8 Weeks of Wellbeing

As we moved from winter into spring, with the days slowly becoming longer and brighter, I wanted to explore simple ways to improve the team’s mental and physical wellbeing.

The start of 2026 has felt quite intense… between work, personal life, global events, and endless dreich weather, and I found myself feeling low at times.

So, I had an idea. I recently came across the book 52 Weeks of Wellbeing: A No-Nonsense Guide to a Fulfilling Work Life, and it inspired me to try something new. I decided to experiment with different wellbeing practices to see which ones could realistically become part of my daily routine.

I chose to run this as an 8-week experiment, and share the experience with colleagues. Each week, I introduced a simple challenge and invited others to join in if they wished. We also hosted informal Monday lunchtime drop-in sessions to reflect, share feedback, and keep each other accountable.

Try it with your team!

 

Week 1 – SINGING

This week’s challenge is > Sing out loud for 10min a day

You can do this in the morning while getting ready for work, in the shower, while hoovering, or when you are driving…alone or in good company.

Studies show that singing is incredibly beneficial for both physical and mental health, especially when done in groups. Choir or group singing helps build a sense of community, belonging, and social connection, reducing loneliness and improving overall wellbeing.

Why singing is good for you?

• Mental wellbeing & mood boost: singing releases endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin, the feel-good hormones that reduce anxiety, stress, and feelings of depression.
• Physical health & immunity: regular singing can boost the immune system by increasing and reducing the stress hormone cortisol.
• Improved breathing & cardiovascular health: it promotes deep, diaphragmatic breathing, similar to yoga or aerobic exercise, which improves lung capacity, oxygenates the blood, and helps manage blood pressure.
• Cognitive stimulation: singing aids in memory, concentration, and cognitive function, especially in people with dementia.
• Pain management: the release of endorphins acts as a natural, emotional, and physical pain reliever

Now, let’s make it fun! Throughout the week, create your own I Love Singing playlist.

 

Week 2 – STRETCHING

This week’s challenge is > Office stretching every workday

Because of the nature of our jobs, many of us spend long hours sitting at our desks. A bit of movement during the day can make a huge difference. You can fit these stretches in anytime… while boiling the kettle, making lunch, or even during a loo break.

What are the key benefits of regular stretching?

• Increased flexibility & mobility: consistent stretching improves joint range of motion, allowing for easier daily movement and decreased muscle stiffness.
• Reduced injury risk & pain: flexible muscles are less likely to experience strain or damage during activity. It also aids in relieving back pain and reducing muscle tension.
• Enhanced circulation: stretching increases blood flow to muscles, which can help with faster recovery and improved blood pressure.
• Stress relief & mental health: stretching releases endorphins, which act as natural mood elevators, while also reducing muscle tightness caused by anxiety.
• Improved posture: by targeting specific muscle groups, stretching aids in keeping muscles aligned, which leads to better posture and decreased musculoskeletal pain

HERE you can find short video demonstrations to guide you through stretching exercises.

 

Week 3 – GRATITUDE

This week’s challenge is > Practice gratitude daily

Research shows a consistent connection between the experience of gratitude and a variety of positive psychological, physical, and relational outcomes. By cultivating thankfulness for what one has, it boosts mood-enhancing neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.

Why does gratitude enhance happiness?

• Rewires the brain: Consistent gratitude practice strengthens neural pathways associated with positive emotions, reducing reliance on stress-producing, negative cognitive patterns.
• Boosts physical and mental health: Grateful individuals often experience lower levels of cortisol, reduced anxiety/depression, better sleep quality, and fewer physical aches.
• Improves relationships: Expressing gratitude strengthens bonds with others, fostering pro-social behaviour and reducing feelings of isolation.
• Cultivates positivity over materialism: Instead of focusing on what is missing, gratitude fosters satisfaction, reducing the envy and discontentment that often accompany materialistic pursuits.
• Enhances resilience: Gratitude helps individuals manage stress and find positive meaning during challenging times.

This week, I invite you to practice gratitude for just 5 minutes a day – studies show this can significantly increase happiness levels.

