12 Team Building Activities That Promote Mental Health and Wellbeing

Welcome to the new age workplace revolution, where the need to invest in mental health has never been more imminent! 

According to the Calm’s survey for Business* conducted in October 2021, of 3,000 full-time employees in the US aged 18- to 54-year-old, 97% of respondents say employers should be working to improve the mental health of their employees, while 76% of workers say they consider mental health benefits as critical when evaluating new jobs.  

Even if your organization does not have mental health benefits in its policy, you can still create meaningful experiences for your team and employees to support them so that they feel connected and heard in this hyper-connected yet isolated world. And what is the best way to create such experiences? Team Building!

Team building is a powerful tool for promoting mental health and wellbeing. You can bring back the learning zeal in the most playful yet holistic way by trying corporate team-building activities for your employees.

How can Team Building Activities Promote Mental Health and Well-being?

Here are the top reasons for including mental health and well-being activities in your organization.

1. Reduces Stress

One of the primary goals that organizations can achieve by conducting mental health and workplace wellness activities is that they can help your team relax, unwind, and reduce stress, thus leading to well-being. 

2. Rapport Building

When your employees participate in games and team building activities, it fosters teamwork, rapport building, and enhanced collaboration among employees. By integrating wellbeing activities into your workplace you create an environment where the coworkers get to know each other more closely, thus strengthening their relationship and enhancing the workplace culture. Whether they are dancing together or having a casual conversation about life, it all eventually leads to bringing them closer to each other. 

3. Enhances Problem-Solving Skills

A lot of team building activities also involve solving puzzles, and challenges or putting the team members in a simulation game where they have to solve a problem. Through strategic thinking, and brainstorming employees’ problem-solving skills can improve significantly. It also promotes creative thinking and the ability to cope with a difficult situation. 

 4. Increased Productivity

By playing games that promote mental health and taking short breaks for such workplace wellness activities your employees’ productivity can boost multifold. It is kind of a mental refreshment for the employees. It helps to reduce burnout, improves focus, and increases overall productivity of your teams. 

5. Creates a Positive Work Environment

The various mental health and employee well-being activities help your teams to relax and enjoy. This creates a positive and supportive work culture thus fostering a workplace culture where employees feel appreciated and valued.

6. Community Building through Collaboration

One of the most important skills needed for employees’ future success is collaboration skills. Mental health and employee wellbeing activities help employees develop collaboration skills, as it gives them the space to work together in new ways. Wellbeing-focused team-building exercises allow team members to get to know each other on a deeper level than they would otherwise. This fosters a more meaningful sense of community and connection.

7. Enhanced Communication Skills

Team building activities require employees to be together and communicate with each other. This enhances their ability to communicate effectively, listen actively, and collaborate with colleagues. Corporate team-building activities aimed at mental health promote healthy communication among teams and employees. 

8. Encourage Positive Coping Mechanisms 

Mental health activities often promote healthy coping mechanisms, like mindfulness, self-care, and emotional expression. Such employee well-being practices and team-building activities are beneficial in managing workplace stress and building long-term positive coping mechanisms.

9. Develops Resilience

Employees get to build resilience as they go through the various steps while playing games and doing team-building activities. It also builds adaptability and perseverance which are essential qualities in the workplace.

10. Boosts Morale

Mental health activities are a great way to uplift employees’ spirits and increase their morale. By participating in fun and engaging activities teams build a positive attitude towards work, thus leading to higher motivation levels and increased morale.

11. Enhanced Energy

Employee well-being activities promote energy levels as they tend to break the monotonous work day. They help people to move around, think differently, and indulge in casual or energetic activities. If you have just done a round of yoga or a guided meditation or have just indulged in some high-energy Zumba, there are minimal chances to feel sleepy or tired. Through such activities, your mind takes a break as you use it for activities other than work.

12. Mental Health Awareness Support 

When you incorporate team-building activities that promote employee well-being, it gives a message to your team that the organization emphasizes their well-being. This is a valuable step in breaking the taboo or biases associated with mental health and encourages open discussion in the organization.  

13. Adds Value to Team Meetings and Activities 

When days are tough or stressful, such team-building activities that promote mental health and well-being add a relaxing and calming effect to the day.  Employees have something to look forward to and anchor themselves in a better way to deal with overwhelming situations. 

12 Activities to Promote Mental Health and Wellbeing at Workplace 

Do you know that team building could be a powerful tool for promoting mental health and well-being? Historically speaking, humans have learned the best through games and stories ever since, however, as we reach adulthood, learning through playing gets diminished or even gets dismissed completely.  When you decide to bring back this fun learning element into your workplace, the objectives become seamless to achieve. To promote mental health and well-being in the workplace, team-building activities are the best way to nurture them. 

Let us into 12 fantastic team-building activities that not only strengthen bonds but also boost mental health and employee wellbeing.

