Working life can be very busy and stressful for many people, and for staff working in the NHS this is very much the case. I have had the privilege to offer my support to the wonderful staff at the brilliant St Wulfstan’s Surgery for some time now. So imagine my delight when I was invited to create a retreat day for all the staff.

I instantly knew who I wanted to bring along, and my dear friend Lexi and I set about planning the day. We both had a keen interest in the Blue Zones, and embarked upon creating a ‘Blue Zones Experience’.

The Blue Zones are the places around the world that have the most centenarians and people live long, healthy, and happy lives, and the researcher Dan Buettner set out to discover the secret to their longevity.

He soon discovered that it wasn’t intentional. It was simply their way of life and their environment that created their recipe for longevity.

Although there were differences across the Blue Zones, there were also common themes in how they lived their lives. They were naturally active from tending to their vegetable gardens, and they got together with family and friends to cook from scratch. They walked everywhere; to work, to church, to visit friends, to go to the shops, often walking up steep hills.  They prioritised family and loved ones, and had a strong sense of community. They made time to unplug and unwind often; spending time in nature and getting together with friends to play games, dance, socialise, and eat together. They had a positive outlook on life, took care of each other, and smiled, and laughed often.

Based on his learnings, Dan Buettner created his own Blue Zone approach to health and longevity; Eat wisely, Move naturally, Connect, Outlook.

This then, became the focus of our planning.

I have been learning about and supporting people with wellbeing for many years now and these themes resonate strongly. I have often shared Dr Chatterjees’s 4 Pillar approach (Move, Eat, Sleep, Relax), and of course these pillars are a wonderful framework. However, I also feel strongly that social connection is critical to our wellbeing, which is why am passionate about bringing people together. I also feel that compassion, especially self compassion, is critical to a sense of wellbeing. How we think and feel about ourselves has a huge impact on our nervous system and has the power to regulate or dysregulate our nervous system. This is something I am personally very intentional around and have a daily journaling practice, and heart math practice, to instil a healthy mindset and regulate my emotions.

So the scene was set. My brilliant friend, and mindset coach, Lisa Cressy & I created a very intentional opening session sharing Mind & Heart coherence techniques to instil a healthy mindset and an open heart. Perveen would then lead a gentle & light- hearted introduction into yoga, and then Lexi would nourish everyone with her incredible Blue Zone Menu. The venue was also immediately obvious; the stunning Wootton Park Wellness, with its wellness yurt amongst stunning Warwickshire countryside, complete with its own nature, and forest bathing expert, Mandy Berry, and to complete the day Lexi would lead a wonderful creative session making a collective mandala from natural materials.

The foundations were set for a wonderful day.

Of course it was also important to me to acknowledge and celebrate the brilliant staff from St Wulfstans, and to invite the wonderful GP partners to share a few words.

As a health coach it is resonates so deeply with me the importance of celebrating peoples strengths, and what a wonderful opportunity it was to celebrate kindness! They are clearly all very good at being kind, but it is so important that they also learn to offer themselves the same kindness they offer to others. It is absolutely critical for wellbeing. As a health coach I know all too well that people are very good at taking care of others, but often struggle to prioritise their own self care.

So, what a day it was!

Thanks to my brilliant team, we gave them the Blue Zone Experience we had hoped; we shared simple wellbeing practices, but we also gave them time and space to connect with themselves, each other, and nature, and perhaps most importantly an opportunity to unplug, relax, laugh, and hopefully enjoy themselves!

I am so grateful to Dr Kirti Viswanathan, and Dr Faris Al-Ramadani, and to my brilliant friends for bringing Lexi and I’s Blue Zone vision to life, and to all the staff who came with open minds and hearts and made it all so special.

Wellbeing doesn’t have to be complicated, and the Blue Zone recipe really is quite wonderful:

• Friendship & Family
• Nature
• Good Food
• Movement
• Making time to unplug, relax, and enjoy yourselves
• & a whole load of love and kindness.

If you want to learn more about the Blue Zones, I’d really recommend the Netflix Documentary; ‘Live to 100′.

Thank you for reading. Please take good care of yourselves, and I really hope to see you soon x