In Feb 2019, I was studying towards my degree while job hunting, and doing all this at home became isolating and demoralising – I found I was ‘in my head’ too much – do you ever get that? My productivity plummeted as I struggled to get out of my head and maintain my usual positive outlook. Then I discovered Head Room Café, a social enterprise of mental health charity, Jami. After working there alone a few times, I had the idea of using their giant sharing table as a shared space for co-working, to reduce isolation and low mood, and approached them with the concept of Kind Co-working.
What is Kind Co-Working?
The original idea was to work in a shared space, cultivating an atmosphere and work ethic of kindness to self and others through brief check ins and meditations/visualisations. By working side by side with others who have the same goal of ‘getting things done’ while maintaining a sense of kindness and compassion for the struggles that can pull us off track, we co-created an environment that facilitated productivity and positive focus. It worked well on a weekly basis, attracting a mixture of service users, members of the public and more, but when Covid-19 hit, we took it online to even greater effect.
Due to client commitments, I am no longer able to co-run the project, however, it is still run by Head Room Café, – click here for joining instructions. It is open to anyone who would like to join a wellbeing-focused space to do their work, leisure activities or even take a rest. There is a brief check in at the start, followed by an intention-setting meditation, then it’s mics off and time to focus on your own work or tasks, within a landscape of kindness. Every 25 minutes (Pomodoro style) a gentle reminder is offered by the facilitator to bring kindness to your efforts and take care of your needs (movement, water, screen rest etc). Finally, there is a brief check out followed by a choice of music or brief meditation. All are welcome and you’re free to pop in or stay the full 2 hours.
Kind Co-Working for Organisations
Do you need support in cultivating wellbeing practices within your organisation?
It is our vision to bring wellbeing into the workplace as a better normal, and as a foundation for productivity and happiness. Kind Co-Working is one way we can help you achieve this. Take a look at our Kind Co-Working for Organisations page to see how, and feel free to contact us for prices, packages and possibilities – we love working with you to ensure that our services meet your needs.
To get an idea of how Kind Co-working runs within a community setting, please feel free to pop in to the free Kind Co-Working sessions still run by mental health charity Jami through their social enterprise, Head Room Café.
