This section provides definitions and quick links for some common wellbeing-related terms that you might see throughout this Toolkit and elsewhere on the LSE webpages (especially Staff Wellbeing).
Annual leave: the link between annual leave and wellbeing is a well-established one. However you choose to use your annual leave, it's recommended that you aim to take regular breaks throughout the year rather than 'bunching' your leave into one or two blocks. The Annual leave guide webpage is a good resource for more guidance about ways to make better use of your annual leave.
Caffeine: there has been plenty of research into the links between caffeine and wellbeing. Overall, it looks like, while caffeine can have perks (such as boosting alertness and energy) too much can some unpleasant side effects. What's more, caffeine dependency can be a habit that's difficult to shake.
Digital detox: a digital detox means giving up your electronic devices for a short period of time. While this can be challenging to do given how many of us are logged onto our computers for much of the daylight hours, there are some measures we can take as mini 'detoxes' - including taking time away from screens at lunchtime and avoiding (as far as possible) checking work emails outside work hours. Of course, annual leave can also be a great opportunity to take a digital detox.
Environmental wellbeing: reducing your environmental impact by going greener can be beneficial for your own wellbeing. This webpage is a good place to start if you're looking to take steps for your environmental wellbeing.
Financial wellbeing: this can mean different things to different people, but it will often mean being in control of your day-to-day finances and developing the financial freedom to make your own choices. Financial wellbeing is increasingly an area of focus for many organisations, including LSE - see this webpage for details of financial wellbeing resources including LSE Extras, webinars and more.
Habits: one way in which you might find the Wellness Toolkit useful is its advice about ways of forming effective wellbeing habits. Equally, you can find in the Toolkit (as well as on the Staff Wellbeing webpages) support and resources for tackling those habits that are problematic or hard to shift.
Professional wellbeing: this term encompasses the ways in which wellbeing is prioritised throughout LSE's culture - and in particular within individual roles. Blended working (which when done well can benefit individual wellbeing and work-life balance) is one example of this. Another example is the way in which wellbeing is an important part of the employee-manager working relationship, so that wellbeing should be part of one-to-one catch-ups and the CDR process. The Professional Wellbeing webpage has details about this and more.
Self-care: one popular dictionary defines 'self-care' as 'the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one's own health'. More specifically, we can understand self-care as the practice of taking an active role in protecting your own wellbeing and happiness, in particular during periods of stress. The Wellness Toolkit is especially designed to enable staff to take action for their own self-care: if you're looking to take a proactive approach to your wellness, you'll find tips, tools and more throughout the Toolkit that you can use and adapt to what works best for you.
Sleep: it's increasingly recognised just how important good sleep is to your overall wellbeing. For some guidance and tips about how to create a healthy sleep routine, just click here.
Social wellbeing: one definition of 'social wellbeing' could be having a strong sense of belonging to a community. As many of us continue to work remotely for part of the working week, it's never been more important that we have effective ways of staying connected and also contributing to others. For more information about social wellbeing, including specific School resources and initiatives, see the webpage.
Stress: the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines stress as ‘the adverse reaction a person has to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed upon them’. While a certain level of pressure is common (and indeed can be beneficial) for many job roles, a prolonged state of stress can be significantly detrimental to our wellbeing. For this reason, this Toolkit includes a dedicated section to help staff and managers to spot and address signs of stress, as well as an updated Stress Risk Assessment template which can be used to identify potential work-related stressors and ways to mitigate them.
Volunteering leave: giving back can in turn have a positive impact on our own wellbeing. The School supports and encourages volunteering by enabling staff to take up to five paid days a year (pro-rata for part time staff, running from January to December) to undertake voluntary work. If this sounds like something you'd like to pursue, you can find out details here.