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04 Dec 2019 2,583
Self-care and development

Coach Well-being: Ways to Boost Physical and Mental Health

We need to make sure we’re looking after ourselves as coaches and paying attention to our physical and mental well-being. The ‘Five Ways to Well-being’ are a great starting point

Within the sport and physical activity sphere, there is lots of guidance about how to support positive mental health and the physical well-being of the people we coach. There is less guidance available about how to look after our own physical and mental well-being.

Being a coach is very rewarding.  

The positives include: 

  • feeling good about yourself 
  • learning new skills 
  • spending time with interesting and engaging people.  

To continue to appreciate this and learn from this, though, we need to make sure that we are also looking after ourselves as coaches.

The Five Ways to Well-being

The ‘Five Ways to Well-being’ offer key suggestions to boost your physical and mental well-being. The idea is that we build the five actions into our day-to-day lives.  

Importantly, they’re not virtual hugs or wishy-washy anything; paramount to well-being, they’re inspired by a review of the most up-to-date evidence in the area and are used at Mind and throughout the NHS. 

They are: 

  1. Connect: With the people around you. With family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. At home, work, school or in your local community. Think of these as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing them. Building these connections will support and enrich you every day. 
  2. Be active: Go for a walk or run. Step outside. Cycle. Play a game. Garden. Dance. Exercising makes you feel good. Most importantly, discover a physical activity you enjoy; one that suits your level of mobility and fitness. 
  3. Take notice: Be curious. Catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the unusual. Notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment, whether you are on a train, eating lunch or talking to friends. Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you. 
  4. Keep learning: Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Sign up for that course. Fix a bike. Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving. Learning new things will make you more confident, as well as being fun to do. 
  5. Give: Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thank someone. Smile. Volunteer your time. Join a community group. Seeing yourself, and your happiness, linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and will create connections with the people around you. 

Each action doesn’t need to be practiced in isolation. For example, your coaching sessions offer people the chance to learn something new, whilst being active and meeting new people.

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Infographic

This infographic provides intuitive examples to boost your well-being, intended to encourage you to prioritise your physical and mental health

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Tips

Top tips to help you connect with others, including the people at your sessions. Positive relationships provide a great well-being boost 

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Our resources for subscribers include tips to help you be more active, take notice, keep learning and give back, all of which can help your well-being

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Related Resources

  • Coach Well-being: Taking Time for Yourself

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