Created on 5 April 2021

Sharing a (digital) smile!

I think for many people the lockdown at the beginning of 2021 felt exceptionally tough: yet another lockdown, but this time in the cold and the dark of winter. Coping habits that had formed over the past months didn’t feel quite so relevant, and the lack of social interaction continued to take its toll on wellbeing. I realised how often I smile at people, but that of course no one can see a smile through a mask!

At HeadsUp we had launched a short, online version of our fantastic wellbeing workshops back in December. There is an obvious risk in doing this digitally, in that many people believe they don’t have access to devices which they can use; but in many cases a smartphone can work well. We devoted time to supporting those who had expressed an interest to set up and test “Teams”, the platform we use. Suddenly people who had been physically isolated were seeing other people and being able to share a mask-free smile with others- even if it was digitally.

The online workshops have continued to grow, attracting a range of participants who are able to interact with our trainers and each other. For many people this has been a huge boost, being able to spend time with others in a safe, digital environment. More of our day-to-day support work is now being done via Teams, Zoom and Face Time as participants (and HeadsUp staff!) enjoy the benefits of seeing smiling faces rather than just using the telephone.

Many of us prefer seeing people in the real world, and at HeadsUp we very much look forward to a time when we can return to face-to-face meetings and workshops. That said, we continue to expand our “digital” offer, embracing the positive impact this can have on people’s wellbeing at the same time as improving their IT skills. While we can’t wait to share mask-free smiles with you all, in the meantime we will continue to do it digitally.

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