Our Wellbeing in The Workplace programme is designed to support your mental wellbeing alongside navigating your workplace commitments.

We regularly host a range of wellbeing sessions including yoga, mindfulness and nutrition. Stay up-to-date on our social media for the latest announcements or sign up to our Mailing List below

 

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Register for access to our Member’s platform

View previous recorded wellbeing sessions and access hints and tips from our team of experts on workplace health and wellness.

Our Wellbeing In The Workplace members area is currently accessible to those who have registered for any of our Wellbeing programmes as well as all SME employers and employees, self employed, sole traders and unemployed. Access is also available to employees whose organisations have signed up to our Workplace Support Packages 

If you do not fit in to one of these categories but would like further information and support for your workplace, or would like to join future wellbeing programmes and gain access to this area, please contact us at fitw@fertilitynetworkuk.org

To access our member’s platform, register here

Upcoming Sessions

You can view Fertility Network UKs general programme of health & wellbeing activities here

Group Mentoring Sessions

 

2nd Tuesday of every month

Peer to Peer Group Mentoring programme, providing a platform for women experiencing fertility challenges at work to offer each other support and guidance. Monthly online zoom meetings.

Group mentoring takes place in a collaborative, safe and facilitated environment.

Click here to find out more.

Previous Sessions

HOLISTIC WELLBEING FOR FERTILITY IN THE WORKPLACE – JUNE 2024

This 4 week holistic wellbeing programme helped participants achieve a more comprehensive understanding of body/mind connection (in relation to fertility) and promote overall well-being. 

SESSION 1 

Theory: Introduction to holistic fertility approach, Lifestyle medicine and comprehensive health optimization

Aim: Releasing all tension and discomfort from your joints, enabling a free and unrestricted flow of vital energy throughout the entire body. Inducing a sense of vitality, openness, and ease.

Practices included: yoga postures, breathing techniques, short relaxation techniques and simple meditation technique

SESSION 2 

Theory: stress management, what is stress, types of stress, how stress influences fertility outcome, lifestyle modifications to deal with the stress

Aim: becoming aware of the level of stress, where is stress stored in the body, releasing accumulated tension on the physical, mental and emotional level

Practices included: yoga postures, breathing techniques, energy lock (bandha) yoga nidra (non-sleep deep rest technique)

SESSION 3 

Theory: emotional management (awareness of the emotional states and how to deal with them with lifestyle interventions, specific tools of yoga and meditation)

Aim: awareness of the emotions, taking the attitude of a witness, their impact on body/mind, releasing and transforming negative emotions

Practices included: specific yoga postures for releasing emotional tension, breathing techniques, short relaxation techniques, meditation for emotional management

SESSION 4 

Theory: mental resilience and mental balance, how to stay mentally healthy during the fertility journey. Lifestyle interventions to achieve mental balance, the tools of yoga, breathing, meditation and relaxation for mental balance.

Aim: inner/outer balance, calming the mind, releasing negative thoughts, transforming negative thoughts into positive ones.

Practices included: balancing yoga postures, specific balancing breathing techniques,  yoga nidra (non-sleep deep rest technique), and inner silence meditation (has to do with the awareness of thought process).

Fertility & Mental Health – February 2024

This programme of 4 sessions was dedicated to exploring how understanding the impact of fertility on mental health could really improve your sense of wellbeing. These sessions introduced techniques to help you manage your stress levels with navigating fertility treatments and workplace commitments.
 

FERTILITY IN THE WORKPLACE – STRESS & FERTILITY

Research has shown that women with infertility report similar levels of depression and anxiety to women with cancer or heart disease. In fact, most women and a significant number of men, who are undergoing infertility treatment report high levels of depressive symptoms. Leading to the age-old question- can stress negatively impact the success rates of infertility treatment?
 