 

Week 4 – SLEEP

This week’s challenge is > Improve your sleep hygiene

If we look at global statistics, around 16.2% of adults globally suffer from insomnia, with 7.9% experiencing severe insomnia. Approximately 32.8% of adults do not get enough sleep. Some experts even describe sleep problems as an epidemic.

To help improve both falling asleep and sleep quality, we are focusing this week on sleep hygiene.
Sleep hygiene refers to healthy habits you can practise during the day to support a good night’s sleep.

How to improve your sleep hygiene?

• Sleep when sleepy: Avoid staying in bed awake for long periods.
• Get regular: Go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time each day.
• Create sleep rituals: Develop calming routines that signal to your body it’s time to sleep – such as gentle stretching, breathing exercises, or a caffeine free tea.
• Exercise regularly: Physical activity supports good sleep, but avoid strenuous exercise within four hours of bedtime. Morning walks are a great option!
• Reserve your bedroom for sleep: Try to avoid watching TV, reading, or working in bed so your brain associates it with rest.
• Limit electronic devices before bed: Screens can stimulate your brain and make falling asleep harder.
• Avoid stimulants after lunch: Caffeine can last up to six hours – this includes coffee, tea, energy drinks, chocolate, and alcohol.
• Eat a light evening meal: Going to bed too full – or too hungry – can disrupt sleep.
• Get natural daylight exposure: Morning and early afternoon light helps regulate your sleep wake cycle.
• Limit daytime naps: Long or late naps can interfere with nighttime sleep.
• Don’t force sleep: If you can’t fall asleep after about 20 minutes, get up and do something calm until you feel sleepy again

Looking for proven techniques to fall asleep faster?

• US Navy Technique: Relax facial muscles, drop shoulders, relax chest/legs, and clear your mind for 10 seconds, potentially allowing you to fall asleep in 2 minutes.
• 4-7-8 Breathing: Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, hold for 7, and exhale through your mouth for 8.
• Progressive muscle relaxation: Tense and then release different muscle groups, beginning with your eyebrows, then eyes, jaw, and working down to your feet.
• Cognitive shuffling: Distract your brain from worry by thinking of random, non-threatening items, which keeps you from entering an alert state.
• Visualise a peaceful scene: Imagine a serene, quiet setting (like a, quiet, calm lake or a, safe, comfortable hammock) to prevent stressful thoughts – my therapist suggests to imagine a blue dome.

Useful links:

NHS – Sleep Problems

Age UK – How to improve your sleep

Mental Health Foundation – How to sleep better

Headspace – Sleep hygiene tips

AASM Sleep Education – Healthy Sleeping Habits

 

Week 5 – FOOD

This week’s challenge is > Food for happiness

If you know me, you will know how much I love food. For me, food represents love, conviviality, identity, tradition, and art. Being Italian, much of life revolves around food and the table: you discuss business around a table, bring family together around a table, and cook to show love or create something beautiful. I truly believe some chefs are artists as they create works of art.

Food is also self love. We often say “you are what you eat”, meaning that the food we consume deeply influences our physical health, mental wellbeing, and even how our brain works. With this in mind, I encourage you to choose the food you put into your body consciously, as it directly affects how we feel and function.

Food, Mood & the Gut

Nutrients in food are essential for producing our “feel good” chemicals, serotonin and dopamine. More than 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut, so a healthy gut often means a better mood. To support gut health, prebiotics and probiotics are a great place to start. They can help reduce anxiety and support overall wellbeing.

Prebiotics can be found in:

•  Oats
• Bananas
• Legumes (beans and peas)
• Berries
• Onions, leeks, and asparagus

Probiotics can be found in:

• Kombucha (fermented tea)
• Sauerkraut (fermented cabbage)
• Kimchi (fermented vegetables)
• Yoghurt (with live cultures)
• Kefir (fermented milk)

Top foods to boost your mood as part of a varied and balanced diet:

• Fatty fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel are rich in omega 3s, essential for brain health and mood regulation
• Dark chocolate (70% cocoa or above) improves blood flow and releases endorphins
• Complex carbohydrates & fibre like oats, brown rice, beans, wholemeal bread provide steady energy and support serotonin production
• Nuts & seeds like almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds are rich in magnesium, which helps reduce stress
• Leafy greens & vegetables -spinach in particular – are high in folate and magnesium
• Fruit a great source of fibre
• Eggs are packed with B vitamins, healthy fats, and protein that support brain health

Foods to Limit

• Sugary foods, white bread
• Saturated fat, such as butter, palm oil and coconut oil
• Alcohol
• Highly Processed food

Planning your meals and cooking what you eat can really help you stay in control of your diet. I try to cook most of what I eat – batch cooking is especially helpful for saving time and keeping food costs down.

