What is Thrive?

Strong social connections not only impact our mental health but our physical health too. Feeling socially connected is more important than ever, especially after a long period where our social interactions were restricted, and our close circle reduced. Here, Thrive discusses the importance of maintaining and prioritising our relationships for our overall health. We're designed to be social We all know that comforting upbeat feeling of human connection, when you come away from a catch up with friends feeling more positive, happier, and even lighter. As a species, human beings are inherently social creatures.  We are biologically wired to seek out connection from a time where humans hunted in tribes and being part of a group was necessary for survival. Humans need closeness, connection, and a sense of unity to thrive. Social connection is one of our core psychological needs which means it plays an essential role in how safe and satisfied we feel in our lives. Social groups provide us with an important part of our identity, forming who we are and teach us a set of skills and norms that help us to function throughout life. In today’s world though we lead increasingly busy lives trying to juggle and balance work, family, and other commitments. Often our friendships can fall to the wayside. However, strong connection and belonging to something bigger than ourselves are important for our overall health and wellbeing. The benefits of connectedness should not be overlooked, and therefore as a society we should be placing greater emphasis on investing in our friendships. The more connected we feel to other people, the more enriched our life becomes. Friendship and being part of a social group offer a variety of mental health benefits. It increases our feeling of belonging, boosts our sense of purpose, and improves our self-worth and confidence. Connectiveness helps us regulate our emotions, leads to higher levels of empathy and compassion, and can even reduce our stress levels. Studies show that people who feel connected to others report lower rates of anxiety and depression. Not only does good social connection impact our psychological wellbeing, its impacts our physical health as well. Countless studies have shown a lack of human connection and feelings of loneliness are more harmful to our health than obesity, smoking and high blood pressure. By neglecting our need to connect, we put our health at risk. It can even lengthen our lives. Extensive research that looked at the lifestyles of inhabitants within Blue Zone areas, a term given to geographically regions that are home to some of the world’s oldest people, found healthy social networks and high levels of community engagement were commonalities among the differing zones. Our relationships and social groups can alter the course of our life, shape the person we are and can change our perception of ourselves and the world as well as offer an important support system.  So as you can see, social connectedness creates a positive cycle of good social, emotional and physical wellbeing. To forge happy and healthy relationships, it is very important we continually attend to and nurture our connection with the people we consider important in our lives. After an incredibly long period where our social interactions were restricted and ultimately reduced, you may find your sense of connection has diminished. Here are some ways you can improve your social health and reignite your connection with others; Reach out to a friend you may have lost touch with or haven't seen in a while, remember it’s never too late to spark up an old friendship! Join a new club or try out a group activity: focus in on your interests and you’ll be sure to find a club or group full of like-minded people. Volunteer: this can strengthen your sense of purpose, provides an opportunity to meet new people and give back to your community. Invite a co-worker out for lunch: In-office days are great for connecting with your co-workers. Why not reconnect with your favourite work colleague or arrange a work group activity. Spend quality time with family: this could be planning a family BBQ, a movie night on the weekend or a family day out. Be Present: Step away from your devices when you are in company and have an uninterrupted chat. Social isolation is a challenging aspect of life to cope with and is detrimental to your health, please know the Thrive team is here to lend a friendly ear, if and when you need it most.

