Coworking can improve your social support system, create routine, improve productivity, and help you establish a “work rhythm”.

This May, Kiln is celebrating mental health awareness. Many of us can speak to the toll that Covid-19 took on our emotional wellbeing. Between economic losses, job insecurity, and screen fatigue, many of us are still adapting. But the benefits of coworking are well studied. Coworking can improve your social support system, create routine, improve productivity, and help you establish a “work rhythm”.

Here are four ways that Kiln is working year-round to improve the mental health of our members. Coworking communities can improve mental health by:  

Destigmatizing Mental Health

Kiln creates a community where each member feels socially supported. Our locations in Utah, Colorado, and Idaho each host regular events focused on finding career fulfillment, work-life balance, and belonging. 

For example, in March, Kiln Boulder invited guest speaker, Max Rosencrantz, for a luncheon workshop titled, “A Career Worth Loving” on personal growth and happiness in your career. 

This month, Chargebee hosted a Cultural Inclusion & Diversity presentation today at Kiln Lehi, with a presentation by Camlyn Giddins from Encircle, a youth LGBTQ+ suicide prevention organization.

At Kiln Park City, monthly Women’s Inspired Network events give women in the Kiln community an opportunity to share anecdotal career and personal stories. Last month, Betty Morin led a discussion centering around the word “reinvent” and what it means to her. 

Kiln believes that destigmatizing mental health, through conversations that remove associations of shame or self-consciousness, has ripple effects that can be felt by Kiln members, their networks, and their communities at large. 

As a daily reminder of this effort, the Kiln Cart in Meridian this month is stocked with lavender toilettes, stress balls, and gratitude journals. Let’s normalize taking inventory of our emotional wellbeing on a daily basis. 

Offering Wellness Classes

The Kiln team believes that focusing on the mind and the body can improve mental health. That’s why each of our coworking communities hosts wellness and fitness classes on a weekly basis. 

At Kiln Park City, groups of members often mountain bike or ski together. Kiln is located in Kimball Junction, just minutes away from the slopes and from the best local hiking and biking trails. Additionally, Kiln Park City recently hosted a Sound Bath event in partnership with Mountain Town Music and Wild Women Tribe. All proceeds went to the Peace House, a local safe shelter dedicated to ending family violence and abuse. 

At Kiln Boulder, Kylie Kwon, a life coach, spiritual healer, and Kiln member has been hosting a Monday Morning Meditation and Sound Healing series. This series is open to Kiln members hoping to get involved in the burgeoning mindfulness movement in the Boulder area.

At Kiln Meridian, members are trying new events including a Barre3 pop-up community class, lunch break yoga resets, and sound bath classes, offered through partnerships with local wellness companies including The Mind Beauty Soul and Barre3. 

And of course, at Kiln Salt Lake, weekly yoga classes with Kelly are a hit. 

We put health at the forefront of our programming so that Kiln becomes a one-stop shop for all of your needs. Taking breaks throughout your work day, establishing a routine that includes movement, and getting outside all have proven benefits to your wellbeing. 

Varying your work environment can help you achieve a work rhythm, boost productivity, and feel happier.

Building Your Network

Fostering connections within your team, and beyond, is an important part of improving your mental health. In a coworking community, you never know who you are going to rub shoulders with.

If you’re used to working from home, you may find that being at Kiln decreases loneliness and isolation. Kiln events are focused on creating community. You might try cocktail club, Apres Work happy hours, Speaker Series, trivia nights, and Waffle Wednesdays. 

If you’re accustomed to working in a traditional corporate environment, you might find the creative energy at Kiln to be compelling. Instead of learning just from people in your industry, you might learn from artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs, too. Attend Kiln events ranging from 3D Printing workshops and Knowledge Sharing workshops, or panel discussions with VCs, metaverse and Web3 experts, and founders. Kiln Park City even leverages a partnership with Pando, an entrepreneurial community supporting local ventures. 

Varying Your Work Environment

Varying your work environment can help you achieve a work rhythm, boost productivity, and feel happier. Each Kiln location dedicates 20% of its total square footage to open-layout coworking space and 80% to private flex-offices. Each location also features all-inclusive amenities ranging from theaters, atriums, cafes, gyms, podcast studios, and more. 

During Covid-19, when many of us began to work from home, it was nice to move between the couch, desk, table, and the outdoors throughout the workday. The creature comforts we discovered while working from home are replicated at Kiln. All of our spaces are multi-use and multi-modal. We even allow dogs! 

Kiln members can vary their work environment, moving between conference rooms, shared desks, standing desks, cafe-seating, private phone booths, and couches. Whether you’re looking for a quiet environment without ambient noise, or an energetic space to strike up a conversation, you’ll be sure to find it at Kiln. We also have outdoor spaces where Kiln members can take advantage of the fresh mountain air and sunshine in Utah, Colorado, and Idaho. 

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