1. Organize Breakfast

It lets you break the ice through team building. It’s an easy way to start or end the week with a casual breakfast get-together. Your team gets to connect more closely, indulge in some light-hearted banter, and reduce stress.

Getting people together for meals helps them to be in their most casual and true behavior with each other. People bond over food the most as they indulge in their favorite items, have a hearty meal, and share casual conversation being more open and light-hearted. It takes away the work stress, enhances the team’s communication, and creates team bonding in the most natural way as the team members get to know each other more closely. 

Preparation Required:

• Select a day of the week
• Choose a theme (food from the world, childhood memories, favorite snacks, salty or sweet treats, etc.)
• Make a list of foods, beverages, and snacks for people to bring (keep it simple, and try to provide some from the company budget)
• If you choose a theme, ask people to specify in a short note or post it what the dish is, why is it meaningful to them, or its origin (it’s a way to engage more with the activity)
• Gather in a room to share 45 minutes having breakfast together
• Ask for volunteers to clean the room (make sure to rotate them every time)

2. Mental Health Workshops

By introducing workshops and webinars on mental health topics, you can educate and break the stigma around it and any challenges that your employees might be going through. Your team can also get guidance from professionals to learn coping strategies, and stress relief techniques. This helps to build resilience in your team members and make them self-aware thus making them equipped for future challenges. 

Preparation Required:

• You may take a poll from your team members to ask them which mental health topics they are interested in
• Add your ideas to the list according to your evaluation of the team’s needs
• Select one topic each month and contact mental health experts to provide a workshop on the topic, with reflective activities at the end 
• Share the key takeaways with the team and display them on a common wall or display board.

3. Group Meditation

Group meditations are a simple and cost-friendly way of promoting mental health in the workplace. When your team meditates in a group, they can enhance their sense of community, strengthen resilience, and develop overall well-being to overcome work and life challenges with more awareness.

Preparation Required:

• You may choose a guided meditation online or even call a meditation expert to guide the team. 
• Decide a day for the activity in advance by announcing the session 
• Reserve a space in advance for the activity. Make sure it’s a quiet room and free of interruptions
• Ask for volunteers from the team to lead the next meditation or any similar session. Watch as your team blossoms with the zen experience!

4. Mental Health Quiz

This mental health game is suitable for both, office as well as remote work environments. Quizzes allow people to learn, have fun, and also bring in a competitive edge. It introduces mental health topics to your team members that they might never have paid attention to and allows them to name their struggles more clearly as they become more aware now. 

It is a crucial aspect since our society undermines and labels many mental health conditions while being completely ignorant about them.

Preparation Required:

• Choose a mental health topic you want your team to learn about (e.g. depression, managing stress or anxiety, etc.)
• Prepare your questions in advance after thorough research 
• You can use tools like Kahoot for online quizzes, or other interactive apps or sites
• The goal for this task isn’t to find the winning team but rather, to make them think about their mental health and teach them new concepts, and approaches

5. Volunteering

Another great way to include team building is through volunteering. It gives your team a chance to work towards a greater good for someone else. Your volunteering activities could be at work like planting trees or cleaning up the society oe neighbourhood, or you could collaborate with an NGO to volunteer.

Workplace volunteering activities foster a sense of community and purpose. It provides employees with opportunities for social connection and fulfillment and also helps to develop a sense of gratitude and empathy. 

Preparation Required:

• Designate a time and day that coordinates with everyone’s schedule 
• Select a community or task at work that needs volunteers and connect with the right person for volunteering
• Let your team members know in detail their roles, items, and timing to make this possible
• Share the pictures and impact of volunteering with everyone in the organization. This might encourage others to join.

6. Creative Expression 

A very powerful and effortless team-building activity that promotes mental health and well-being at the workplace is through art and creative expression. It allows your team members to get in touch with their emotions, be expressive, and have fun at the same time. The creative expression could range from painting, DIY craft, theatrical acting, singing, dancing, poetry contests, or photography. 

It is one of the best ways for stress relief, increases cognitive functions, and develops a sense of identity and purpose. You can promote team bonding, innovation, and employee engagement through creative expression activities. 

Preparation Required:

• Decide beforehand the creative way your team can best express themselves. 
• Select a space to conduct the activity and provide the required material needed for the activity.
• Set aside a designated date and time that is convenient for everyone.
• Let people name their emotions or pictures so that they can express themselves and the feelings associated with them. 
• Showcase the artwork at a centralized location in your office where everyone can witness and appreciate the art

7. Virtual Book Club

It is one team-building activity that could even be conducted easily with remote teams. As part of this employee engagement activity, your employees get to read and discuss books together, offering them a structured yet informal platform for social interaction and intellectual stimulation. This not only helps to reduce stress but is a great benefit to mental health as it fosters a sense of community, enhances cognitive function, and provides a healthy outlet for relaxation and self-reflection.

