By Bethany Ainsley, Founder of Nuvo Wellbeing and OptiMe
Supporting Mental Health Awareness Week (11-17 May)
We’ve made real progress in talking about mental health at work, but awareness on its own isn’t enough.
I’ve seen first-hand how it can leave people more informed, but still overwhelmed and unsure how to manage their wellbeing day to day. The challenge is that there’s no one-sizefits-all approach, which is what makes this so complex. And while many organisations have come a long way, there’s still more to be done.
That’s why this next step matters. During Mental Health Awareness Week, the focus is on taking action, and that’s where the real opportunity sits. Not in doing more, but in helping people take small, manageable steps that actually fit into their day. Because wellbeing isn’t one-dimensional. It’s influenced by multiple areas of life, our mental and physical health, our relationships, our finances and our overall sense of balance. Understanding that is often the first step to making meaningful change.
Through building OptiMe, I’ve seen how important it is to move away from a one-sizefits-all approach. People engage with wellbeing in very different ways, and when support doesn’t reflect that, it can feel out of reach or difficult to maintain.
So what does that actually look like in practice? For many people, it’s about finding an approach to wellbeing that feels personal and realistic, something they can connect with, rather than something they feel they should be doing.
One thing I’ve seen make a real difference is shifting the focus from big changes to small, consistent actions. But the reality is, many people don’t always know what those actions are, or where to start. If someone is feeling overwhelmed because of financial pressure, they may not know what steps to take. If they’re stressed, they might have heard of mindfulness or breathwork, but not understand how it actually helps or how to apply it in their day.
That’s where simple prompts, or micro nudges, can be powerful, guiding people towards small, practical actions they can take in the moment. A reminder to pause, to step outside, or to check in with someone rather than push through. These actions might seem small, but when they’re repeated, they start to change how people feel and respond day to day.
I’ve also seen how powerful it can be when these actions are shared. Simple things like peer support, team challenges, or creating space for people to check in with each other can build real momentum. It makes wellbeing feel more visible, more normal, and something people are part of together, rather than something they have to manage on their own.
This is something we’ve thought a lot about as we’ve developed the next phase of OptiMe. With OptiMe 4.0, the focus has been on making those small actions easier, through personalised support and simple nudges that help people build habits in a way that works for them. Because if it doesn’t feel relevant or fit into someone’s day, it simply won’t happen.
At its core, this is about protecting both mental and physical health. Not just in moments of crisis, but in how people feel day to day, how supported they are, how much pressure they’re carrying, and whether they feel able to step back before things escalate.
As we approach Mental Health Awareness Week, the opportunity is simple.
For leaders, it’s about making wellbeing visible in the day to day, through simple actions like encouraging regular check-ins, creating space for peer support, and role modelling behaviours like switching off and taking breaks. Because when people see it in action, they feel able to do the same.
For individuals, what’s one thing you can do today that supports how you feel? It might be stepping outside between meetings, setting a boundary, or reaching out to someone. It doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to be a start.
Awareness starts the conversation and helps people understand what they can do but it’s action, taken consistently, that helps people access the support they need and feel better day to day.
bethanyainsley.com