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Tuesday 6 July 2021
Welcome to the Our Wellbeing Bulletin! In this issue we’re exploring International Day of Friendship, highlighting CSSC benefits (read below to find out more!) and sharing helpful articles about looking after ourselves and each other, plus wellbeing tips and updates from our colleagues.
What is International Day of Friendship?
International Day of Friendship is a day to appreciate and promote friendships from all backgrounds. Celebrated across the globe on 30 July 2021, the day aims to bridge the gaps between people because of race, language, religion or culture. It’s a campaign promoting unity within diversity!
 Benefits of friendship
There is a clear connection between wellbeing and friendship - simply put, good friends are good for your health. They help you celebrate the successes in your life, such as a new job, as well as providing a listening ear and support network when you experience lows, such as a tough day at work or health issues.
Having significant relationships in our lives brings lots of health benefits, such as increasing our self-esteem and confidence, reducing our stress levels and boosting our sense of purpose and belonging.
As well as wellbeing benefits, our friends help us become more well-rounded individuals. For example, through our relationships with others we learn about different cultures, beliefs and languages.
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The difficulties of making new friendships
As our lives progress, many of us find it difficult to develop new friendships. This is often because of new priorities that require our focus and attention, such as work, childcare or other caring responsibilities.
Long-lasting friendships might become distant if you move house or job, or simply because of changes in your lives and interests. This can have a negative effect on your mental health and wellbeing. But there are always ways to find that connection and build new or rebuild friendships if we are open to it!
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Taking part during COVID-19
The International Day of Friendship is a perfect opportunity to take stock of the friendships you have and look forward to building on these for the future. While COVID-19 has certainly introduced new challenges in our lives, there are still plenty of ways for us to celebrate this event! Keep reading :-)
 Ways to celebrate
- Ring up a friend, colleague or relative and have a chat - we often forget to pause and reach out to those who are closest to us
- Similarly, reach out to someone who you’ve not spoken to in a while
- Send friends thoughtful notes and messages. Write a list of what you love about your friends or a special memory and share it with them
- Get together and spend time with them personally (within COVID guidelines) - either virtually or face-to-face. Meet them for lunch, a walk in the park, go for a short bike ride, organise a zoom quiz or arrange to watch sports or play a game online.
Do you have any other ideas of ways to celebrate? Please share on our SCC Facebook group.
During a time where many of us may feel isolated from the rest of the world, it’s vital that we keep nurturing friendships with people we feel close to. International Day of Friendship is a simple reminder that friends play an important role to have a healthy and happy life and help us through challenging times such as these.
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 Summertime fun and discounts!
Having fun with friends and sharing good times with family are simple pleasures we’ve all missed. But now we can get back out there, we can start making up for lost time. Introducing Civil Service Sports Council’s (CSSC) – benefits which are open to all local government employees. CSSC offer a range of discounts and offers on days out, experiences, dining, shopping and lots more for £4.50 a month and no contract.
The benefits include:
- Getting free access to English Heritage, Cadw and Kew Gardens sites for you as a member and up to six guests.
- Discounted tickets cinema and family attractions including Cineworld, ODEON, Thorpe Park, Alton Towers, LegoLand and many more
- Savings at favourite restaurants with 50% off food or 2-for-1 meals or takeaways with a complimentary Tastecard.
- Making everyday savings from your favourite stores online to get more from your shopping basket.
To find out more or to sign-up, please visit www.cssc.co.uk/everyday-savings
Wellbeing tips from our colleagues!
Each bulletin we share tips that our colleagues have said help their wellbeing. This month we have Justine Markley, Improvement Co-ordinator from the Children and Families Services, sharing what has helped her the past few months:
“During lockdown and with everything that has been going on, these three wellbeing tips have helped me daily.
- Writing a list of all the new things I have wanted to try - this has included a new exercise, an arts and craft activity - anything new that has inspired me!
- Focusing on the positives of my day and what I have learnt from the challenges
- Doing something fun every day and keeping myself moving
Thank you for sharing Justine! 😊 What do you do each day to support your wellbeing? Please send us your tips to wellbeing@southampton.gov.uk and we will share them in future bulletins!
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Positive Posture at your workstation (wherever that may be!)
Workstation set-up remains a hot topic, whether it is working from home or setting up somewhere different each time you book a desk at the office.
When we're working at a desk it can be easy to be sitting down for hours at end and not be aware of our posture. Take a moment to notice how you are sitting:
- Are your legs crossed under the table or on the chair base?
- Are you leaning - perhaps forward or sideways?
- Is your arm outstretched to reach your mouse or keyboard?
Check your head, shoulder and hip alignment and ensure your feet are supported on the floor or a footrest. It’s all about bringing attention to your posture - it may feel odd at first but I promise you your body will thank you for it!
Please look here to find out more about setting up a workstation and DSE guidelines.
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Exciting opportunity to win a Fitbit Charge 4!
Have you downloaded the Health Assured My Healthy Advantage app yet? My Healthy Advantage encourages healthy habits, and what better way to get ready for summer than with a Fitbit Charge 4? There is an exciting opportunity to win a Fitbit Charge 4 — there are a total of 10 devices to be won. All you need to do is download the app and everyone registered to My Healthy Advantage by 31 August will be entered into the prize draw FREE. Click here for full competition details. Good luck!
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 Health Assured Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
Do remember all employees have access to the Health Assured Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). The programme aims to support employees’ physical health and mental wellbeing as well as helping you to deal with personal issues that might be affecting you. EAP provides practical advice on legal (e.g. relationships or consumer protection) or financial matters (e.g. debt or pensions), physical health, work-related matters and offers you a chance to talk about things that might be affecting your emotional wellbeing. The EAP can also help you achieve your goals when it comes to improving your physical health and mental wellbeing. To find out more or talk to someone, the counselling and advice team are available 24/7. The helpline number is 0800 716017 or to email: counsellingadvice@healthassured.co.uk. To explore the website, please visit: www.healthassuredeap.com.
 Cuppa Culture – Titanic
In each bulletin, ‘Cuppa Culture’ will highlight and open the doors to the council’s collections and share a story, object or art work from the city. As summer approaches you might be planning a ‘staycation’ or exploring a little further afield, either way we expect a sun lounger might feature at some point in your plans. This month Bea is telling us about the deckchairs of the famous ship Titanic that set sail from Southampton in 1912. Watch this short video to discover how deckchairs may have played a part in events that tragic night.
 For the school summer holidays we have loads of activities planned for children and families. There’s kids club all day Mondays, family art and history sessions and walking tours so you can get out and about to explore the city. Visit WeGotTickets to see what’s coming up.
If you can’t wait until the next bulletin, you can find loads more on the Southampton Cultural Services YouTube channel, offering online talks, workshops and children’s activities.
The next Our Wellbeing Bulletin will be coming out in the beginning of August 😊
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