Coaching, learning, moving and the month of May.

What links learning at work, coaching, climbing a tree and the month of May? Our Happiness Ambassador explains.

May has more than the average amount of ‘awareness days’ and ‘awareness weeks.’ We are expected to be very aware in May.

When it comes to awareness weeks, this one is highly relevant to members of Team Boo. It’s International Coaching Week, Learning at Work Week and Mental Health Awareness Week. Well, we’re a coaching and learning provider, committed to being a mentally healthy workplace, founded by a mental health nurse (“Nurses Day” was last week). However, these things are linked in more ways than just being important to us.

Movement is good for our wellbeing.

We know that moving our body is good for our brain. The theme of Mental Health Awareness Week 2024 is ‘Movement: Moving for our Mental Health.’ You can read more on that here.

https://mentalhealth-uk.org/get-involved/mental-health-awareness-days/mental-health-awareness-week/

Here are some of the team indulging in ‘moments for movement’ (we assume Helen is climbing a tree).

Exercise can help us to learn.

It’s also thought that moving our bodies helps us to learn. Physical exercise increases blood flow to the brain, helps sharpen our attention and memory and improves our executive function.

For me, strenuous activity clears my mind of noise, as I focus on staying upright/staying conscious. Moderate exercise – such as walking – is good thinking time. (Unless I’m with my 5 year old, who likes to offload an endless stream of consciousness as we walk. )

Aristotle’s peripatetic school is named after the Greek word for walking or pacing about. Socrates and Rousseau were also known for teaching and walking. Nietzsche made walking central to his philosophy, to give but a few examples of how moving feet help to move minds.

Learning makes us feel good.

Then there’s a link between learning and wellbeing. For our Learning Facilitator Cath, learning is one of our core values – so it’s easy to see how having consistent opportunities to learn helps her feel fulfilled.

“Learning is one of my core values, that deep need to engage in ongoing learning, searching for new insights. I was delighted that my need for ongoing learning was recognised at Boo. Knowing, understanding and living our values is hugely supportive of our wellbeing and when our individual values and organisational values align, that’s the sweet spot of flourishing at work.”

You can read her blog on learning at work here.

For those of use who don’t count learning as one of our core values, the benefits remain nonetheless. Acquiring knowledge and skills is undeniably satisfying and can help increase our sense of self worth. Our boosted confidence alongside our new knowledge can open doors to life-enhancing opportunities, which further increase our wellbeing.

Coaching can help with all of these things.

Coaching creates the conditions to optimise whatever it is we want to achieve, whether that’s learning more or moving more. Coaching helps us to stay on task, set goals, develop skills and increase our self-knowledge. Finally, it goes without saying that being properly listened to in a space of unconditional positive regard is enormously beneficial to our wellbeing.

Find out more about our coaching offer here and our coaching qualificiations here.

Coaching, learning, moving and the month of May.