Mind Camp for our Apprentices: Mental Strength, Mindfulness, and a Touch of Nature
An apprenticeship is an exciting time. New tasks, new people, new responsibilities — and sometimes quite a lot all at once. That’s why, at Thomann, it’s important to us not only to share professional knowledge, but also to strengthen the people behind it.
Once a year, we therefore hold the Mind Camp for our apprentices and dual-study students. The focus is on mental health, resilience, and the question: How can we take good care of ourselves during challenging times, discover our strengths, and continue to work with joy in the long term?
The week was guided by Dipl.-Psych. Harald Müller from INREPO and B.Sc. Psych. Sally Müller from his team. Harald has been supporting our young colleagues for several years and knows many of them from the beginning of their training, making him a consistent companion throughout their apprenticeship journey.
A Change of Perspective in Nature
This year, one of the topics was learning to perceive things more consciously again: ourselves, our own thoughts, our surroundings, and the people around us.
One part of the workshop took the group outside into nature. No phone, no headphones, no distractions. Each participant spent 10 to 20 minutes walking alone, with the task of focusing consciously on their own senses. What do I see? What do I hear? What do I smell? How does the ground feel beneath my feet?
Partner exercises were also part of the Mind Camp. In one exercise, one person collected three things from nature, while the other person explored them by touch while being blindfolded. The goal was not to guess as quickly as possible what they were holding. Instead, the focus was on feeling attentively, perceiving carefully, and being fully present in the moment.
In everyday life, we are constantly reachable, constantly busy, and often already thinking about the next to-do. Exercises like these show how much we overlook or pass by. Mindfulness does not mean slowing everything down. Sometimes it simply means looking more closely — or, in this case, feeling more closely.
The Happiness Jar: Bringing Small Moments into Focus
Another element was the so-called Happiness Jar. The idea behind it is simple: Whenever you experience a beautiful moment, feel joy, or are grateful for something, you write it down on a small piece of paper and place it in the jar.
Over time, this creates a collection of positive experiences. Especially on days when things are not going smoothly, the Happiness Jar can remind us that there are many small good moments and moments of happiness in life. We just have to focus our attention on them.
Mental Strength as Part of Our Apprenticeship Program
We believe that sustainable performance, mental strength, and fulfilling work are possible, even in busy and demanding times. Achieving this takes knowledge, practice, and, above all, spaces where mental health can be discussed openly.
The Mind Camp supports our apprentices and dual-study students in getting to know their own resources better, handling stress more consciously, and developing trust in their own abilities. Because for us, training means more than learning a profession. We want our young colleagues to grow professionally while also becoming stronger, more confident, and more mindful as people.
