Most workplace wellbeing advice quietly assumes you have time you don't have. Take a long lunch. Meditate for 20 minutes. Book a retreat. Meanwhile, your calendar is a wall of back-to-back meetings and your inbox is multiplying.
Mental Health Awareness Week may be over, but looking after your wellbeing doesn't stop when the week does. So here's a different approach. The habits below each take five minutes or less, fit around a real corporate day, and are backed by a framework many New Zealanders will recognise: the Five Ways to Wellbeing from the Mental Health Foundation of NZ (Connect, Give, Take notice, Keep learning, Be active).
You don't need to do all five. Pick one, try it for a week, and see how it feels. Small and consistent beats big and abandoned.
1. Connect: have one real check-in a day
Work conversations often stay strictly on task, which makes it easy to go a whole week without talking to anyone about anything that matters. I think sometimes, the real stuff gets lost in autopilot - “How are you?” followed by “I’m good.”
Try this:
Start one meeting a week with a genuine "How are you actually going?" and leave a moment for the answer.
Message a colleague you haven't spoken to lately. Even "Thinking of you, how's your week?" counts.
Swap one catch-up call for a walk or a coffee.
Human connection is one of the strongest buffers against stress, and it costs nothing.
2. Give: say one specific thank-you
Generic praise fades quickly. Specific appreciation sticks. "That summary saved me an hour, I really appreciate your support" lands far better than "Great job."
Try this:
Send one specific thank-you a day, by message, email or in person.
Name the action and the impact: what they did and what it made possible.
It takes about 60 seconds, and it lifts the person receiving it and the person giving it. I’ve often caught myself smiling when a client sends me a message of appreciation or a friend texts me saying they’re thinking of me while sitting at our favourite café. ❤️
It’s the little things that make you feel seen, remembered, and appreciated. Over time, it quietly shapes team culture.
3. Take notice: reset between meetings and shut down at the end
When every hour is booked, our brains never get a chance to catch up. Taking notice means pausing long enough to register how you're feeling. Maybe it’s just me, but sometimes, I shut down my laptop, sit by the big window, and simply watch people go about their day.
Those few minutes of quiet and stillness, with no thoughts of work, have a way of filling me up again.
Try this:
The two-minute reset. Between meetings, stand up, look out a window and take a few slow breaths. Drop your shoulders. That's it.
The shutdown ritual. At the end of the day, write tomorrow's top three priorities, close your laptop and say "done" (out loud if no one's listening). It gives your brain permission to switch off, which makes evenings far more restful.
Practise it live: The Focus Reset
Breathwork is my absolute favourite practice, on busy days and quieter ones. It's non-negotiable for me, for good reasons, and it's also why this became the most requested workshop with my corporate clients.
If you'd like to learn this simple yet powerful practice, which gives you a quick mental reset for better focus, productivity, clarity and creativity, join us for The Focus Reset, a 60-minute masterclass.
When: Tuesday 27 October, 11:30am to 12:30pm
Where: Mosaic, 2 Wakefield Street, Auckland CBD
Trust me, you won't regret it. Click the button below and give your mind the healthy break it truly needs.
4. Keep learning: The human brain thrives on learning
When work becomes a stream of tasks, it's easy to feel like nothing more than your inbox. A little curiosity outside your to-do list helps remind you that you're a whole person.
Try this:
Spend ten minutes on a podcast, article or short course, ideally on something not tied to a deadline. Recently, I’ve found myself getting more curious about how our food habits impact our body, mind, and overall well-being. I’ve been loving learning more about it!
What’s something you’ve been curious to learn more about lately?
Ask a colleague to explain what they do, or what they're learning.
Keep a running list of things you'd like to learn so you always have something to reach for.
5. Be active: build movement into the day you already have
You don't need a gym session to benefit. Regular, gentle movement through the day supports both mood and energy. I have been the loudest promoter of movement as I have experienced first hand how it lifts my mood. I have a little rule: every time I have to speak in front of a crowd, I make sure I get a tough workout in that day.
Why? To remind myself that I can do hard things! 💪
It gives me such an emotional boost, and there’s something so empowering about feeling good in my body, too.
I get to carry that energy into the room and share it with every person I meet
Try this:
Take calls while walking (headphones in, fresh air on).
Do a lap of the block at lunchtime.
Stand or walk for any meeting under 30 minutes.
Use the stairs, or park a little further away.
Bonus habits for the corporate calendar
A few extra changes that make a big difference to how a working day feels:
Add buffers between meetings. Shorten them to 25 and 50 minutes, or block 5 to 10 minutes in between.
Eat lunch away from your desk at least three days a week.
Turn off non-essential notifications after a set time each evening.
Actually take your annual leave, including the odd long weekend. Rest isn't a reward for finishing the work. It's what makes good work possible.
Take a short walk around the block without your music, podcast or phones.
The 5-Minute Rule - Wake up 5 minutes earlier to enjoy some quiet time in the morning, or put all your devices away 5 minutes before bed to help your mind wind down. Sometimes, the smallest pauses make the biggest difference.
A note for managers and leaders
Teams copy what leaders do, not what they say. If you want your people to look after their wellbeing, you can make it easier by:
Modelling the habits yourself. Take your lunch break, use your leave, leave on time sometimes.
Avoiding non-urgent messages after hours, or using scheduled send so they arrive in working hours.
Asking "What's on your plate?" before adding to it. Each team member has a different capacity.
Making support visible. Remind your team about your Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) if you have one. Or, any other programs you must be running in the company to support the health & wellbeing of your people.
Culture is built through small, repeated signals. Each one tells people it's okay to be human at work.
Start small this week
If this list feels like a lot, ignore most of it. Choose one habit and try it for five working days. Then notice what changes, even slightly.
Wellbeing isn't about doing everything right. It's about giving yourself, and the people around you, a little more room to breathe.
Which habit will you try this week? Tell a colleague, and challenge them to join you.
Let's talk about your people
Would you like to bring a wellbeing initiative, framework or set of practices into your workplace that will actually move the needle? Let's start with a chat. No promises, just a simple conversation to understand your people, your vision and goals for team performance & leadership, and what you'd like to support them with.
I'd be happy to share the work I've done and the change it's creating.