FERTILITY IN THE WORKPLACE – PREPARING YOURSELF FOR TREATMENT AND NAVIGATING RELATIONSHIPS

When preparing for a round of treatment, especially when it is your first, it can feel daunting and there are some things you can do to prepare yourself. It is also recognised that there can be strain and an impact on relationships and work. This can further add to the pressure of treatment but there are things you can do to support yourself.
 

FERTILITY IN THE WORKPLACE – SUPPORTING YOUR MENTAL HEALTH DURING FERTILITY

Join this session to learn about aspects of unexplained infertility and how to approach fertility in the workplace to ensure colleagues feel supported. Experiencing infertility is a huge emotional roller coaster, but when you have unexplained infertility, this can have a negative impact on mental health.
 

FERTILITY IN THE WORKPLACE – TRAUMA & INFERTILITY

Most people do not make the connection between infertility and trauma, yet many will experience different levels of trauma which have a lasting impact, even after successful pregnancies.
 

Wellbeing in the Workplace 6-Week programme – September 2023

This programme of 6 sessions was dedicated to exploring how taking care of yourself, both physically and mentally, could really improve your sense of wellbeing. From understanding nutrition to mindfulness, we aim to introduce techniques that could stay with you for life! 
 
Fertility challenges can be all consuming and sometimes we forget to take care of ourselves in the process, whilst still trying to balance work and life. We appreciate that small to medium sized businesses can find it difficult to provide additional resources to their employees, if they are experiencing personal fertility challenges. 
 
Fertility in the Workplace have crafted a wellbeing programme aimed at SMEs, business owners, or even those who are unemployed. 
 

Guided Art Therapy

In this therapeutic art session, Maria-Katharina Richters will guide you through an art therapy technique, using paper and coloured pens/crayons, which is a technique that communicates with your intuition. The benefits can include:

  • Inner peace and stress reduction
  • Calming an intense emotion
  • Unblocking a stuck energy
  • Building self-confidence and self-esteem
  • Fostering creativity

Fertility Yoga in the Workplace

Join Jane Dominey from FemFlow Yoga in this session using a unique approach to boosting your fertility from behind your desk. If you spend hours in the office with little to no movement, and not enough space to rollout a mat, then this unique practice is for you. This practice is designed for women in the office, however, for those of you who don’t work at a desk, there will be poses thrown in for you too.

Fertility & Nutrition

Join nutritionist Sarah Trimble in this session focused on nutrition, which is important for any woman trying to conceive. This education session will look at the importance of key nutrients, necessary for optimal reproductive health, including vitamin D. Sarah will discuss optimal dietary patterns for fertility and fertility boosting super foods, as well as how to eat better breakfasts and more nutritious lunches during the working week. We’ll look at the importance of better sleep and how a lunchtime walk could improve your sleep pattern.

Mindfulness

Join Natalie Wagstaffe, a practising Buddhist who has run a successful mindfulness practice for a decade. In this session, you will learn practical, time-efficient practices and tools which you can start using immediately to reduce stress levels and feel more at peace in your mind and body.

Balance and Breathwork

Join Anna-Marie Gough who started her therapeutic method with one goal in mind: to help people find calm, happiness and balance in their work, relationships, and life. This session will focus on using breathwork to achieve positive wellbeing. The way that we breathe affects every part of our mental and physical health and can enhance health, wellbeing and inner peace.

Understanding Mental Wellbeing & Infertility

Join Jenny Okona-Mensah, BACP registered Psychotherapeutic Counsellor and Mental Health Practitioner, who will be talking about the mental impact of infertility. The following will be covered during the session:

  • Understanding the impact of infertility on mental wellbeing
  • How you can support your own wellbeing during your journey & the importance of self care
  • Understanding the role of grief during infertility

Thanks to VCSE Health and Wellbeing Fund, part of a partnership programme between Department of Health & Social Care, NHS England, and UK Health Security Agency and our partnership with Bourn Hall Fertility Clinic, Fertility In The Workplace (FITW) are delighted to be able to offer free support packages to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) until March 2025! 

 

If you have any questions, please contact FITW@fertilitynetworkuk.org