Well-being

Well-being is the state of being comfortable, healthy and happy.

It can’t be over-emphasized how important it I for us to take responsibility for our well-being and that of those round us.

This lock down I developed a routine steps for my wellbeing. I spent one hour out with the dogs, I took up Yoga with Adriene on You tube. I had time to listen to my body, the pace of life (certainly for the first couple of months) was slower and so you learned to be aware of how things like food/stress etc made me feel. And I also learned a critical lesson on the powerful effects thought can have on your health.

So, If I thought ‘I can’t cope with this lockdown’ my mind (and oh how clever our minds can be) would find lots of ways of showing me just how right I was! This would make me stressed, and I would numb the thoughts with food or a glass of wine (not in the morning I might add).

I started to learn to choose my thoughts carefully and watched how my mind would prove them right whatever they were! This would then have a positive effect on my mood and then I would find it easier to eat better and therefore feel better. I am vastly oversimplifying but not perhaps overstating.

My Yoga is now non-negotiable, I walk more than ever, and I am wise to my thoughts. I’m calmer and dare I say it happier. I still have stress – who doesn’t – and I still self-sabotage – only now I do it less!

This in turn has led us to think about the well-being of our customers and our staff. No, we aren’t going to play whale music in the shops or make our staff do yoga every morning. But we do consider the wellbeing of both.

We try to make uniform shopping as hassle free as possible and we do this in a number of ways. From the in-store service like appointments, the layaway service, and well-trained staff to the sweets for the kids and tissues for the parents! Then there is the web ordering service, the take two delivery service and the pre-booked returns service.

Oh and we genuinely care. Many of us are mums too. We get it!

We look after our staff too – we figure if we look after them, they look after you. They are paid more than the minimum wage and even get the day off on their birthday. They also get access to training, health schemes and support. We genuinely care about them too. It’s like working in a big family (except we all get on and don’t argue about what to have for tea!)

I love the phrase ‘you can’t pour from an empty cup’. So, learning to fill my cup helps me make things better for you.