My Pocket Psych

Our monthly focus over on WorkLifeSpark is values and how to bring them to life. So, in this episode, I take a look at the importance of living values, not just talking about them. 
I use my recent extended holiday as a simple illustration of how to bring values to life in simple ways, but also explore how this can be done in the workplace. Values-in-action isn't always fun, though - so I take some time to explain why some of the meaningful things we do are important for their outcome, not for how they make us feel in the moment. 
As ever, please get in touch with your questions or feedback. And join WorkLifeSpark to contine the conversation on our online community. 
Thanks for listening! 
Resources for this episode
Values: it's about action - https://www.worklifepsych.com/values-its-about-action/
How do values and goals differ? https://www.worklifepsych.com/how-do-values-and-goals-differ/
How to use values and goals together - https://www.worklifepsych.com/how-to-use-values-and-goals-together/ 
Wellbeing: it starts with values - https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/ep-181-wellbeing-it-starts-with-values/

This episode continues our recent run on sleep, intentional rest and breaks, this time viewed through the lens of sustainability.
When working with coaching clients, I often ask them something along the lines of: Can you keep working the way you are right now without it costing you? That is the central question when it comes to working pace, intensity and sustainability. And it's sustainability, not just short-term output, that's the right lens for thinking about taking breaks. 
The bottom line is that if you're waiting for physical symptoms, a drop in performance, or feedback from others about how you look, it means you have already left it too late! Instead, reframe rest and breaks as a form of self-care - things you do proactively, to improve your wellbeing, before you absoutely need them. 
Do get in touch with your questions, comments and ideas. Email me 'podcast at worklifePsych.com' or join the conversation over on WorkLifeSpark, our online personal developmet community. Membership is free!
As ever, thanks for listening!
Resources for this episode
Ep 221: Sleep and rest - they're not optional! https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/221 
Ep 222: Rest is more than sleep - https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/222 
What is self-care and why does it matter? https://www.worklifepsych.com/self-care-what-is-it-and-why-does-it-matter/

In this episode, I continue the focus on sleep, rest and breaks, moving beyond sleep itself to explore the many other forms rest can take.
I explain why treating rest as something to be earned gets in the way of sustainable working. And actively hampers our performance and wellbeing. Why sleep is a biological imperative, but rest is a separate need requiring a conscious decision. How rest can take many forms - not just lying down!
The episode closes with a practical three-step exercise for building more rest into your week: list what counts as rest for you, get clear on your why, and start with one small change. I also include a message for all the high achievers out there: there are no prizes for pushing through without rest. 
Do get in touch with your questions, comments and tips! Email at 'podcast worklifepsych dot com' or join the conversation over on WorkLifeSpark, our online personal development community. 
Thanks for listening!
Resources for this episode
The Art of Rest, Claudia Hammond - https://claudiahammond.com/the-art-of-rest/
Article about Niksen from The Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/feb/07/the-art-of-doing-nothing-have-the-dutch-found-the-answer-to-burnout-culture
Ep 221: Sleep and rest - they're not optional! https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/221

In this episode, Richard is joined again by Dr Fiona Jane Meechin to tackle a topic that underpins everything else in workplace wellbeing: sleep.
They make the case that sleep isn't just one wellbeing habit among many. Rather, it's the foundation that determines whether everything else we do for our health and performance actually pays off.
The conversation covers why consistently short sleep is linked to serious physical and mental health risks (including a measurable rise in early mortality), and why sleep has something of an "image problem" — its benefits are invisible, unlike a healthy lunch or a gym session, which makes it easy to deprioritise.
Richard and Fiona also explore the connection between self-compassion and rest, discussing how a reluctance to rest often reflects a belief that rest has to be earned rather than treated as a basic requirement. They close with a practical, low-effort toolkit for better sleep - covering daylight exposure, caffeine and alcohol timing, evening wind-down routines, bedroom environment, and the case for treating naps and rest as a strategic tool rather than a guilty indulgence.
Please get in touch with your questions about sleep, wellbeing and performance. Email via 'podcast at worklifepsych dot com' or join the conversation over on WorkLifeSpark, our personal development community. 
Thanks for listening - and thanks to Fiona for her expertise. 
Resources for this episode
Ep 218: Self-compassion with Dr. Fiona Jane Meechan: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/218 
Get in touch with Fiona on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fionajanemeechan/
Find out about our approach to wellbeing: https://www.worklifepsych.com/wellbeing 
Check out Matt Walker's book 'Why we sleep': https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/295665/why-we-sleep-by-walker-matthew/9780141983769 
Sign up to WorkLifeSpark for free today: https://www.worklifespark.com/sign-up

In this episode, I look at how self-compassion can help us navigate organisational change - one of the most common, and often most difficult, experiences we face at work.
I start with a quick recap of what self-compassion actually is (and isn't): mindful awareness of our difficulties, a sense of common humanity, and genuine self-kindness — not softness, not lowered standards, and definitely not "keep calm and carry on."
I explore why change tends to feel threatening, even when it's handled well and how some of our typical responses can quietly undermine us during change, and how they can tip into unsustainable coping strategies. Then I turn to how self-compassion helps: acknowledging our distress honestly, connecting with others rather than pulling away, and taking intentional, kind action to support ourselves through the process.
I also bring in Martin Seligman's model of pessimism (personal, permanent, pervasive) and make the case for real optimism — not denial, but a mature belief in our own ability to navigate what's ahead. I close by connecting self-compassion to how leaders show up for others during change, including the risks of toxic positivity and unhelpful labelling.
You can always get in touch with your questions and comments - it's great to hear from listeners! Email at via 'podcast at worklifepsych dot com' or join the conversation over at WorkLifeSpark, our online personal development community.
Thanks for listening!
Resources for this episode
Ep 218: Self-compassion with Dr. Fiona Jane Meechan
Ep 219: Comparison or compassion?
Self-compassion: the missing ingredient: https://www.worklifepsych.com/self-compassion-the-missing-ingredient/
Join WorkLifeSpark today!