That was the pme Health Day 2023: A health firework display
To coincide with World Mental Health Day, the pme Health Day "Lets talk about Health" took place on October 10. How do we manage to stay mentally strong and physically fit throughout our lives? The digital health day focused on this question and offered surprising insights, aha moments and lots of fun. Over 3000 participants took part.
Top speakers such as Steffi Jones, Dr. Leon Windscheidt, Dr. Johannes Wimmer, Patricia Cammarata and Carola Kleinschmidt, breaks full of movement with yoga teacher Fjodor Kendzierski, relaxation impulses with the Mindance app: The Digital Health Day 2023 offered a real firework display in terms of physical health and mental health.
Alexa Ahmad: I always have a choice
After a warm welcome from presenter Jessica Mina-Knopp, the floor went to Alexa Ahmad, CEO of the pme Familienservice Group. She shared her tricks for more resilience and her moments of happiness with the audience. An important guiding principle for her: I always have a choice - and that also applies to my job. Her trick (not only) for days with lots of stressful appointments: Always think about what the nice moments of the day will be - whether that's your favorite meal during the break, being able to laugh together with a colleague or petting an office dog. Finally, she revealed her life hack when anger arises: take a deep breath and exhale for a long time.
Dr. Leon Windscheid: We are still treating our mental health very wrongly
The lecture by psychologist, economist and entrepreneur Leon Windscheid promised a journey to the most exciting place in the universe. Our brains have remained virtually unchanged for 300,000 years, so we are walking around with hardware that no longer fits our time at all. Quite a challenge for our old thinking apparatus. People are feeling increasingly overwhelmed and stressed. After an entertaining arc about chocolate pizza, a now superfluous muscle in the wrist and people who go berserk on the internet, there was a lot of interesting facts about the human psyche as well as advice on how we can strengthen our mental health:
Instead of trying to keep up with algorithms and ever smarter machines and squeezing our brains like lemons, we would be better off recognizing what makes us special and sets us apart from robots and artificial intelligence - namely our ability to feel and express emotions.
That was Health Day 2023.
Patricia Cammarata: Mental load in everyday family life
The invisible burden in the head that women in particular feel: this is the topic of bestselling author and mental load pioneer Patricia Cammarata. She provided interesting figures such as the fact that women with children do 82% more care work than men. But why is this still the case? For Cammarata, one reason is the different expectations of men and women and the associated different evaluations. It is taken for granted that women are carers, whereas for men it is an extra. According to Cammarata, this poses enormous health risks. Those who are the main carers are under constant stress, which is the first step towards burnout. The good news that Patricia Cammarata gave us: Something can be done about it. Just as couples slip into an unequal division of tasks, they can also get out again. The key to this is talking: couples need to talk about the specific distribution of tasks and develop routines such as regular meetings.
"It's worth working on the topic of mental load and a better distribution," she concludes.
Mental strength with soccer world champion Steffi Jones
Steffi Jones has experienced a lot, for example being ostracized as a child because of her skin color. In conversation with presenter Jessica Mina-Knopp, she spoke sympathetically about how she managed to become a national player and soccer world champion as well as a coach and official. But she also talked about bitter defeats, such as her retirement as national coach. Since the end of her career in soccer, she has been working in organizational development for an IT company - and what helped her to build a team as a coach also helps her in business: this includes always looking at where the strengths lie, expanding and developing them and making sure that the team members feel comfortable. It is also important not to set long-term goals and to give recognition and appreciation. Her guiding principle: "Successes are always successes of the team, failures are mistakes of the management".
Carola Kleinschmidt and Lotta Zibell: Climate fears and dealing with fear
The conversation between Carola Kleinschmidt and Lotta Zibell, an environmental engineering student and environmental activist, focused on the fear of climate collapse, which affects young people in particular. Zibell vividly described how she herself began to suffer from climate anxiety as a result of her intensive involvement with environmental issues and what helps to combat this: for Lotta, it is not to remain alone with it, but to talk about it with others and, above all, to do something, to get involved. Carola Kleinschmidt put this in the perspective of a stress therapist.
Zibell and Kleinschmidt agree that employers should take the issue seriously as young people in particular, who are in high demand on the job market, are affected by climate anxiety. Companies should really do something instead of greenwashing. Responsibility for sustainability also means showing young people that they are seen with their concerns, they advise.
Jürgen Griesbeck: Healthy aging at work
Jürgen Griesbeck, homecare eldercare expert and expert for generation & age management and inclusion, gave a philosophical, entertaining and practical talk. He approached the question of how we can stay fit and healthy for a long time using the teachings of the Stoics: following the example of the Stoics, it is always important to consider where we can exert influence and what we have to accept. The latter includes the fact that we have to age, fall ill and die. Is that bad? No, because without that, life would be much less exciting.
So how does healthy cooperation work in working life? Jürgen Griesbeck presented the different groups currently working in companies with their respective needs and challenges - the baby boomers as well as generations X, Y and Z. As differently socialized as they are, they all share the pillars of a healthy life: they all need a sense of belonging, a sense of achievement, security and purpose. And this is a starting point for employers when it comes to how the different generations can work together fruitfully: This includes making belonging tangible, allowing others to succeed through trust and feedback and providing security.
Dr. Johannes Wimmer: Achieve a feel-good weight without stress
Dr. Johannes Wimmer is one of Germany's most popular TV doctors and is known for his ability to present even the most complex issues in a way that is easy to understand with charm, wit and understanding. He demonstrated this talent at the Health Day. Refreshingly free of BMI beliefs and rigid rules, he got to the bottom of why we are stuck in negative eating patterns, why strict diets do more harm than good and how we can outsmart food cravings. For Dr. Wimmer, there are simple tricks: Never shop hungry, scrutinize drinks too, don't buy ready meals and avoid "empty" calories. And what about sport? It's good for getting fitter, but: "You lose weight in the kitchen, not during sport," says Wimmer.
Pia Grocholl and Michèle Penz: The future of occupational health management
Pia Grocholl and Michèle Penz addressed the topic of mental health on the occasion of World Mental Health Day. According to the two heads of occupational health management at pme, a third of all people will come into contact with mental illness in their lives. Their appeal: "We need a joint commitment to our health. Employers could also do a lot here, for example by raising awareness of mental health and taking the topic out of the taboo zone, creating opportunities for dialogue and establishing a culture of trust without stigmatization.
Moving breaks, mindfulness and impulses
Yoga trainer Fjodor Kendzierski provided some relaxation between the presentations with short yoga impulses and pme trainer Derya Bobrik with the 5-finger technique from positive psychology and an impulse on impostor syndrome.
Save the Date
The next Health Day will take place on October 10, 2024.
