Work Travel and Wellbeing 

In a world where globalisation and technology have transformed how business is conducted, travelling for work remains a fundamental part of many lives. 

Whether it’s flying to another country for a crucial meeting, attending industry conferences, working on sites or visiting clients, business travel takes in a range of experiences.

This can have a huge impact on your mental wellbeing. Separation from family, regular activities, and home comforts can all contribute to poor outcomes. Driven by many companies’ sustainability commitments, workers are away for extended periods.

If you are travelling and living out of hotels or rented accommodation for days, weeks and even months on end, you may well face a variety of challenges, from exhaustion and stress to anxiety and depression. Disrupted sleep patterns and personal diets may trigger bad habits and damage your physical and mental health. The absence of day-to-day routines can lead to you having extra time on your hands and this may, as a consequence, give rise to an increase in addictive behaviours arounds things like alcohol, gambling, drugs and social media.

People in the construction industry, for instance, face a variety of pressures: tight contracts, long hours and managing budgets. Many workers, regardless of their roles, can be reluctant to seek support and help when they may need it, putting further stress on their own mental health and wellbeing. Employees who are healthier, better rested and more focused are likely to perform at their optimum level.

Community Wellbeing is home to a range of mental health-related resources, all of which can support and promote staying well.

Be sure to check out the materials dealing with men’s health and women’s wellbeing on the hub, along with the page dedicated to relationships.

There is also excellent content relating to caring for your mental health, nutrition and mental health and physical health. 

For work and wellbeing tips, click here; for guidance on sleep, click here and here.

You can access advice on dealing with the adverse impact of social media and negative news cycles. The worry-time technique self-help toolkit is very useful, too. 

If you’re concerned about stress, click here or have a look at this video on how stress affects the nervous system. These self-guided programmes are designed to lessen the impact of stress on your life.

In addition, Community Wellbeing provides information on depression, anger and anxiety. You can learn how to manage anxiety here.

To read more on the subject of alcohol, drugs and gambling, go to this page. This video on alcohol, drugs and change is highly informative. As is this alcohol-focused self-help programme. Other topics of relevance include money and mental health, and loneliness and isolation (a self-help guide for people feeling lonely and isolated is available here).

Beyond this, the website lists a variety of services and infolines, which can offer immediate and direct support if needed.