A Message from the Editor,

Sonia Last 📝

Well, there she goes… Midsummer has sashayed past us on her way south. It's always bitter-sweet to see the trail of lush greens and warm breezes she leaves in her wake, but Autumn is stalking the fields in his russet clobber, making a ripe old mess of things as he hangs up the bunting for a whirling ceilidh.

While the two of them argue it out, we are making the most of the gentle evenings to go out and play. There are treasures to be found out there and many a wandering path to explore through the green and blue and yellow.

Sonia

Sonia Last

Editor

Small Groups, BIG Impact!

Our 'smaller group' Mental Health First Aid courses are proving to be very popular as work commitments can often make it difficult to get everyone together at the same time. Small groups of 1-6 participants can be arranged quickly and easily and might be more convenient for your team.

Find out more...

Not Long Until Our Network Event

Join us at our next Network Event on Thursday 27 August 2026, from 12-1pm. These informal, online meetups are a powerhouse of information and ideas where you can safely explore the highs and lows of workplace initiatives with other organisations.

It’s free and open to everyone, so register here for your Teams invite.

Supporting our Hybrid Lives

There's still lots of talk and debate around how best to adapt wellbeing support to hybrid and remote workers. This can be challenging when there's so little opportunity to build rapport, trust or confidence among colleagues and provide the timely and appropriate support needed for both productivity and wellbeing.

Communicating effectively at work can be helped by a robust framework that encourages open discussion and provides clarity around progression measures. How one creates this with a diverse group of individuals is something many are wrestling with, but those with some experience believe that setting clear expectations, developing a coaching mindset and focussing on outcomes rather than time management is the wisest approach.

If operational standards are functioning well, people's wellbeing is protected from damaging workplace practices which allows more room for more personal interactions and functioning relationships.

We discuss this topic regularly at our Network Events where gems of advice can open up a clear path ahead. As we learn to live hybrid lives, at home, at work and even in our cars, this paradigm shift requires new thinking and a lot of close listening.

Our Podcasts, Network Events, WhatsApp group and online Community forums are where you can share and learn with others, how best to navigate our hybrid future with care and proficiency.

National awareness days are a great way to boost conversations around mental health and wellbeing in your organisation. They not only foster a climate of solidarity, but they educate us, break down stigma and save lives.

Gather some heads together, put the kettle on and make a plan for these two biggies:

• 10 September 2026 - World Suicide Prevention Day

• 10 October 2026 – World Mental Health Day

Wearable Self-Care

We sometimes forget the role that clothing can play in enhancing our sense of wellbeing and self-confidence. Comfortable clothes that we feel good in can reduce our anxiety levels and help us feel stronger and more positive. It's saddening to see workplaces where people predominantly wear black or grey, as it suggests that conformity has trumped individuality and self-expression.

Dressing with flair, being authentic and expressing one's personal style is one of the joys of living in a free society. From our tribal ancestors, we inherited an innate love of ornament, colour, differentiation and drama, so dressing like clones doesn't feel natural unless the job depends on a uniform or there are safety considerations.

Conservative disguise-wear harks back to a time when we were stripped of our autonomy, told to keep our heads down and get on with the job. We are not living in an extremist state, so why do we tone ourselves down and conform to photo-negative, uniform-like garments when we don't have to?

We Scots know all about practicality and inclement weather but living under grey skies should give us all the more reason to wear clothing that brings verve and expression into our environments. So long as our presentation is appropriate, decorous and clean, we should be able present ourselves as the unique and creative beings we are.

Across the world people wear garments and accessories that enhance their bearing, has cultural significance or simply appeals to their personal tastes. Invigorating our dress sense with colour, texture, pattern, decoration or a playful element might better reflect our modern culture, contemporary lifestyles and era.

Hiding in plain sight, staying under the radar and employing camouflage is ok for zebra, fish or chameleons, but we have evolved more unique and complex identities and should let our dress sense reflect this.

I'm sure Rabbie Burns would encourage us to declare our agency with a dash of individual flair, enhancing how we see ourselves and determining how others see, and treat us.

Favourite Quote:

‘‘An anxious mind cannot exist in a relaxed body."

Dr. Edmund J. Bourne, anxiety expert

Catherine's Cygnet Diaries... Part 4

The cygnets are nearly full-grown now, all gangly wings and wobbly first flights. The parents hang back a little further each week - near enough to help, but no longer clearing the way.

There's a lesson in there for the workplace too: growth often looks like awkward flapping before it looks like flight. Give people the room to wobble, and they'll find their wings.

Wishing you a vibrantly audacious summer of self-discovery and self-expression.

Warm wishes,

Sonia

Sonia and the MHScot Team

www.mentalhealthscot.land