South Africa has long faced significant challenges related to mental health. In fact, according to the 2023 Mental State of the World Report, SA ranked 69th out of 71 countries, reporting the greatest percentage of individuals (35%) who are actively “distressed/struggling”. The good news? With these staggering numbers coming to light, we’re seeing more workplaces making moves to offer resources, open up discussions and invest in their employee wellbeing—and rightfully so! After all, we spend nearly one-third of our lives at work, with managers being coined as having a higher impact on an employee's mental health than their own medical doctor. But there’s only so much a workplace can do. Making holistic wellbeing a priority in 2025As we get back into the regular post-holiday work routines, it’s even more important to try and take this time to restructure your daily routines in a way that best supports your holistic health. Not only will it have tremendous physical impacts on your body, but you’ll also notice it start to feed into your relationships and overall performance at work. So what changes can you make today? We spoke with mental health advocate and YuLife SA’s own MD, Jaco Oosthuizen, to get his insight into what he believes each and every employee should be taking time to focus on this New Year to not only create better workplaces—but a healthier nation overall. 1. Rest like your life depends on it (because it does!):We all know sleep is vital—but not many of us truly take it seriously. This study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is a great example of just how important your sleep habits truly are. It found that deprivation reduces your working memory, attention, and decision-making by a whopping 20-50%. This, of course, depends on the severity of your lack of sleep—showing just how impactful the quality of your rest is.Rest is what allows our brains to recharge and repair. What’s more: it helps to regulate your mood. You have the ability to boost cognitive function by 33%, support physical recovery by 30% and reduce your risk of developing mood disorders by almost 20%. Not to mention, getting the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep a night means you’re 20% less likely to suffer from anxiety and depression and become more resilient overall. The journal Sports Medicine highlights that deep sleep facilitates muscle recovery, letting athletes experience an improved recovery rate of up to 30% when well-rested! Imagine the impact on performance with that 30% increase. Long story short: don’t sleep on sleep! Some ways to start practising better sleeping and resting habits are setting that out-of-office reply in the evenings, ignoring work chats, and embracing the art of rejuvenation. Treat your holiday as sacred downtime, your future self will thank you!2. Balance indulgence with healthy choices We all go a little off the rails with our diets and habits during the holidays—and we deserve to! Indulging from time to time is part of a holistically healthy lifestyle after all. The key is to strike a healthy balance. If you’re indulging in celebratory times try to also keep up other healthier habits to balance out the impact it has on your body. This includes staying hydrated, incorporating activities like family walks or yoga, and remaining active, which can help you feel energised rather than sluggish by the end of it all. And don’t forget: wellness includes financial health too! This could mean formal budgeting, or mindfully balancing splurging on a treat while also putting an equal amount aside for future savings. 3. Mindfulness mattersEngaging in mindfulness sometimes gets a bad rap—but it simply means learning how to stay present and not get caught up in negative thoughts or the busyness of life. This year, try and incorporate some sort of regular mindfulness practice into your day. And that doesn’t mean you have to invest in some pricey retreat. It simply means working to find stillness at some point in your day, even if just for a moment. This could mean a simple morning breathing exercise or an evening gratitude journal at the end of the day. These are simple tools that can help you reset, manage stress, feel calmer, remain grounded, and fill your cup enough to tackle those New Year’s goals! 4. Be realistic in your goal-setting It’s common to over-shoot with goals when we get excited at the start of the year. But more often than not, we don’t achieve them all—and this can lead to guilt, shame and as a result, low motivation. The key is to remain realistic and take into account your capacity on a daily basis. Everyone is different, and everyone has different life situations. Don’t set 30 big-ticket goals like that single 20-year-old lifestyle influencer if you’re 35 and have to take care of two kids. Take an audit of your own goals, what matters most to you in 2025, and focus on a few doable things to tackle that really align with those intentions—and this goes for work goals too! A simple way to create achievable goals is to write them down, break them up into bite-size milestones and create systems to hold yourself accountable. A tip if you’re managing people at work and helping them set targets: Set the example by prioritising rest somewhere in those goals—both for yourself and your team. Burnout isn’t a badge of honour! 5. Know when you need helpIf the holiday blues feels more like a never-ending slump, it’s time to pay attention to what might be happening inside. Exhaustion, demotivation, and stress can signal burnout or even depression. Seeking help is not a weakness, it’s a game-changer. Your health is your greatest asset. Invest in it and remember:It’s okay to ask for help.6. Lead with emotional intelligenceA poll done by Pharma Dynamics found roughly 80% of South Africans report feeling stressed out around the holidays.As a leader in stressful times like this, it’s even more important to take care of your emotional wellbeing so you can be a better example for health and wellbeing within your team. To be a good leader, focus on building your emotional intelligence (EQ) and learning to lead with empathy in order to create a positive and safe work environment. Emotional intelligence has also been shown to boost productivity by up to 36%.Having adequate EQ also comes with an understanding that many employees might not get to have the most restful festive season for many reasons. This is where empathy becomes key. By understanding the individuality of each team member and managing your own expectations, you can better connect with your team and foster trust. Show vulnerability when appropriate, actively listen, and demonstrate that you value their perspectives. When leaders lead with heart, they inspire teams to not only survive—but to truly thrive. 7. Don’t ghost your wellness tools and apps:Are you ignoring those prompts and reminders from your wellbeing apps? If you want to build better wellbeing habits in 2025, use the tools you have at your disposal (and if you’re a manager: do your best to vouch for simple wellbeing tools like this to support your employees! They can truly make all the difference). Whether you’re using apps like YuLife to practise mindfulness or track steps, using these simple tools can be very simple, low-lift ways of maintaining momentum as we enter the months when our resolutions usually take a nose-dive. Consistency is key and remember: action breeds motivation, not the other way around.If you can manage to make even some of these small intentional choices on a daily basis—a healthier happier you will be waiting for you on the other side of 2025! About YuLifeYuLife is working to reimagine the insurance industry by protecting lives, rewarding living and inspiring life. We’re on a mission to transform traditional insurance into a life-enhancing experience each employee will value and use daily. How does it work?Our award-winning app uses behavioural science and game mechanics to reward your people for living well while offering protection in case of crisis. And with our top-rated employee assistance programme, your team gets access to mental, financial and social support, virtual GPs, nutritionists, life coaches and more to help them live their best lives.Because we believe that your employees should benefit from their insurance from day one — and that wellbeing should be accessible every day, for everyone.Request a demo for your team today.