Mike Lawrence Wellbeing & Workplace Management Consultant

18/03/2026

Most workplaces talk about supporting mental health.

But far fewer people feel confident starting the conversation.

That’s something we explored this week with nine NHS professionals attending a Mental Health First Aid Refresher in Manchester.

The cohort was drawn from the NHS Greater Manchester, taking time out of incredibly busy roles amid a major restructure to refresh their skills in supporting colleagues.

During the session we revisited the MHFA Action Plan, explored workplace scenarios, and practised how to start supportive conversations.

One theme that often emerges during refresher training is this:

Many Mental Health First Aiders regularly support people around them.

They actively listen.
They ask twice.
They understand the difference between sympathy and empathy

But from my experience, fewer have actually had that first direct conversation in the workplace.

That’s why we spend time exploring how to open those conversations with confidence and compassion.

Refresher training is now open not only to those originally trained through MHFA England, but also to people who completed equivalent training with organisations such as British Red Cross and St John Ambulance.

Which means more people can keep these skills fresh.

Because sometimes the most important support a colleague can offer begins with something simple:

“Are you okay?”

Congratulations to the latest cohort 👏

If you’d like to refresh your own MHFA skills, my next online Mental Health First Aid Refresher takes place on 23 April.

Feel free to get in touch for more information.

04/03/2026

When was the last time you truly felt listened to?

During my weekly scan of wellbeing stories across the UK, I came across something that stayed with me.

In over 100 parks nationwide, wooden benches now light up at night with five simple words carved into them:

“Someone is always listening.”

The initiative, recently featured by Sky News, reached its 100th unveiling with support from former footballers including Pat Jennings, the legendary Arsenal and Northern Ireland goalkeeper.

Each bench includes helpline details and a QR code linking directly to support.

One woman in crisis sat down, scanned the code, and contacted a helpline instead of acting on suicidal thoughts.

It’s a reminder of something simple but powerful:

People are more likely to reach out when support feels visible, safe and real.

In workplaces, families and communities, the same unspoken questions often sit beneath the surface:

Can I trust this?
Is it confidential?
Will I be judged?

If the answer feels uncertain, many people stay silent.

If you’re a leader, parent, colleague or friend — ask yourself:

Would someone in your world feel safe enough to talk?

If you are feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal, please don’t sit with it alone.

📞 Samaritans – 116 123 (UK, free, 24/7)
📧 jo@samaritans.org

📱 Text SHOUT to 85258 for confidential support

You are not a burden.
You are not weak.
And support is available.

At night, in 100 parks across the UK, small solar panelled lights illuminate wooden benches with these words carved into the wood: "Someone is always listening". It started when Michelle Hazard lost ...

25/02/2026

Why Do People Really Sign Up for MHFA Training?

On the first morning of every Mental Health First Aid course I deliver, I ask:

“Why are you here — and what do you hope to learn?”

The answers are often very similar.

People say they want to:

• Understand the signs
• Feel more confident starting conversations
• Support a friend or colleague
• Learn about su***de prevention
• Better understand anxiety
• Know how to signpost properly
• Share that they’ve struggled themselves
• Act before things reach crisis

I make notes every time.

And what strikes me is how consistent these themes are.

This isn’t about ticking a box.

It’s about people wanting to respond with empathy.

Wanting to know what to say.
Wanting to feel confident.
Wanting to help safely and appropriately.

And something powerful happens during the course.

People realise they’re not alone in caring.

They become part of a wider network trained through Mental Health First Aid England — people who are equipped to:

Recognise early.
Listen without judgement.
Offer reassurance.
Signpost confidently.
Act before crisis.

That’s what becoming an MHFAider really means.

If you’d like to build that confidence — for yourself or within your organisation —

📅 Next live online course: 23rd–24th March

Send me a message and I’ll share the details.

10/02/2026

“We’ll Need To See If It’s In The Budget…”

It’s one of the most common phrases I hear
when organisations enquire about mental health or wellbeing training.

A need is recognised.

Someone is struggling.
A team is under pressure.
Managers are stretched.

HR are asked to look at support options.
Training providers are contacted.
Conversations start.

And then…

It gets pulled.

“We can’t fund this right now.”

Sound familiar?

Here’s the bigger picture.

Employees spend one-third of their life at work.