Preparation Required:

• Choose the book of the month based on your employees’ choice of genre.
• Decide a specific day and time to meet and discuss the book virtually. 
• Let your team members choose the books so that there is variety and inclusivity in choices
• Have a common platform where you can communicate about this activity and members can also share their thoughts and quotes while reading.
• Prepare games and discussion questions about the book’s themes, characters, and plot to guide conversation during meetings

8. Storytelling Sessions 

What more powerful way to inculcate mental health through a storytelling session? It is one of the oldest and most potent ways to build teams, cognition, and employee wellbeing as participants take turns to indulge in sharing or listening to stories. This activity builds empathy, understanding, and creativity among your team members. It is also a great way to promote deeper connections within your team and discover the hidden talents of your employees.

Preparation Required:

• Set a specific date and time and inform your team members in advance
• Allocate a space with a relaxed environment to conduct this team-building activity
• Set a supportive tone so that everyone is comfortable to share and listen

9. Outdoor Adventure Day

Thinking of corporate team building? An outbound adventure activity has to make it to your list! Navigating rough terrain together or climbing up a rock wall is what adventure and team bonding dreams are made of. Such outdoor activities not only set your adrenaline rush but are fabulous initiatives to boost team morale and enhance team spirit. 

Such outbound corporate team-building activities push employees out of their comfort zone and encourage them to rely on each other thus enhancing the team’s overall engagement and trust. The natural surroundings help to reduce stress and improve mental health.

Preparation Required:

• Customize the activities to your team’s goals and fitness levels
• Designate a day in advance and inform your team about it
• Be ready with the props needed and get into the spirit of adventure

10. Fitness Fun

One of the easiest ways to indulge in some quick team-building exercises is through fitness activities. What better way to amp up your team’s physical and mental well-being than the fitness factor? When your team does a physical activity their team bonding is enhanced and they experience not just fun but benefits too. Yoga, Zumba, or even a mini obstacle course could be some activities that could be easily conducted. It enhances the team’s fitness levels as well as helps to relax and destress oneself.

Preparation Required:

• Customize the activities as per your team’s fitness levels
• Ensure that you have the equipment required and a designated space for conducting such activities
• Also, consider a post-workout snack and hydration boost to your team to keep the spirits and energy levels soaring.

11. Creative Cooking

If you are looking forward to developing some real camaraderie among your team members then give them an activity that helps them to work as a team and derive the delicious results of it in a literal sense! Yes, we are talking about conducting a cooking session together as a team. Who knows some soulful banter over a souffle or a camaraderie over creme brulee might lead to stronger connections among employees? Cooking isn’t just therapeutic, it demands cooperation, creativity, and concentration in equal measures. Your team would experience alleviated stress and a sense of achievement like never before.

Preparation Required:

• Arrange the ingredients and space required for the cooking session
• Fix a day and time in advance to conduct such an activity.
• Capture pictures and put them on a wall where everyone can take pride and delight in their participation.

12. Gratitude Circle

Gratitude is where your real mental well-being begins. It is considered one of the most potent tools for enhancing your mental well-being. The gratitude circle is a fun and interesting team-building activity that reinforces a positive work environment. For this activity, you can gather your team in a circle and each person gives a compliment to the person next to them. It is a great way to boost self-esteem and create a supportive work culture where kindness and appreciation are practiced. 

Preparation Required:

• Inform your team about the gratitude circle in advance
• Designate a noise-free and clutter-free environment for this activity
• Encourage people to be observant of each other’s behaviors and be specific as they compliment each other. 

By integrating these 12 team-building activities you can make an impact in your organization to improve mental health and employee wellbeing. They work as great stress busters and promote relaxation, creativity, and connection. Through these corporate team-building activities you strengthen your teams and nurture their mental and emotional health as well.  

Whether you conduct these activities weekly or monthly, the idea is to promote and host a well-being team-building activity so that you embrace and support mental health-related issues that your team might be facing. About two-thirds of employees have clinically measurable mental health symptoms of anxiety or depression, according to SilverCloud Health’s 2021 Employee Mental Health and Wellbeing Checkup, which surveyed over 2,000 employed U.S. adults in July 2021. 

By taking such initiatives you not only show empathy but also recognize the importance of prioritizing mental health and well-being that directly impacts productivity and business success. It also fosters employee engagement and open communication among your team members, giving them resources and support thus valuing their mental health over work. Mental health issues have mostly been considered taboo to address and by conducting team initiatives to address them you set a benchmark for an empathetic and open culture in your workplace.

Investing in your team’s well-being and mental health is one of the best business decisions you can make, as the teams that grow together thrive together!

*Calm for Business research was fielded among n = 3,000 18-54-year-old full-time employees in the US during 10/17-10/24 and is nationally representative with quotas across age, gender, race, ethnicity, and region.