It’s World Wellbeing Week and here at Shields, our voice comes from our Team. We caught up with Luke, from our Inside Sales Support team, as he shares his story about his own journey.
When I was younger, I always remembered how much my Grandad loved boxing. I admired how he took such care in learning the skills and strategy of the sport. When I was maybe eight or nine years old, my Grandad bought me my first set of boxing gloves and I was thrilled. We used to jump about at every chance we got. My Grandad used to say, “all right get the gloves out”. I loved it! Trying to reach his hands with my gloves, holding the pads for him and always getting little pointers. It is such a precious memory that always stuck with me.
Then suddenly you’re an adult! I started my working life in retail – and I was there for many years. There were lots of high-pressure environments and lots of challenges to overcome. It could be a very demanding job, and quite often non-stop. It’s most definitely a stressful work environment at times, especially for me.
This, like many working environments, can sometimes become a lot to handle, and suddenly a low mood would take its toll on me. I would practise self-affirmations and keep positive, remembering that there are things to look forward to and that this was only a moment in time. One of my favourite ways to take my mind off things and relax was to reminisce about the days my Grandad and I would play around with those old boxing gloves and pads in the garden.
The nostalgia of all those times with my Grandad really made me visualise boxing as a positive escape and a way to focus on something different, this really helped me switch off from the outside world too. Getting active is always a fantastic way to naturally boost your mood and develop your mindset. For me, I have to enjoy what I’m doing, and boxing was the sport for me.
In March 2022 I took the opportunity to combine the sport that had helped me and to also raise money for a mental health charity to support all the work that they do. So, I hosted a charity boxing match and I also performed on the fight card. It was challenging to organise as well as train for hours every night. But I’m so glad I did and together with friends and colleagues that attended we raised £1,600 for the charity, Mind.
If wellness and wellbeing is on your mind, then remember that the small things are just as important as the big ones. Stepping back and separating work, friends and passions can help keep your focus in all the right places. There’s something for everyone and when you find that, it can take your mind off and help transport you to a positive place.
I can still picture myself in my boxing gloves when I was a child with my Grandad in the garden, and it still makes me laugh to this day!
If you want to keep up to date with Shields and our staff, then follow us over on LinkedIn here.