Taking Time Out

As summer turns to autumn, we see our natural environment changing and adapting to ensure nature is ready for whatever winter brings. Fruit appears – it is the season of warming crumble and leaves start falling from the trees. Hedgehogs and squirrels are foraging, to make sure they have enough food to survive the winter months.

As the days draw shorter and the temperature drops; it is natural at this time of year to feel a bit ‘sad.’ However, embracing nature is a fantastic way to lighten the mood, de-stress, relax and connect with the world around you.

Here at Carbon, we are great believers in the benefits nature brings to our staff’s wellbeing and mental health; and are constantly thinking of ideas and initiatives to embrace this.

The provision of picnic lunches to have group lunches in local parks and gardens, has proved extremely popular, even if the weather did not always quite meet expectations and a couple of these encounters with nature involved wasps!

Other ideas throughout the year have included:

• Our January Wellness Challenge where staff were encouraged to spend time outdoors exploring their environments both near and afar. Staff rose to the challenge by climbing Arthur's Seat, exploring Duddingston Loch and even managing a trip to the French Alps to meet the criteria for ‘afar.’ The Wellness Challenge also gave Carbon the opportunity to further fundraise for the Trussell Trust.
• In March, we looked at how we could cultivate wellbeing through gardening. Did you know that we can get as much out of nurturing plants as we put in?
• Guidebooks highlighting short walks around our offices in Edinburgh, Perth, Aberdeen, Glasgow, and London are available in our Wellbeing Library. We encourage staff to escape from the office at lunchtime to stretch their legs, get some fresh air and relax.

Making time for nature is important for your mental and physical well-being. So, get outside and enjoy all that nature has to offer be-it your garden or somewhere further afield!

We look forward to furthering this theme in 2023 and would love to hear your own ideas on how to connect with the marvel of nature.