This week we held our quarterly breathwork session with LoopMe and their clients
Interestingly, it came just after I’d attended a panel discussion about burnout versus resilience, where many of the speakers from the media industry shared their own experiences of burnout. During the event, a friend posted a photo on Instagram and received several replies saying:
“I wish I could have come, but I’m just too busy with work.”
It’s a little ironic, don’t you think?
When employees are too overwhelmed to attend wellbeing sessions
We talk about burnout a lot in the workplace. Most organisations now offer some form of wellbeing support, whether that’s workshops, talks or wellbeing initiatives. And whilst that’s undoubtedly a positive step, it has me thinking…
What happens when employees are so overwhelmed that they don’t feel they have permission or capacity to attend the very wellbeing sessions designed to help them?
That’s a much bigger conversation.
That became the theme of this month’s breathwork session.
Why receiving is a powerful antidote to workplace stress
Not just breathing.
Receiving.
Receiving a moment for yourself in the middle of a demanding day.
Receiving rest without feeling guilty.
Receiving permission to pause instead of pushing through another diary full of back to back meetings.
For 90 minutes, we stepped away from emails, notifications and deadlines. We talked about stress and how it affects the nervous system, we slowed our breathing, and we gave ourselves permission to simply be.
What happened during the breathwork session ?
Some people were attending for the first time, while others have become regulars over the past 2 years.
It was one comment from a first time attendee that stayed with me.
“Slowing down and doing this made me realise I haven’t stopped in months.”
Months!!
That sentence says so much about the reality of modern working life.
By the end of the session there were smiles, quieter minds and, as always, the emails afterwards thanking us for the experience. As people left, I heard some of my favourite words: “I’ll definitely be at the next one”
Can breathwork help reduce workplace stress?
Can breathwork help reduce workplace stress?
I believe it can but perhaps not in the way people think.
Breathwork isn’t about more and more techniques.
It’s about helping people reconnect with their bodies, recognise when they’re operating in constant stress mode, and giving them practical tools they can use every day.
A single workshop can create awareness.
Regular practice helps build capacity.
When people understand how stress is showing up in their body, they often communicate better, make clearer decisions, recover more quickly and feel more present both at work and at home.
Workplace wellbeing needs more than events
Workplace wellbeing needs more than events
This was my post event pondering…
People want these wellbeing events.
They often need them more than they realise.
But if employees don’t feel able to step away from work for a morning every quarter, then the issue isn’t whether you’re offering enough wellbeing activities.
The issue is whether your workplace culture truly allows people to use them.
Why stress education matters as much as breathwork
That’s why later this year we’re planning to combine breathwork experiences with education around stress and breathing.
Because people don’t always need more breathwork sessions.
Sometimes they simply need to understand how they’re breathing all day long, how chronic stress changes their breathing patterns, and how small changes can reduce the load on the nervous system.
For me, that’s where the real power lies.
More capacity.
Less stress.
Less anxiety.
More connection.
Better communication.
Healthier teams.
Surely those are the outcomes every organisation is striving for.
If you’re looking to support your team through practical workplace wellbeing workshops, or you’re navigating chronic stress yourself, I’d love to hear from you.
About Clare Pritchard
Clare Pritchard is a Somatic Stress & Breathwork Coach helping individuals and organisations regulate their nervous systems and recover from chronic stress.
Through her 1:1 coaching, Clare supports people experiencing chronic stress, anxiety, burnout, fatigue and poor sleep using science backed breathwork, somatic coaching and nervous system education.
Alongside her private practice, Clare is the Resident Wellbeing Coach at LoopMe and delivers workplace wellbeing workshops for organisations including FutureNet, Republic of Media and We Mind The Gap, helping teams build resilience, improve communication and reduce workplace stress.