EDINBURGH Social Enterprise Network (ESEN) decided to sprinkle some social enterprise sparkle with its Live the Good Stuff campaign yesterday – ESEN’s mascot Doogie Goodstuff supervised a mega doodle colouring-in session at Whale Arts to help tackle the Blue Monday blues!
Mondays in January are a time in the calendar seen as difficult for people to find that extra sparkle, so a number of Edinburgh’s social enterprises are gearing up to focus on health and wellbeing activities to re-invigorate this seasonal lull – as Christmas cheer is over, time and money may be tight and motivation low.
Live the Good Stuff is a campaign to promote Edinburgh’s many health and wellbeing social enterprises, one of which is MHScot Workplace Wellbeing which focuses on stress prevention and early mental health intervention in the workplace.
Commenting on the return to work and routine after a long festive break, Catherine Eadie, workplace Wellbeing consultant, said: “There are many combined factors that make those January Mondays a difficult prospect – everything from health issues, work and financial stress, childcare and caring concerns whilst fitting in some time to keep fit.
“Finding some tranquil time in the mix is very often the last thing to think about and applies to everyone whether they are working or not.”
Catherine added: “It takes time to work out the best plan of action but an easy step is to find a pastime that is simple to set up and a welcome distraction which can make all the difference whether it is walking, bird-watching, reading or creative colouring.
Linsay Chalmers, network coordinator at Edinburgh Social Enterprise Network, added: “We have a growing number of social enterprises in Edinburgh supporting people in the city to improve their physical and mental wellbeing, from pregnancy care through to stress management and healthy eating.”
There are over 200 social enterprises trading in Edinburgh, from cafes and retail, to creative industries and leisure – generating income and reinvesting their profits into the community for social or environmental benefits.
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