Royal Navy partners with health app Headspace to help stressed sailors and Marines unwind

From today, personnel across the Senior Service can now access the popular wellbeing app, Headspace for free.

Also benefiting from the deal will be some 3,000 families of sailors, the navy’s reservist force, personnel from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and naval civil servants.

The arrangement comes following work by the Royal Navy health and wellbeing team to partner with Headspace.

The app is already available to serving soldiers in the British Army and is packed with videos and exercises to help with sleep, stress, meditation and mindfulness.

Rear Admiral Jude Terry, director people and training and naval secretary, said the new deal was about supporting service personnel and their families.

‘As an employer we talk a lot about the resilience and wellbeing of our whole workforce and their families,’ she added. ‘For years we have focused on physical resilience but not paid much attention to mental wellbeing.

‘You will have seen that we have improved this over the last 18 months or so and I am delighted to support the next stage in this process.

‘Headspace has the potential to improve the mental fitness of the whole Royal Navy family by providing unique tools and resources to reduce stress, build resilience, increase movement and aid better sleep.

‘This is one of the many initiatives the Royal Navy is introducing to improve the lived experience of our team; enabling empowered, individual access to health and wellbeing support services.’

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The Headspace app offers advice and guidance on mental wellbeing as well as useful tips on sleeping better and different exercises to improve mood.

It also has articles to listen to including how to reduce worrying, improve focus and manage anxiety.

Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Martin Connell added: ‘The Royal Navy is proud to partner with Headspace to enable empowered, individual access to wellbeing support for our whole force – Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Royal Navy Maritime Reserves, Royal Navy civil servants – and importantly the families that support them.

‘The interactive mental fitness content that can be downloaded to personal devices will add particular value to our people as they deploy and operate around the world.’

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