed to the cultivation of a healthier culture within Hastings makes me feel proud, as more individuals within the company are starting to open up and explore the wellbeing support Hastings Direct has available to them. I’ve significantly helped and signposted five individuals to our wellbeing programme. I can gladly state that I’ve positively helped every individual I’ve spoken to and feel proud of the feedback I have received. I’ve been about to raise awareness of the wide range of wellbeing support we have available for people, including our Colleague Assistance Programme (CAP) to help people with anxiety. Having used and utilised all the wellbeing tools and resources, my personal favourite is Thrive. I find the wellbeing app quite useful when it comes to dealing with emotions from within and preventing inner emotions from taking control. It teaches many techniques including calm breathing, meditation, deep muscle relaxation and applied relaxation. The lessons are around two to five minutes and I’ve found these bite size pieces of information are easy to understand and undoubtedly have improved my own wellbeing. Wellbeing is paramount, so make yourself the priority. My advice is to do whatever it takes to become a better version of yourself and understand what you can do and what tools you can utilise in the process. At Hastings, colleagues can reach out to a Wellbeing Champion like myself, and we’ll happily assist them with finding the right tools and support. Find out more about our wellbeing programme here.