Tag Archives: Wellbeing

Wellbeing

Mental Health Awareness Week and Staff Wellbeing

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This week is Mental Health Awareness Week! To celebrate MHAW this year, each day of the week is inspired by Te Whare Tapa Whā. Imagine your wellbeing through the whare by exploring each aspect as we move through the week together!

Rahina / Monday: 

The theme for Monday is taha whānau/family and social wellbeing. Taha whānau is the people we care about, who recharge us and make us feel we belong. Take notice of how you feel around certain people. Do some people make you feel exhausted and drained? Whereas others enhance your energy? Whānau isn’t just our immediate relatives it can include our friends, colleagues, iwi or community.

  • How can you recharge with others today?
Rāta / Tuesday:

The theme for Tuesday is taha wairua/spiritual wellbeing. Taha wairua is about taking notice and appreciating the beauty around us. For some, wairua is faith or a higher power. We encourage you to think about what wairua means to you and ways to strengthen it.

  • How do you take notice and rediscover everyday things around you?
Rāapa / Wednesday:

The theme for Wednesday is taha whenua our connection to the land. It’s soil, plants, animals and people – tangata whenua. It’s the earth through which you are connected to your tūpuna/ancestors.

  • Can you return to nature today? Or spend time in nature today?
Rāpare / Thursday:

The theme for Thursday is taha tinana. Taha tinana is about how your body feels and how you care for it. Refuelling your body helps you to feel mentally well. What’s important is that you do what you can to nurture it.

  • How you can refuel your body today? Or take some time out for yourself?

 Rāmere / Friday:

The theme for Friday is taha hinengaro. Taha hinengaro is about your mind, heart, conscience, thoughts and feelings. Just like your physical health, your hinengaro needs to be nurtured. Hinengaro is what you do to stimulate and refresh your mind so you can better cope with the ups and downs of life.

  • Can you take a moment to stimulate and refresh your mind today?  

Supporting Wellbeing here at UC 

We would also like to take this opportunity to take a pulse of our staff Wellbeing and invite you to complete a short survey. By participating you will be helping to inform opportunities for follow up as we look for ways to continue to support staff Wellbeing.

Survey link: https://canterbury.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dmWAyZL3pwE16DP

Wellbeing

Mental Health Awareness Week Update

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Mental Health Awareness week is starting on Monday the 21st through to Sunday the 27th September.

There have been a few changes made to the line up since our last blog post.

The Wellbeing Expo is now being held on Wednesday the 23rd September instead of Monday the 21st of September. This is due to New Zealand remaining at Level 2. The Wellbeing Expo will only go ahead if we move to Level 1 following the governments announcement on Monday 21st September.

Lunchtime seminars will continue to go ahead in Level 2 as planned. Please note there will no longer be a lunchtime seminar on Wednesday the 23rd.

For more information about the upcoming events for MHAW click here.

Events, Wellbeing

Mental Health Awareness Week

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Mental Health Awareness week (MHAW) is coming up on 21 – 27 September. This year’s theme is focused on “Reimagining Wellbeing Together, He Tirohanga Anamata”.

This annual campaign is all about raising awareness and reducing the stigma that exists around Mental Health. To learn more about MHAW click here.

To celebrate MHAW at UC, we are hosting a range of events in support of Wellbeing.

Wellbeing Expo (will only proceed in alert level 1 or below)

When: Monday 21 September, 12 – 2pm
Where: Haere-roa

Featuring a variety of wellbeing services and stalls, bbq, live music and care packs (for first 100 attendees). And a prize draw (be at the expo to enter!)

Prizes include: Massage vouchers (from the Rec Centre), $100 UBS voucher (donated by TEU), 2 tickets to Mount John Observatory (tour and dinner), Himalayan salt lamp, plus loads more!

Lunchtime Seminars

When: Tuesday 22 – Friday 25 September, 12 – 1pm
Where: Undercroft Room 101

Topics: 

Tues: Professor Neville Blampied – Importance of sleep for Wellbeing

Weds: UCSA Clubs Lads without Labels and UC Women’s Wellbeing

Thurs: Professor Katharina Naswall, Wellbeing – Supporting your own and others.

Fri: Professional Julia Rucklidge – Practical suggestions for improving your mental health under stress.

Take a Mate for Coffee

When: Wednesday 23 September

Turn up with your mate and get 2 hot drinks for the price of one!

Participating cafes: Nuts and Bolts ǀ Engineering Core, Foundry ǀ Haere-roa, The Collective ǀ Dovedale, Ancestral ǀ Ernest Rutherford, Therapy ǀ Rehua.

We encourage you to take some time out to attend these events, as taking care of wellbeing is important to sustaining a healthy work life balance.

We look forward to seeing you all there,
Mental Health Awareness Working Group

Wellbeing

Self-Care September

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With September comes Spring! The season of love, hope and growth. Use this month to start over, to refresh, and to take some time out for you.

Practicing regular self-care is a great and easy way to enhance your wellbeing and to boost your mood. Here are some ways that you can practice self-care this spring:

  • Get outside and enjoy springs new growth.
  • Go for a walk around Hagley Park and check out the beautiful blossom trees.
  • Start a garden.
  • Spring clean your home or even better your closet!
  • Fill your home with flowers.
  • Meet a friend for a coffee and a chat.
  • Go for a picnic or eat a meal outside.
  • Spread the love and do something nice for someone else.

For even more great ways to practice self-care this season check out the September calendar from Action for Happiness or click here to visit the UC Wellbeing Hub.