We all experience periods in life that contribute to increased stress levels and anxiousness. Be it exams, a work deadline looming, moments of uncertainty, crisis, or big life events.  However, it is how we cope through life’s ups and downs that is important. Maintaining good wellbeing is a crucial aspect of living that can help us endure and cope with periods of stress instead of floundering or struggling to cope effectively. And breathe… In moments of stress or anxiety our breathing patterns change.  You might notice your breath is shallow, out of sync or you might find yourself holding in your breath at times. This creates a vicious cycle as out of control breathing is caused by stress but also causes stress, prolonging the symptoms and making them worse.  Whereas deep, controlled breathing has the opposite effect. A slow and steady inhalation and exhalation signals the parasympathetic nervous system to calm the body down. As our breathing is an automatic, unconscious, habitual function of the body, we might not even notice how we are breathing. Therefore, it is important to tune into your breath.  There are countless breathing techniques which helps relax the body and mind, but the general aim is to shift from quick, shallow upper torso breathing to a slow, deep abdominal breath.  Take a minute to focus on your breathing and its pattern. Then place your hand on your stomach and strive to feel the abdomen expand and contract as you breathe in and out. Pay attention to how you feel after engaging in this breathing technique, you are sure to feel calmer.  Food for thought  We all know the tendency to comfort eat when feeling stressed or emotional and it can be tempting to seek out sugary, high calorie, high fat foods for instant gratification or out of sheer convenience. This response however only works in the very short term and again can aggravate our stress levels.  Stress and anxiousness can create digestive and gut issues. Simple things like drinking more water to stay hydrated, reducing your caffeine intake and eating three balanced meals each day can help. Stress can leave your energy reserves depleted and low on essential vitamins and minerals.  Consume plenty of wholesome food that is rich in good nutrients.  Foods high in Vitamin C are understood to reduce anxiety levels while green leafy vegetables and nuts are high in magnesium which can regulate our stress hormones.  Rest and digest  For our brain to function optimally it needs rest and this responsibility falls to the parasympathetic nervous system, also known as the rest and digest system. The parasympathetic nervous system slows our stress response by releasing hormones that relax the mind and body and is where digestion, detoxifying and healing occur.  To activate the rest and digest system, there is no other option but to relax. For some that is mediation, practising yoga or indulging in some self-care.  Self-care has become a popular notion in recent years, but it is not all bubble baths and face masks. Forms of self-care can be spending time in nature, exercising, reading, journaling, colouring, tidying your surrounds or spending time with loved ones. Simply put, self-care practises are tools to help ease our response to stress and enhance our body and mind’s ability to rest, reflect and replenish.  It is important to also take regular breaks throughout the day, a brief pause in momentum allows the brain space to think and process information and brings clarity that helps you feel in control and ultimately reduce stress.  Get some ZZZs The power of sleep to regulate our stress levels should not be underestimated. Stress and anxiety can lead to sleeping problems and a lack of sleep can affect your general wellbeing – again another vicious cycle we can find ourselves in.  When we are not getting enough sleep, it is more difficult to regulate our mood, emotions, and reactions, can affect our concentration, memory and even lead to poor decision making. It’s not always possible to get as much sleep as we would like, generally we should be aiming for at least 5 hours of sleep a night but ideally, we should aim for 7-8 hours. To feel well rested, it is important we develop habits and routines that aid our ability to drift off.  Create a healthy sleep routine by going to bed and getting up at the same time every day, avoid lie ins and naps that can then disrupt our natural sleep cycle.  Start your own personal wind down by creating a night-time routine that you then begin to associate with sleep. It can be as simple as brushing your teeth and washing your face, developing a night-time skincare routine, reading a book or stretching.    This is one of the harder habits to develop but try to limit your use of technology an hour before bed. Our devices keep us awake and stimulate the brain through the activity itself but also from the blue light emitted from the screen. Most phones these days have a blue light filter and can be scheduled to switch on at a certain time.  Thrive is the Institute’s dedicated wellbeing hub which provides emotional and practical support to our members, students and their family members for life. Should you find yourself in a difficult situation, the team at Thrive can help steer you through life’s ups and downs. Talk to us today on mobile: (353) 86 024 3294 or email us.

