Wellbeing at Work
Are you seeing increased stress and anxiety amongst your staff? Are you wondering how to reconnect a fragmented team? Have you noticed that productivity and morale have dropped?
Do you want this to continue (and get worse), or are you ready to take some simple, progressive steps to:
- boost productivity
- reduce costly presenteeism and sickness absence
- and simultaneously improve your employee health and wellbeing?
Mental Health is already the leading cause of sickness absence according to mentalhealth.org.uk. This includes everything from anxiety to bipolar disorder, and in particular stress-related illness, which is increasing year on year. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), in 2018/2019 stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 44% of all work-related ill health cases and over half (54%) of all working days lost due to ill health.
2019 figures show mental ill health was responsible for 72 million lost working days per annum. This is estimated to cost businesses at least £35 billion a year, with some estimates as high as £99 billion. You might be surprised to know that reduced productivity at work (known as 'presenteeism') is twice as costly as absence - with costs of £10.6 billion in absence and £21.2 billion in reduced productivity.
And this was before Covid19 turned everyone's lives upside down.
Are you ready for a game changer? You need an evidence-based therapeutic practice that:
- builds trust and strengthens relationships
- fosters gratitude and resilience
- is scientifically proven to improve mental and physical health
- enhances mental clarity and creativity
- encourages pro-environmental behaviours and gets people outside
- is also a lot of FUN
Forest Therapy delivers all of this by helping people bond with the outdoors for health-boosting purposes.
The practice is sometimes known as Forest Bathing, but I promise no swimming is required :) It’s new in the UK but based on the popular health and wellbeing activity known as Shinrin-Yoku, which was first prescribed by the Japanese NHS over 40 years ago to combat stress in the workplace.
I describe it as outdoor, sensory-based mindfulness. .jpeg)
Read more about Forest Therapy here. Sessions for up to 15 participants are 2-3 hours long and go ahead in most weather. Prices start from £600.
- Option 1 - a standalone team building/reconnection event
- Option 2 - quarterly experiences (for better results)
- Option 3 - monthly experiences (for best results)
Prefer something a little more analytical? You need option 4.
I've teamed up with (pun intended!) Sarah Bourne from Shades of You Coaching to offer a 6-month Team Development Programme.
The programme includes:
- Exploration of personal & team communication and behavioural preferences using Insights Discovery profiles
- Monthly activities to maximise continuous development
- Monthly or quarterly Forest Bathing experiences
With all options, the benefits from Forest Bathing are proven to days and sometimes weeks and with a 3 hour monthly Forest Therap
y session, expected results include:
- Increased productivity
- Reduced presenteeism (reduced productivity at work)
- Fewer days lost to sickness
- Increased ability to feel trust, empathy and kindness towards others
- Better communication
- Reduced staff turnover
- Improved staff morale
I am insured, first aid qualified, enhanced DBS checked and have permission to work in various locations across Hamshire and West Berkshire including Winchester, Basingstoke, Newbury, Eastleigh, Southampton and Waterlooville.
Please contact me with any enquiries regarding wellbeing at work bookings.
Happy People 
"Forest Bathing is just an amazing healing experience!".
Nicla, Reading"The course of monthly sessions allowed me to become increasingly open and take the experience to a deeper level each time. The benefits radiate through my mind and body, long after the session iteself has finished".
Annie, Upham"Committing to a 3 month series of forest bathing sessions allows you to revisit your chosen site and receive something new each time. I also loved connecting with the group through our shared experience over a number of weeks/months".
Oonagh, Winchester"The guided auditory meditations provided symptom relief that I hadn’t felt in over a year!
The heightened sensory experience in a relaxed calm environment of the forest, with a professional, kind, welcoming instructor who adapted the session to enable me to participate with a hidden disability, was fantastic"
Shelly, Winchester"You helped us so much - V went to see you know who and made the vital work call, both things she has been putting off for weeks! I have also had a v good night’s sleep! Must be six months since that has happened with no night sweats.
We will be in touch for the next episode soon!”.
ES, Basingstoke"I have to admit I was a touch cynical, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. After only one session I was aware of things I have never noticed before, and the resulting sense of calm was overwhelming. Working in a group is beneficial as together you create a more rounded experience and everyone observes completely different things, which is quite fascinating".
Claudia, London"I really really enjoyed our forest therapy walk, I didn't really know what to expect but I found it to be incredibly relaxing and interesting, and the feeling of calmness stayed with me for a couple of days afterwards. Thank you".
Amy, Surrey"I did a three hour session with Sonya, it is genuinely the best thing that has ever happened to me.
Value for money, I can highly recommend."
George, Winchester"Enjoyed my Forest Therapy experience with Adore Your Outdoors. To stop and savour nature, slow down and disconnect for a couple of hours was very liberating. Highly recommend!"
Tilly, Birmingham"Sonya was a nurturing, sensitive and inspirational guide; her love for the forest and belief in its ability to heal and restore is infectious. Highly recommend".
Claire, Newbury"Certainly a therapy and great help for people in high pressure jobs to relax, unwind and let go completely, leading to a better social attitude and if carried forward can be positive to those who are in contact with them".
Philip, Odiham"Amazing experience! I struggle to relax most days. After the first half hour every single sense was awake to my surroundings. I saw and heard things I would never had noticed on a walk. Sonya guided us seamlessly through our invitations, and the three hours flew by. I was so at peace I dozed off in the last invitation and woke with a squirrel not 3 feet away!
The heightened senses and feelings of calm lasted several days."
Lisa, Weyhill"Forest bathing is a magical experience! You lose all sense of time whilst opening to the wonders of your surroundings and reconnecting with yourself. This was my second experience with Sonya - I had loved the first one but was surprised at getting even more out of the second. I believe that the next will be even deeper still - I guess I’m learning a new skill here!
In a hectic world it feels like such a luxury to fully escape".
Andrea, Sutton Scotney“After the first meditation it was as though my eye balls had been washed!”.
Jon, Southampton.““Wow! What an amazing experience. Sonya was a brilliant host. I was fully immersed in the forest bathing experience, losing myself in the surroundings. This was due to Sonya’s ability to put us at our ease and her peaceful manner. I felt the stress flowing out of me and peace flowing in. During one invitation, I totally lost track of time and the sense of where I was.
I was so peaceful and relaxed. I would recommend this to everybody”.
Paula, Winchester.