Wellness is under the microscope. With events such as Covid 19, repeated lock downs, The Great Resignation, rising inflation and the increasing cost of living, many are taking the time to deeply reflect upon what is important to them.
Covid 19 and lock-downs have created a significant change in work patterns – not just working from home and flexible hours, but also the meaning people receive from their employment. We spend approximately 1/3 of our time at work – people are realising this time needs to be more fulfilling. Perhaps that explains the phenomenon of The Great Resignation:
- 41% of workers agree that Covid 19 has decreased the importance they put on their career (Wellness at Work, Employment Hero, April 2022)
- 50% of employees in NZ, will be seeking new employment within the next 12 months (Employment Hero, 2022)
What does Wellness mean to you?
Moving beyond the obvious of physical exercise and nutritious food, what other areas of life contribute to your wellness? Professor Durie Mason (Emeritus Professor of Māori Research & Development, Massey University), created Te Whare Tapa Whā model of health (1984), which includes five dimensions:
- Taha Hinengaro – mental & emotional
- Taha Whānau – family & social
- Taha Tinana – physical
- Taha Wairua – spiritual; and
- Whenua – land or roots (connection)
We also like the 7 Dimension of Wellness created by Employment Hero (April 2022):
- Physical
- Mental
- Financial
- Occupational
- Relational
- Spiritual
- Recreational
Take some time to consider how these factors impact your wellness.
How can I achieve wellness?
That’s a fair question when so many external events are directly impacting our own, personal & professional lives. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Personal Leadership
We spend a lot of time with people through our delivery of coaching and development programmes and we begin by bringing it right back to the individual person. We can’t necessarily control or influence external events, but we can choose our own behaviours and responses to them. So:
- Stop judging yourself
- Take your aspirations and break them down into tiny behaviours
- Embrace mistakes as DISCOVERIES and move forward from them (Hogg, Tiny Habits, 2019)
Develop Personal Anchor Points
With events going on around us all the time, we need to be anchored. We need some aspects of our internal lives that will keep us grounded and that we can rely upon in any situation.
- Develop personal integrity – keep commitments to self (start small).
- Build social integrity – keep commitments to others (pause before saying ‘yes’).
- Know your whakapapa (genealogy) – acknowledging where you are from and who you are from supports your self-identity
- Know and live your values – write them down! Make them visible and begin by focussing on application of one value every day until they all become second nature.
Rejuvenate Yourself
There’s plenty out there about burnout and it’s a real issue. Be proactive and choose to incorporate habits into your daily routine that support your wairua/energy. We recommend engaging in relaxing, time-out, fulfilling activities:
- 15min per day
- 3 hours per week
- 1 day per month
These activities are not work related. They are simply for pleasure/fun and will re-energise you!
Aotearoa families and individuals are all experiencing a challenging environment right now – some dimensions of wellness may be more challenging than others. Make a start. Commit to activities that represent self-investment and the future you are striving for!