Wellbeing advice can arrive as a long list of things to improve. When life already feels full, a useful starting point is to look at what is happening around you, what support is available and what might fit into the day you actually have.
For workplaces, the same principle applies. A wellbeing session can create space for reflection and practical learning. Its value also depends on what people return to afterwards: their workload, the expectations around availability and their ability to take a break.
SHINE offers a way to explore these questions through Sleep, Hydration, Intention, Nourishment and Exercise. You can use the foundations to choose a starting point, without creating a new set of targets.
Look at the conditions around the habit
Imagine an employee who regularly eats lunch while answering messages. They may already want a proper break. Asking them to be more disciplined leaves several questions unanswered. Is there cover? Are urgent requests constant? Does their manager routinely book meetings across lunch?
A useful response might involve changing meeting times, arranging coverage or clarifying what can wait. The individual may still choose how to use the break, but the team has helped make that choice possible.
The World Health Organization identifies excessive workloads, limited control and inflexible working hours among the risks to mental health at work. Its guidance recommends organisational interventions that address working conditions. This supports an important distinction: personal wellbeing practices sit alongside action on the work itself. [1]
The examples below are options for reflection. Their suitability will vary with individual circumstances, access needs and professional advice.
Sleep
Begin by noticing what affects your opportunity to rest. For some people, the relevant issue may be work messages late in the evening. For others, it may be caring responsibilities, shift patterns or an ongoing health condition.
One possible step is to agree with your team when a response is expected and when it can wait. A leader can help by making those expectations explicit and using delayed sending where appropriate. If sleep difficulties persist or concern you, seek individual advice from a qualified healthcare professional.
Hydration
Consider whether drinks are accessible during your normal day. A person moving between sites or working in a role with limited opportunities to step away faces different conditions from someone working at a desk.
A possible starting point is noticing where access breaks down and discussing a practical arrangement. Leaders can ask whether staff have realistic opportunities to get a drink. Individual fluid needs and restrictions vary, so follow any advice provided by your treating professional.
Intention
When everything appears urgent, choosing where to put your attention can be difficult. You might begin the day by identifying the work that most needs your attention, then checking whether the planned workload is realistic.
At team level, this requires agreement about priorities. If a new task arrives, discuss what will move or stop. Asking someone to set better boundaries is more useful when their manager helps resolve competing demands.
Nourishment
Food choices happen within real constraints, including cost, preparation time, cultural preferences, allergies and medical requirements. A useful question is what would make suitable food easier to access during the day.
A personal step might be planning one manageable option for a particularly busy day. A workplace step could involve protecting meal breaks or checking that catering meets agreed dietary requirements. Avoid making assumptions about what another person should eat.
Exercise
Movement options need to respect a person's capacity, preferences and health advice. A workplace should offer choice and accessible participation, including for people for whom exertion may worsen symptoms.
One person may welcome a walking meeting. Another may need a seated conversation or a quiet break. Ask what works for the person involved and make alternatives equally acceptable. Mandatory activity challenges can undermine that choice.
Try a brief SHINE reflection
Choose one foundation that feels relevant. You do not need to address all five. Use these prompts privately, or offer them as an optional reflection in a team session:
Notice what already helps. Identify one practice or condition worth protecting.
Name the obstacle. Is it about time, access, expectations, health, confidence or something else?
Identify who can help. Some changes are within your influence; others need a manager, colleague or qualified professional.
Choose a manageable response. This could be an action, a request for support or a decision to pause.
Set a time to review it. Consider what helped, what remained difficult and what needs to change.
For example, someone might notice that a protected lunch break helps them, but meetings regularly displace it. Their next step could be to discuss meeting times with their manager and trial a change. The review would examine whether the break became possible, rather than judging the person for missing it.
Make the workplace conversation useful
Leaders can invite feedback about work without asking people to disclose personal health information. Ask which demands are making breaks difficult, where priorities conflict and what the team could change. Offer a private route for individual concerns.
Agree a practical action and return to it. If meeting overload is the obstacle, changing the meeting schedule is a more relevant response than sending another wellbeing reminder. Where issues require specialist support or organisational decisions, involve the appropriate people.
Participation should allow choice. People should be able to reflect privately, decline an activity or request an adjustment. Attendance or habit streaks alone provide little insight into whether working conditions have improved.
Explore SHINE with your workplace
SHINE workplace webinars and workshops provide space to explore everyday wellbeing, discuss practical options and identify realistic next steps. The SHINE Reset offers an introduction to the five foundations. Leading Well Under Pressure focuses on leaders supporting their people while considering their own capacity.
Explore the SHINE book, workplace webinars and workshops, or enquire about a session for your team:
Small Habits. Bright Possibilities.
SHINE provides general wellbeing education, not individual medical advice. Personal circumstances and medical conditions vary. Seek advice from an appropriately qualified healthcare professional before making changes that may affect your health.
Further reading
[1] World Health Organization. Mental health at work. This source supports the discussion of workplace risks and organisational responses. It is not an evaluation or endorsement of SHINE.