Peace of mind in the workplace thanks to sophrology

Sophrology helps people to find inner balance, to manage stress and emotions more effectively, to tackle daily challenges with greater serenity, to energise their inner resources, to reinforce a positive state of mind and self-confidence, to improve concentration and quality of sleep, and to develop a better relationship with themselves and others, in both their professional and personal lives.

With almost 70 apprentices and trainees joining the company each year, Groupe Mutuel is actively investing in young people. This new generation is facing increasing stress, which is why the management of mental well-being more crucial than ever. With this in mind, and as part of a strategic initiative linked to the future of work, a pilot project aimed at providing young professionals with tools to promote their day-to-day well-being was launched in spring 2024. This programme, “At work with serenity”, was co-constructed by Diane Duperret, a qualified sophrologist, and Laura Convertini, Head of Digital HR Transformation at Groupe Mutuel and also a qualified sophrologist.

According to the data collected before and after eight sessions, participants' perception of stress fell drastically. An introduction to various sophrology techniques, which were then practised independently, reduced stress by almost half, while their concentration improved by more than 15%. These are significant and gratifyingly positive results! The satisfaction of these young people and the perceived usefulness of learning such tools, both in the short and long term, was underlined.

“Sophrology is highly relevant in the corporate world, whether for apprentices or employees, to strengthen individual resources and potential, because it is practised with specific objectives in mind. It makes you feel calmer and stronger, thanks to the work carried out on the mind-body connection. Regular practice, even for just a few minutes a day, can have long-term benefits for your state of being”, said Diane Duperret.

Laura Convertini shares this enthusiasm: “I'm delighted to see the positive impact of our programme for apprentices and trainees. The sessions have enabled our young professionals to discover simple but effective techniques for managing everyday stress, improving their concentration and enabling them to develop a more positive vision of their future”. The programme provided a practical illustration of the benefits of sophrology. “It not only calms the mind, but also stimulates the creative potential and motivation of individuals, opening the way to new and inspiring perspectives. The testimonials from our apprentices and trainees reinforce my conviction that sophrology is a powerful tool for improving people's quality of life and well-being”.

Lara Dubuis: “We learned a lot of theory and practised various exercises. By doing the exercises live, you can feel the benefits immediately. To get the most out of these sessions, it's important to get fully involved in the exercises, otherwise the benefits may not be felt”.

Hugo Pedro: “At the start of the programme, I thought that sophrology wasn't going to help me in any way. However, when we had this introductory session, I came out feeling calmer. But above all, my mind was clear. So I decided to sign up. Throughout the sessions, we were able to reach states of calm and fulfilment. This was necessary in view of a busy month of exams”.

Daniela Soares Martins: “The "well-being" pilot project for Groupe Mutuel apprentices and trainees was a good experience. The sessions were varied and helped us to better understand how we deal with stress and to learn how to manage certain reactions, such as stress, tiredness, etc. We were also able to learn how to manage our breathing and have exercises to do every day if we needed to feel better. It was very instructive”.