Free events and resources to help you de-stress and unwind this April and beyond.
28/03/2024
April is Stress Awareness Month, held annually to raise awareness of the impact of stress and promote the importance of mental health and wellbeing. The arrival of Stress Awareness Month reminds us to slow down and connect with ourselves to recognise and reduce stress.
This year’s theme carries the message that ‘little by little, a little becomes a lot’, with a key focus on the small steps we can make through self-care to improve our mental health. While the initial impact of these actions may seem small, the benefit on our well-being over time can be significant.
Sometimes, the demands of life can leave us feeling anxious or overwhelmed. That’s why this month, we’ve curated events and handpicked resources with our business community in mind.
This April, we encourage you to focus on making small, manageable adjustments to your day as a way of slowing down and checking in with yourself. With several opportunities over the month to incorporate mindful activities and events into your daily routine, join us in taking some time for yourself and slowing down this April.
We’ve curated an event programme designed to help you and your team unwind and de-stress this April and beyond. From rejuvenating yoga sessions to opportunities to connect with nature, see what’s on and get involved.
Thursday 4 April, 1-1.30pm at 6’O Clock Gin Glassboat
Join us for a free 30 minute Tai Chi session at 6’O Clock Gin Glassboat. Although Tai Chi is a martial art, it is more widely practiced as a graceful form of exercise involving a series of movements performed in a slow, focused manner and accompanied by deep breathing.
Come along to discover the many benefits of Tai Chi which can include decreased stress and improved mood, along with increased energy, stamina, and flexibility.
Tuesday 9 April, 1-1.30pm at Armada House and Tuesday 16 April, 1-1.30pm at Bristol Beacon
Come along to our free 30 minute Yoga sessions at Armada House and Bristol Beacon.
Incorporating yoga postures, gentle movement sequences, breath work, supported silent meditation, and guided relation to support increase awareness and mindfulness of the breath and body. this class also teaches body awareness, promotes balance, and strengthens the core.
Thursday 18 April 1-1.45pm at Bristol Aquarium
Press pause on your day and join artist and illustrator Laura Bridges at Bristol Aquarium for a sketching session to boost your creativity, stimulate mindfulness, and increase well-being.
Sketching is a great way to practice mindfulness and get more in tune with yourself and your emotions. Whether you know the direction you want to take or begin by aimlessly doodling, the creative process will help you deal with stressors in your life by bringing your attention to something new.
Tuesday 23 April 1-1.30pm at Armada House
Immerse yourself in relaxation with a sound bath session. Take the opportunity to pause and reconnect mind, body, and spirit with this healing and nourishing session to rest and restore.
Beginning with a calming conscious breath meditation and leading into yoga nidra relaxation with the sounds and healing frequencies of the Crystal and Tibetan bowls.
Thursday 25 April, 1-1.45pm around the city centre
Discover the joy of walking as you meander gently around the water’s edge on this 45 minute wellness walk. Many people carry stress by tensing their muscles and walking can help loosen you up! It is also proven to lower your blood pressure and improve your mood.
“All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” – Friedrich Nietzsche.
With numerous benefits for both physical and mental health, cycling is a great way to immerse yourself in nature and keep active.
Whether you’re a keen cyclist or just getting started, make the most of our free Dr Bike service available to our business community.
Bring your bike along for a free 30-minute safety check with a Life Cycle mechanic. Ensuring a thorough check of your bike, the mechanic will service key elements, including brakes, gears, and fixing punctures. Dr Bike sessions help our business community to get back on the road safely, helping more people cycle into Bristol for work and for leisure.
We’ve handpicked our top online training courses from our partner SeedL to help you recognise and relieve stress.
Whether you’re interested in understanding the importance of sleep, recognising signs of burnout, or wanting to de-stress with something active, SeedL has endless opportunities to help you on your mindfulness journey.
With over 200 virtual subjects, SeedL offers live interactive webinars to support varying work schedules, designed to help our business community learn, perform, and succeed Read more about our partnership here.
Step into nature on your lunch break or daily commute and appreciate the beauty of Bristol’s green spaces.
The perfect place for sitting and watching the world go by, reading a book, eating your lunch, or catching up with friends, being around nature helps us to connect with our minds, bodies and ultimately unwind from the stresses of the day. Take a minute out of your day to appreciate the nature on your doorstep.
Whilst exploring the outdoors, get involved in The City Nature Challenge taking place from 26th to 29th April and coinciding with Stress Awareness Month. On a mission to record as much wildlife as possible across the globe, join forces with others across the West of England over the 4-day period to record as much biodiversity as possible via the iNaturalist app.
The Thrive at Night campaign is delivered by Bristol Nights and provides free mental health and wellbeing support to night time economy workers in Bristol. Thrive at Night includes free resources, training, peer support, and trauma response support sessions.
Thrive at Night hold regular workshops facilitated by NAOS therapy service. These topical workshops take a deep dive into one of nine key aspects related to mental wellbeing and address the topic from both a personal and professional perspective.
Thrive at Night has recently teamed up with The Burnt Chef project to deliver additional training sessions for workers to become a wellbeing champion in the workplace. The Burnt Chef is a not-for-profit social enterprise committed to making the hospitality and leisure sector healthier and more sustainable by putting the wellbeing of workers at the forefront.
Night time economy workers can download the Thrive at night team member workbook designed to help employees find mental health resources, connect with relevant groups, and provide practical advice. Managers can download the managers handbook that helps to promote and support a healthier workplace and covers topics from coping strategies and mental health good practice to advice for writing a mental health and wellbeing policy for the workplace.
Employers are required by law to help prevent stress in the workplace. The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Working Minds Campaign promotes a range of free support and resources to help employers recognise and prevent work-related stress and elevate positive mental health.
These resources provide businesses with essential guidance in taking action to ensure they are fully compliant with the law, and encourage employers to adopt the five ‘R’ approach in their risk assessment. These resources are available to all businesses but are aimed particularly at small and medium-sized organisations (SMEs).
Discover serenity in the city with services and events delivered by our business community in the city centre.
Immerse yourself in tranquillity at Bristol Float Centre with floatation therapy, a unique relaxation experience for both mind and body. Floatation therapy involves floating in a saltwater-filled tank where the body experiences a weightless sensation. Combined with silence and dimmed lighting, this creates a unique sensory experience that allows for ultimate relaxation and escapism from the outside world.
Embrace inner peace with Bristol’s subterranean HarSPA at Bristol Harbour Hotel & Spa. Nestled deep underground in the former bank vaults, the HarSPA offers top-to-toe massages, super-deluxe facials, invigorating scrubs, and so much more, allowing you to relax as the hustle and bustle of Bristol races on above. Choose from an extensive list of treatments on your spa break and soak up the calming atmosphere.
Keep active with Luxe Fitness gym and fitness classes available to members across a range of activity types. Offering a programme of sessions dedicated to mind and body, including yoga, body balance, flexibility and more, sessions are designed to help calm the mind through structured and gentle physical activity.
Engage in art and explore your creative side with a workshop at CassArt. Committed to encouraging everyone to realise their creative talents, take some time out of your day to slow down and learn a new skill. Upcoming classes this April include a linocut plant print workshop and a spring floral painting workshop.
If you want to step outside and appreciate the city, why not join Bristol Museum & Art Gallery for an upcoming walking tour. Explore Bristol and learn more about the floating harbour or the Bristol 1831 riots. Walking tours are great for keeping active, exploring the outdoors, and learning something new about our city.