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September is back. But are people really okay?
Two new articles on post-holiday pressure, World Suicide Prevention Day, MHFA training, South Yorkshire funding and a few things from August.
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Mike Lawrence · September workplace mental health and wellbeing
September is back.
But are people really okay?
The diary fills. The inbox wakes up. The year starts speeding towards its final stretch. Some people come back refreshed. Others come back already running on empty.
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If the same pressure returns every time people come back, the problem is not the holiday.
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Hi Reader,
Welcome to the September newsletter - and thank you, as always, for opening and reading.
August has been full.
Work-wise, it has included an online MHFA course, a one-day stress management session in Leeds for managers, another two-day online Mental Health First Aid course, and a workshop for the FSB Business Bootcamp: Successful You, Successful Business.
There has also been life outside work too - a trip to London theatreland with my daughters, and a 60th birthday celebration in Cookham, near Maidenhead.
A full month, but a good one.
What has stayed with me most is how often the same theme keeps appearing in different rooms:
people are carrying a lot - and not everyone says it out loud.
Managers are trying to support others while managing their own pressure. Business owners are trying to grow, adapt and stay well at the same time. Many people are still functioning, still showing up, still delivering - but not always feeling okay underneath it all.
One message after the FSB Bootcamp captured it well:
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"Your workshop was really insightful and dealt with a very serious subject with humour and personal honesty. Thank you."
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It is always nice to receive positive feedback from fellow colleagues and business owners, because in many ways we are all in the same boat.
Different roles. Different pressures. Same human need to keep going without losing ourselves in the process.
And that leads into this month's two articles.
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This month - two pieces worth sitting with
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Main article
When the World Keeps Moving and You Feel Left Behind
As World Suicide Prevention Day approaches on 10 September, this piece looks at unemployment, identity, connection and the people who may feel life is moving on without them.
Read the World Suicide Prevention Day article
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Workplace wellbeing
Post-Holiday Blues - or a Workplace You're Exhausted to Return To?
Annual leave can restore your energy. It cannot repair the conditions that drained it. This one is for leaders, managers and anyone wondering why the benefit of a break can vanish by Tuesday afternoon.
Read the post-holiday blues article
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Mental Health First Aid - confidence when it matters
Most people do not freeze in a mental health moment because they do not care. They freeze because they are unsure what to say, when to signpost, or how far their role should go.
MHFA training gives people a recognised framework, clearer boundaries and more confidence to respond calmly, humanly and safely.
Funding may be available for South Yorkshire businesses
If your organisation is based and operating in South Yorkshire, support may be available through the South Yorkshire Skills Bank, delivered through the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.
Funding is not automatic and depends on eligibility and the business case, but it may make Mental Health First Aid training more accessible than some organisations realise.
View South Yorkshire Skills Bank
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What I'm watching, reading and listening to
Watching: Chat Noir
A birthday and Father's Day treat, and something completely different. Time-travel to Paris, 1896: Le Chat Noir, the legendary cabaret club, brought back to life in London with music, dining, performance and that immersive "you are in another world for a few hours" feeling.
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Watching: Now You See Me Live
London Coliseum, big theatre, big production, and a proper stage illusion spectacular. No leadership lesson forced into this one. Just a good night out.
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Listening: When It Comes to Love - Keith Washington
You know what it is like when a song gets into your head and will not leave. I love my soul music, and I have thousands of records, but this one came back to me recently and I had to go and find it. Lovely track. Smooth, grown-up soul.
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Reading: Capitalism for All - John Hope Bryant
It is giving me a different perspective on capitalism. The argument, as I understand it so far, is that long-term economic growth is not about leaving people behind or keeping financial knowledge for the few. It is about expanding opportunity, strengthening the middle class and helping more people understand how money, ownership and economic participation actually work. An eye-opener.
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A question for September
Where are people in your organisation coming back to the same pressure, the same workload and the same patterns - then being told to be more resilient?
Sometimes the most useful leadership question is not "Did you have a good holiday?" It is: "What did you come back to that should not have been waiting for you?"
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A thought to take with you
"We repeat what we do not repair."
That feels like the line running through this month.
If people return from leave and become exhausted again within days, something needs attention.
If the same pressures keep showing up in the same teams, something needs attention.
September is a good time to ask what we are repeating because we have not repaired it yet.
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A few resources you can use
If something in this newsletter has made you pause, you will find free downloads, simple reset tools, previous blogs and practical resources on the website.
Browse the free resources
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Thanks again for reading.
As September begins, I hope you find a moment to pause, check in with yourself, and notice who around you may be carrying more than they are saying.
- Mike
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About Mike Lawrence
Mike Lawrence is a Health and Wellbeing Consultant, MHFA England Instructor and workplace mental health speaker, working with organisations across the UK to strengthen wellbeing, resilience and performance through practical, real-world approaches that stand up under pressure.
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Let's stay connected
If something resonated, challenged you or made you pause, email me directly.
hello@mikelawrence.co.uk
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Millhouses Business Centre 2-4 Abbeydale Road South , Sheffield, South Yorkshire S7 2QN
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