by Evie Andrews
It’s the 2nd of January. The year is now inexplicably 2025, and you can’t really scoff at the age of people born after the millennium anymore, as they are rapidly approaching their mid-20s. The festive period has come and gone; you’re potentially still hungover, experiencing an epic sense of deflation, or perhaps a heady mix of both. The world continues to spin upon its axis as the tinsel goes back into boxes, bolstered by the knowledge that sometime in the seemingly distant future, it will no longer get dark at 4pm.
Every year, we all pick ourselves up after the extravagant mores of the season, often taking up Dry January or other wellness-related endeavours to escape the winter blues. It can be easy to prioritise physical wellness at this time of year, but it’s important to think about introducing wellness practices where you may not anticipate needing them. Read on for some of our tips on how to maximise your energy levels this winter.
Wellness at Work
The average employee will spend just under 90,000 hours of their life at work: many may find this to be a depressing statistic, but given the inevitable reality that we all must earn a living, it doesn’t have to be (Andre Nabe, 2007).
Ultimately, pretty much everyone’s goal is to make the most of the life that they have. A common misconception is considering your work as separate to that life: a means to an end. Work is a regular if not dominant part of our lives, so why not make it the best experience it can be? The answer may very well be co-working.
Co-working spaces haven’t been around for long: the first official co-working space was started in San Francisco in 2005, with the concept quickly spreading to the UK and Germany. Soon, cafés started offering Wi-Fi, and demand grew for flexible workspaces. Global change accelerated with the financial crisis shrinking or eradicating large-scale offices for sole companies, and a cultural shift towards networking being an essential practice for successful businesses.
Co-working came to Bristol a bit later, with a variety of options opening around five years ago: this is where we come in. Square Works is just two doors down from the Square Club, and recently won the Best Co-Working Space Award at the Bristol Property Awards for the second time. With a thriving community, a varied events calendar and excellent facilities, there’s never been a better excuse to get back out there, either as an individual or a company.
Ditch the Gym Membership
January is commonly known as the month to hunker down. Whilst everyone else is still doing their best hermit crab impression, why not make the world your oyster? Go out, pick up hobbies, take up a sport: forgo the usual gym membership route and embrace creative rituals in your exercise routine. We are lucky to have access to an extensive range of classes in Bristol, from dance to pilates to squashall within walking distance of the Clifton Triangle. If dance is your thing, my personal favourite is AE Dance + Fitness: read more in our Winter Edit.
Hibernation is for Bears, Not for Humans
It’s tempting to fall into the trap of hibernating in the winter. It’s Baltic outside and for whatever reason, every social occasion seems to cost double what it did when the outside world was vaguely habitable.
Ironically enough, getting out more may be the answer to better sleep. I recently attended one of Sarah Bayliss’ nutrition talks here at Square Works, which was focused on optimising sleep. As with many aspects of wellness, this can be quite the rabbit hole, but I found the insights on adjusting the light your eyes receive throughout the day useful. Essentially, the trappings of modern civilisation including overhead lighting, screens and refined sugar have cursed us to collectively fight an uphill battle with our circadian rhythm.
Unfortunately, frolicking naked in the fields and huntergathering are a thing of the past, unless you have some very niche proclivities. For the rest of us, natural light in the morning, a midday walk and no screens before bedtime may very well improve the quality of your sleep. During the pandemic, many of us swapped the daily walk into work for a morning shuffle from bed to desk, and hybrid working has thoroughly ingrained itself in the UK workplace ever since. Whether you work from home or not, even just taking a quick walk after breakfast will help to re-orientate your body clock. If you catch the bus into work, try getting off a stop earlier to walk for fifteen minutes, or if you can, walk the whole way – I started walking in recently. If you work with me, you probably already know this, as repeatedly telling everyone makes the daily hyperventilation session at the top of Park Street worth the anaerobic struggle.
If you are interested in trying out co-working, accessing our exclusive partnership discounts or coming along to a nutrition talk, please do email hello@squareworksbristol.com. In any case, I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2025.