Burnout is no longer just an HR issue—it’s a leadership imperative. Here Niamh Manning, Marketing Executive for the Thrive Wellbeing Hub, explores how proactive, empathetic management can break the burnout cycle and build resilient, high-performing teams. Burnout has become one of the most pressing issues in the modern workplace, particularly for professional service industries where long hours, high-performance expectations, deadlines and client demands are quite typical. A work culture that prides itself on values of resilience, dedication and hard work can make burnout difficult to spot. While many organisations have HR policies and programs to combat burnout, it is managers who are often the cultural lynchpins and can be an impactful line of defence to break the cycle. It’s their ability to recognise and respond that can determine whether a team thrives or fractures. Managing burnout isn’t just a people issue – it’s a business-critical issue. A burned-out team are more prone to errors, more disengaged, and have low morale, resulting in an increased staff turnover and decreased client satisfaction. The manager toolkit: prevention through proactive leadership Understanding burnout Burnout doesn’t always look dramatic, and many suffer in silence, afraid to speak up fearing it could impact their career growth or be seen as a weakness. It often hides behind professionalism and a strong work ethic, but there are tell-tale signs. Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged or excessive stress, often linked to work but also present in other areas of life. Burnout generally manifests itself in three key dimensions: emotional exhaustion, cynicism and lack of personal accomplishment. This can present in many ways such as reduced attention to detail, irritability or frustration, withdrawing from team collaboration, decline in responsiveness or reliability, or even overworking. As managers get a sense of employees from their daily interactions, they are uniquely positioned to detect behaviour changes and early signs of burnout and make meaningful interventions and changes, but only if they are equipped and empowered to do so. Modelling healthy work habits Leaders set the tone for what is acceptable and expected in the workplace, particularly for younger employees. Modelling healthy boundaries and habits such as logging off at the end of the normal working day, taking breaks and switching off when on annual leave allows employees the space to do the same. However, it is also important to be realistic that some busy periods with high workload volumes are often unavoidable; equally, it is important to know that burnout rarely arises from a busy period – it stems from sustained, unmanaged stress with little or no room for recovery. Psychological safety An integral aspect of high-performing teams and the foundation for creating a culture of wellbeing and productivity, psychological safety in a group involves individuals feeling safe to speak up and share their views and ideas without the fear of negative consequences. Managers can foster this sense of safety by intentionally creating an environment where team members feel safe raising concerns. This can be done in easy and practical ways such as encouraging open dialogue, creating space for feedback, actively listening and modelling vulnerability and empathy. Regular ones-on-one meeting is the perfect way to talk about project updates but also to check in on workloads, stress levels and the employee as a person. Reduce ambiguity, encourage growth Ambiguity and stagnation breeds anxiety. Those with undefined expectations and/or little autonomy in their roles are more susceptible to the effects of burnout. Managers must ensure that employees understand their responsibilities and how they contribute to the wider goals – clear expectations reduce cognitive load and allow employees to focus and prioritise their energies. Managers should encourage autonomy and growth by involving team members in decision-making, providing opportunities for skill development and encouraging ownership of project and duties. When people feel like they’re growing and contributing to something meaningful, they can become more resilient. Recognition and appreciation Reinforcing a sense of value and accomplishment in individuals and teams can help prevent burnout. Managers should regularly acknowledge team members’ efforts and accomplishments. Feeling seen and appreciated can go a long way in encouraging and providing meaning and purpose to team members. Managing burnout when it happens Despite best efforts, however, burnout does occur. When it does, the focus should shift to recovery and retention by allowing employees affected to step back without pressure and temporarily lighten their workload to allow for recovery. Burnout is a leadership issue Managers should not be expected to be therapists, but they are expected to lead and they can be influential agents of change. Despite this pivotal role, many managers are usually not trained to recognise or address burnout. Employers have a responsibility to invest in leadership development that includes emotional intelligence, mental health literacy, and coaching skills. Managers are the conduits of an organisation’s culture. When they are empowered to lead with empathy, clarity, and care, they can transform the workplace from a source of stress into a source of strength. A manager who prevents burnout is not only protecting their team’s health but also preserving the organisation’s long-term resilience and success. If you are experiencing burnout or looking to support someone with burnout, Thrive is the Institute’s dedicated wellbeing hub that can provide advice and support. For additional advice and manager resources, check out CAW’s Wellbeing Toolkit for managers in the accountancy profession.