Yet investment in their development is falling — not rising.

In the UK:

📉 Training spend per employee is down 36% since 2005
📉 Down 13% since 2022
📉 Employer investment fell from £59bn to £53bn in just two years
📉 Training days per employee have dropped by 19%

So while awareness around mental health is increasing…

Investment in people capability is declining.

And that gap shows up somewhere.

Burnout.
Stress.
Absenteeism.
Presenteeism.
Disengagement.

We can’t underinvest in people… then overexpect from them.

There is a commercial reality too.

Research from Deloitte found that for every £1 invested in workplace mental health, organisations see an average £5 return.

So the conversation isn’t really about cost.

It’s about consequence.

When support is delayed…
Challenges escalate.

When training is postponed…
Risk increases.

When wellbeing is deprioritised…
Culture feels it.

A thought to leave with you:

Investment delayed often becomes crisis funded later.

If you’re reviewing budgets, priorities, or people strategies right now — it might be worth asking:

Are we cutting cost…
or cutting capability?

If this resonates, or you’re exploring how to better support your teams, feel free to reach out for an informal conversation.

08/02/2026

A few people have asked what I actually use when the pressure builds.

Not a retreat.
Not a mindset overhaul.
Just a brief pause that helps you reset before things spiral.

It’s called the 12 Second Shift.

I use it between sessions, before difficult conversations, and when I notice I’m carrying more than I need to.

It’s simple, practical, and designed for real life — not ideal conditions.

If the pace has been feeling relentless, you can find it here (it’s free):
👉 https://mikelawrence.co.uk/12-second-shift-2/

No hype.
No fixing yourself.
Just something steady when things feel stretched.

The 12 Second Shift is a calm, science-informed micro-practice to reset your state, build momentum, and regain a sense of control — in seconds a day.

08/02/2026

This pace isn’t sustainable. You know it.

Not because everything’s falling apart —
but because so many people are quietly carrying too much, for too long.

I’ve put together this month’s newsletter as a simple February check-in.

No hype. No panic.

Just an honest look at pressure, performance, trust wearing thin — and what actually helps when “coping” becomes the norm.

If it resonates, you’re not alone.

You can read it here:
👉

You’re coping. You’re functioning. And it’s costing more than you admit.

29/01/2026

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do
is pause.

I’ve created something simple called 12-Second Shift™.

It’s a short, spoken guided audio designed for real moments of pressure — when your head feels busy and your body feels tense.

Not a programme.
Not a long meditation.
Not about fixing you.

Just a practical pause you can use:
• before a meeting
• when your thoughts are racing
• between tasks
• at the end of a long day

If this feels useful, you can explore it here:
https://mikelawrence.co.uk/12-second-shift-2/

28/01/2026

Nearly 1 in 2 people in the UK have self-diagnosed their mental health.
Are you one of them?

I’m hearing more and more people in my work — and in my wider life — say they’re waiting for a diagnosis, have self-diagnosed, or have just received one.

The data backs this up.

Diagnoses of common mental health conditions are rising across all age groups.
Adults now sit at over 22%, with the sharpest increases among young people.

On paper, that can sound worrying.

But for many people — especially those diagnosed later in life — the dominant feeling isn’t fear.
It’s relief.

Relief that the anxiety, overwhelm, low mood, distraction, or exhaustion finally makes sense.
Relief that “something wasn’t quite right” wasn’t laziness, weakness, or failure.

Increasingly, people aren’t waiting for clinicians to name it first.

Nearly 48% of people in the UK say they have self-diagnosed using online information in the last year, according to AXA Health.
Among 16–24-year-olds, almost 1 in 5 have done this four or more times, often in relation to mental health.

That tells us something important.

👉 People are searching for answers to their problems.
👉 They’re trying to make sense of their concerns.
👉 Doctors are increasingly seeing people who arrive saying,
“I think this is me.”

When used well, a diagnosis can be a relief.
It can reduce stigma — both internal and external.
And it can legitimise access to the right support, adjustments, and conversations.

As long as we don’t allow the diagnosis to define you.

That’s the line that matters.

The challenge now — for clinicians, leaders, employers, and parents — is this:

How do we normalise mental health struggles, offer clarity and support, without turning understanding into limitation?

I’m seeing this tension every day in my work.
Are you?

