CELEBRATING MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK

As Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) approaches, it’s a great time to pause, reflect and connect with our mental health. Taking care of our mental wellbeing should be a priority every day, but for me, MHAW provides a much-needed prompt to stop, check and reset – and every year provides me with new ways to look at mental wellbeing and new ideas to look after myself and others. One in five New Zealanders experience mental distress each year and the effects of stress, anxiety and depression ripple out as we work to support our friends and whaanau in their struggles. So, MHAW is an opportunity to bring wellbeing strategies to the fore and reminds us all to look out for one another and ask for help if we need it.

I love this year’s theme, ‘Community is… what we create together’. From the dim dark days of 2020 (we don’t mention his name) through some pretty intense natural events and the challenge of rising living costs, it feels like this theme couldn’t have come at a better time. Because, when we come together, we do better.

But what exactly is community? It’s different for everyone and that’s another thing I love about this year’s theme. Your community might be your whaanau, your friends, your neighbours or your colleagues. It could be the people you meet or greet regularly at your local café or gym, or the pet parents at the park that your dogs introduced you to. No matter who makes up your community, nurturing those connections, and maintaining a space (physical or emotional) where people feel safe, valued and supported not only benefits the group, but you too.

The whakataukii (proverb) ‘naau te rourou, naaku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi’ – ‘with your food basket and mine, the people will flourish’, perfectly captures this year’s MHAW theme. It reminds us that, as we share what we have – time, energy, resources or even a friendly word – we help our communities thrive, and in turn benefit our mental health and the mental wellbeing of those around us.

Centre Place is a hub in the city, bringing an incredible number of communities together every day. From the commuting inner-city workers who break off from the flow of walkers to gather for a quick coffee fuel up or meeting to the more-leisurely weekday shoppers and vibrant after-school crowd, there are always people gathering. One of the most popular places to gather is the food court and the entrance off Ward Street near Nandos is home to one of the most inspiring art pieces I’ve seen, ‘A Joyful Meeting’ by local artist Pounamu Wharekawa. A beautiful welcome to the LGBTQI+ community, this piece is incredible in its diversity and connection – I think we can all see something of ourselves and our mates in it. There’s a proven connection between art and wellbeing so make sure you tour the rest of Centre Place’s art collection – check out their website for locations and the inspiration behind each piece. And, if you’re a new parent looking to get out and join a new community – head up to Hoyts each Wednesday for Prams at the Pix every Wednesday.

If you’re looking for ideas on how you can celebrate MHAW, visit mhaw.nz for ideas on how you can create and support your own communities. Or, break it down with a new focus each day:

• Manaaki Monday: Start a chain reaction of kindness with a small act of service that could make someone’s day, week or year. Helping with difficult or everyday tasks, community volunteering, cooking someone a meal or sweet treat or freeing a busy person up to take five for their mental health are all really achievable ways to make a difference.
• Tautoko Tuesday: Tautoko Tuesday is about support, advocacy and encouragement. Support a local café or small producer, use your social channels to highlight the work of a fantastic community organisation or take a moment to tell the people serving your local community how much their mahi (work) means to you.
• Whaanau Wednesday: Whaanau is wider that your immediate family, so you’ll be spoilt for choice on Wednesday! Reach out to friends and family you don’t talk to often, share some kai with your work colleagues, head out on a group walk in your local greenspaces or make a coffee date to pause, relax and talk.
• Tuuhono Thursday: Tuuhono Thursday is all about new connections. Chat to someone at work you don’t know well, connect with neighbours or even find a new community group to connect with to enjoy a new or existing interest.
• Whakawhetai Friday: On Whakawhetai Friday, it’s time to finish up the week with a little feel-good gratitude. As simple as a thank you to the bus driver or checkout operator or a moment to reflect and acknowledge the help workmates, friends and whānau provide every day, gratitude feels good to give and get! Help younger family members find their own ways to feel and express gratitude and maybe even start a gratitude journal or daily gratitude moment to keep up the gratitude year-round!

This Mental Health Awareness Week, take a moment – or the week – to really focus on how you’re feeling, how that could be improved and the incredible contribution you can make to the mental wellbeing of those around you, often with just the smallest actions. Community is not just something that we’re part of, it’s something we actively create. So, take a look at your communities, reach out, offer support and let’s create even stronger communities together.