2023 Wellness program year in review

Hello Reader,

It's been a while since I've written to you! These last few months have been busy at ConvertKit with annual planning and year-end activities, plus I finally had my own battle with Covid, which turned out to be just as fun as I'd imagined. 10/10 don't recommend.

I recently shared a year in review with our team and I'll share that with you as well, with the addition of some participation statistics and takeaways as a planner.

2023 ConvertKit Wellness Program year in review

Sometimes it can feel like life and the world has been a non-stop slog since early 2020. The mental health toll of the pandemic and all its ripple effects has been enormous.

Of course reducing incoming stress, and limiting the negativity you allow into your life is the best way to heal your brain and mood, but sometimes there are factors that are outside your control and it’s not possible.

For that reason this year we focused on activities that build strength and resilience in our minds, and habits that directly affect our brain health. The stronger our brains are, the better we can handle those stressful situations that are out of our control.

Let’s take a look back on our work this year, and ask ourselves which habits we want to keep, or restart!

Peer groups

We kicked off the year by forming Peer Groups based on challenges people were facing with burnout, loneliness and parenting during the pandemic. These have continued all year, and will continue until groups decide they’d like to stop!

Are you still getting a lot out of your peer group? What would you change to make it more valuable to you?

Participation

We had more than half the team sign up for a peer group! Over time people dropped off for different reasons, but the groups are continuing to meet every month and support each other through stressful times.

Gratitude and journals

Next we learned that a regular gratitude practice can actually change your brain chemistry! We got journals and had daily prompts to write about.

Do you still have a gratitude practice?

Participation

Without a challenge here I expected participation to be lower, and we had about 25 (~37% of the team) people participate. I like this one as for its low barrier to entry, it can encourage people who are less likely to participate in other challenges.

Brain foods

We learned about how what we eat and drink affects our brains. (spoiler: the effect is massive!) We talked about focusing on things like: probiotics, healthy fats, fiber and antioxidants, while avoiding things like: sugar, caffeine and alcohol.

Have you made any changes in your diet to help your mental health?

Participation

This one was just education, I use these posts as a way to take a break before a high engagement challenge like the 5k.

Once again this year we ran our 5k race, but this time we focused on the impact of regular movement on our brains and moods. We also had a lot of fun on our teams!

Are you still running or walking? Or waiting for the 5k to come around again next year?

Participation

We had 26 people (~40% of the team) participate in this one, and it was once again one of the most popular for the year! Even people who don't run love to see the friendly (and aggressive) competition that happens. Several people on our team have mentioned that this is the only time of year that they run, and it gets slightly easier each year. That's a huge win in my book!

Fun

We talked about how important it is to have fun! Fun can have a meaningful impact on your mood, especially if it’s regular.

Is it snowing right now where you are? Can you build a snowman, or go sledding or have a snowball fight? Or are you just figuring out when to shovel your walk?

Participation

This was another education month, though I did add a small challenge to do fun things that week. People responded well but I didn't track participation for this.

Phone time

What a doozy. We all know we need to spend less time on our phones, but we learned just how impactful phones are on our brains, and how addicting! We committed to spending 2 hours less per day on our phones for 2 weeks.

How is your screen time level now?

Participation

This one had our highest participation for the year! 31 people (50% of the team at that time) participated. Many people mentioned it in response to this year end post as well. It is clear to me that finding ways to disengage from technology, social media, and media in general is going to be really important.

Outdoor movement

In September we circled back to movement, just because it’s so powerful for our mental health. This time we did a simple challenge of 30 minutes of outdoor movement per day. We worked in pairs so teammates could back each other up.

Are you still getting outside to move your body?

Participation

This challenge started well, but without a prize to work towards we lost people along the way. Started with 34 people (53% of the team) and 18 finished. If I run this one again I will add a prize, maybe even just for the team with the most moving time outside.

Sleep

We closed out the year focused on sleep. Consistent good sleep, 7-9 hours per night, has a huge impact on your mental health. We did a challenge for two weeks focused on habits that helps us sleep better.

We’ve done the sleep challenge for a few years now, has your sleep hygiene improved permanently? What habits do you still struggle with here?

Participation

This was another one with some drop off, even though there was a great prize! We started with 36 people and 20 finished. I think the habits were challenging to maintain over a holiday week, but sleep hygiene is hard in general so it may just be a challenge that works this way.

At the end I asked these 3 questions, and I got some great feedback to help me plan next year!

Which of these was your favorite?
How does your resilience/mental health feel now compared to the start of the year?
Have any of these habits stuck?

I hope this helps you as you plan your wellness program for next year. As always, feel free to copy anything we do or reach out directly if you have any questions.

Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season!

Elizabeth

2023 Wellness program year in review

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