P.S. Diagnosis can explain what’s been happening.
It shouldn’t decide what happens next.

20/01/2026

If talking was enough, we wouldn’t be here.

This morning, during my usual scan of what’s happening across the wellbeing space, I read a powerful article in Modern Railways.

Not because it was shocking.
But because it confirmed what many people already know — and live with.

Only this week, while delivering a Mental Health First Aid course online, one learner shared something that quietly summed up the scale of the issue:

👉 Their current employer is the first organisation to ever offer mental health training — despite a career spanning the Prison Service and the Navy.

That alone says a lot.

Having worked with colleagues at TransPennine Express and Hull Trains, the themes in this article mirror what’s been shared with me first-hand:
high responsibility, constant vigilance, emotional labour, and a culture where people are expected to cope quietly under relentless pressure.

Behind every train that runs safely are people making safety-critical decisions, working long shifts, and carrying stress that often goes unseen.

And yet many still feel it’s safer to stay silent than to say “I’m not okay”.

Not because they’re weak —
but because they don’t trust what happens next.

The figures are sobering:
• 1 in 3 rail workers experience anxiety or depression
• PTSD rates are double the national average
• Over half report poor mental health
• Absence due to mental health is six times higher

So why, with all this awareness, does action still fall short?

Because it’s easier to post on Blue Monday
than it is to create real psychological safety every day.

Awareness matters.
But awareness without action is just noise.

Mental health isn’t a campaign.
It’s not a calendar event.
It’s about what actually happens when someone finally says, “I’m not okay.”

So here’s the honest question:

👉 What happens in your workplace when the posts stop and someone really needs support?

Full article here (well worth the read):
https://www.modernrailways.com/article/mental-health-too-much-lip-service-and-not-enough-action

If this resonates, I’d genuinely welcome your thoughts — especially from leaders trying to do better, not just look better.

Many organisations say they support employees’ mental health needs – but as TRACEY BARBER reveals, the reality is often token gestures at best which are putting lives at risk

09/01/2026

January can feel like pressure disguised as motivation.

But your body and nervous system don’t run on calendars.

This weekend has been a reminder that rest isn’t indulgent — it’s a given.
And beginning the year supported matters.

Wishing you a gentle Feel Good Friday.

07/01/2026

Featured on BBC Radio Sheffield – Talking SAD & Winter Wellbeing

New Year’s Day got off to a great start with an early-morning conversation on BBC Radio Sheffield, joining Xanthe Palmer on the Breakfast Show.

We chatted about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) — why winter can affect mood, energy and motivation — and practical ways people can support their wellbeing during the darker months.

The interview starts around 2:50 into the show, just after Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls.

If you struggle with SAD — or know someone who does — click the link below for some quick tips and listen to the short interview.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002p6l4

Xanthe eases you into New Year's Day with your stories and all the music you love.

08/12/2025

🎄 I’ll Be Honest… This Isn’t the Post I Planned to Write Today. But You Might Need It.

Every year, December turns into a performance — smiles, schedules, deadlines, parties.
But behind the scenes?
Most people are running on fumes.

And that’s why I’m sharing something different — not noise, not “festive tips,” but a moment of truth before the year ends.

Maya Angelou once said,
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”

This year tested that for all of us.
Me included.

So instead of a typical newsletter, I’ve created a space for reflection, honesty and a reset — because as T. Harv Eker reminds us:
“How you finish anything is how you start everything.”

Inside this Christmas edition, you’ll find:
✨ A thank-you message shaped by real highs & heartbreaks
🏆 The award moment that genuinely floored me
🧠 A science-backed way to switch off when your mind refuses
💔 The 3 stories that shook leaders, clients & colleagues this year
🎄 What I’m reading, watching & listening to as the dust settles
🔥 And a raw reflection on grief, resilience & quiet growth

If you’re ending 2025 with joy, relief, uncertainty, pride or exhaustion — there’s something here that will meet you where you are.

👇 Tap to read the full Christmas Newsletter.
Five minutes that might shift how you finish this year — and how you begin the next.

PS: If it hits home, don’t keep it.
Share it.
Someone you care about may need this more than you know.

Final 2025 reflections from Mike Lawrence: burnout, resilience, awards, recovery, and the moments that mattered most. One to bookmark and share.