You are the box: A mindset shift for care home activity coordinators

Pop the kettle on. This is the first in a new series of blogs,The Box.

Take a moment to relax as you read, give yourself time to breathe, and take whatever feels helpful for you today. ☕💚

I was listening to a podcast this morning when the guest said something that stopped me in my tracks.

“You are the box!" she said

And that really hit home.

We’re often told to think outside the box.

I’ve said it myself. I’ve even gone a step further and told you there is no box.

But as soon as I heard those words, I knew she was right.

There is a box.

It’s just not what we usually imagine.

We only know what we know

Each of us moves through the world shaped by our own experiences.

We understand situations, people, and behaviour through the lens of what we’ve lived, learned, and noticed along the way.

Even when we’re kind, open-minded, and genuinely trying to do our best, we’re still viewing everything from inside ourselves.

Our upbringing.

Our working life.

Our confidence (or lack of it).

Our beliefs about what feels reasonable, normal, or possible.

This is simply what it means to be human.

And that’s why what this podcast guest said really landed with me.

You are the box.

I am the box.

Why this matters in your role as activity coordinator

As activity coordinators, we care deeply about doing things well.

We think.

We plan.

We reflect.

We try again.

But we do all of that from inside our own box - shaped by our expectations, our training, our experiences, and the pressures we carry.

When something doesn’t go as planned, it’s easy to slip into frustration.

Why didn’t that work?

Why does this feel harder than it should?

Why am I questioning myself again?

This mindset mindset for care home activity coordinators doesn’t give answers, but it does offer understanding.

It reminds us that how we see a situation is never neutral. It’s always influenced by what we bring with us into the room.

It’s not about getting things wrong or needing to do more.

It gives us permission to pause and recognise:

• we don’t see everything

• we don’t always have the full picture

• our perspective is one of many

And that’s okay.

This awareness doesn’t limit us - it actually opens things up.

A mindset for care home activity coordinators that allows space

When we accept that we are the box, something softens.

We become less rigid in our thinking.

Less quick to assume.

More open to learning.

We stop treating our way of seeing things as the default, and start noticing that there may be other ways of understanding what’s happening.

Not better.

Not worse.

Just different.

And in a role that relies so heavily on empathy, observation, and human connection, that awareness matters.

A place to begin

This idea that you are the box isn’t about changing how you work overnight.

It’s about noticing.

About reflecting.

About being gentle with yourself as you do a demanding, emotionally involved job.

It's not a conclusion, it’s a starting point.

Over the coming weeks, I’ll be exploring what this idea means in more depth - how it shapes the way we understand others, the way we support ourselves, and the way we use the tools available to us.

But for now, this is enough.

Just sit with the thought for a moment.

You are the box.

And recognising that might be one of the most important mindset shifts you make as an activity coordinator.

☕💚

I'd love to know how this thought lands with you - why not share them in the comments?