Useful Links:

BBC – Nutrition Calculator

British Heart Foundation – 7 days of healthy meals on a budget

NHS – The Eatwell Guide

 

Week 6 –  FRIENDSHIP

This week’s challenge is > Message a loved one

This week, I would like us to focus on friendship, a relationship that’s often underrated, yet one that can profoundly enrich our lives.

Friends are the witnesses to our lives. They are the family we choose, the ones who help pick up the pieces when things get tough. It’s not about quantity but quality: some friendships last a lifetime, while others walk alongside us for just one chapter of our journey.

I truly believe in the power of friendship, and I am incredibly lucky to call my friends exceptional human beings. In my darkest moments, they reminded me who I was, even when I felt lost.

When we talk about wellbeing, we can’t not talk about friendship.

So this week’s challenge is simple: send a message or make a call to a friend you haven’t been in touch with for a while. Connecting with loved ones has been shown to significantly improve wellbeing – lowering stress, reducing loneliness, and releasing endorphins that boost happiness. Regular contact strengthens emotional support, fosters a sense of belonging, and can even reduce the risk of chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and heart disease.

I loved the recent conversation between Simon Sinek and Trevor Noah on friendship, loneliness, vulnerability…click HERE if you want to watch.

 

Week 7 – NATURE

This week’s challenge is > Take a walk in nature

It’s no surprise that walking in nature is good for both mind and body. Being outdoors can trigger measurable changes in the body, from lowering stress hormones and easing blood pressure to even improving gut health.

Any kind of walking supports brain health: the impact of each footstep increases blood flow to the brain, which can help improve memory, cognitive function, and protection against cognitive decline.

A recent BBC article highlighted how as little as 20 mins of outdoor walking can have significant health benefits, even more so if you can fit in a couple of walks each week.

And while walking is already beneficial, walking in nature amplifies these effects. Research published on Nature.com, involving nearly 20,000 people, found that those who spent at least 120 mins a week in green spaces were significantly more likely to report good health and higher psychological wellbeing.

Another study by the Woodland Trust showed that 90% of people reported sensory experiences in woodlands – such as the sound of trees rustling- had a positive impact on their wellbeing.

Can’t get into nature? Bring nature to you! There are simple ways to bring greenery into your home or workspace and trigger similar benefits:

• Surround yourself with plants and flowers – studies suggest white or yellow roses can create a calming effect on brain activity
• Hang pictures or paintings of nature
• Change your laptop screensaver to images of greenery or natural landscapes
• Use a diffuser with essential oils such as pine, which may have calming effects
• Create a playlist with sounds of nature

At my flat, I have more plants than square metres and that’s because being surrounded by green really supports my wellbeing.

 

Week 8 – DAYLIGHT

This week’s challenge is > Get as much daylight as possible

It’s incredible how longer days – and sunshine – can have such a positive impact on our mood and energy levels.

I recently attended the book launch of Liz Earle’s How to Age, where sunlight was described as a pro ageing superpower, alongside water and vibrational energy. The book focuses on mitochondria, the “powerhouses” of our cells, which are increasingly recognised by scientists as a central factor in how we age.

Mitochondria:

• produce around 90% of the body’s energy,
• play a key role in cellular repair,
• help regulate chronic inflammation,
• manage oxidative stress, and
• influence key longevity pathways.

One of the key messages from the book is to treat light as daily nutrition.

For this week, aim to get an early morning dose of natural light each day, enjoy brief and sensible midday sun for vitamin D, and opt for dimmer, warmer light after dusk. This simple rhythm supports mitochondrial function and helps regulate your circadian clock – benefiting your mood, metabolism, immunity, skin health, and sleep, and supporting healthy ageing overall.