Blooming Minds Mental Health & Wellbeing January 2016 Issue

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 6

ISSUE 2

AGENTS OF CHANGE

ARTICLES AND INTERVIEWS WITH TASHA BROOMHALL NICK MAISEY - BEFRIEND SHANNA CRISPIN- HI THERE GORGEOUS BETTY KITCHENER - MHFA ALICIA CURTIS - 100 WOMEN PETER SHARP & JAE WEST - THE LIBERATORS

A BLOOMING GREAT 2016 5 SIMPLE STEP TO ASSIST YOU IN ENHANCING YOUR MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING

ONE STEP AT A TIME WITH JULIE MEEK APPLYING THE 4 STAGES OF CHANGE TO CREATE THE RIGHT HABITS TO BETTER PERSONAL PERFORMANCE

A MENTAL HEALTH STRATEGY MAP FOR ORGANISATIONS INCLUDING: AWARENESS RAISING, SKILL BUILDING AND BEHAVIOURAL INTEGRATION

SOPHIE BUDD’S SIMPLE MANGO MOUSSE

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JANUARY

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

4 6 7 8 9 12 14 16 18 25 27 29 30

A MENTAL HEALTH STRATEGY MAP FOR ORGANISATIONS ONE STEP AT A TIME WITH JULIE MEEK DO IT WITH A SMILE IN 2016 AGENTS OF CHANGE

ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS WITH TASHA BROOMHALL

NICK MAISEY - BEFRIEND SHANNA CRISPIN - HI THERE GORGEOUS BETTY KITCHENER - MHFA ALICIA CURTIS - 100 WOMEN PETER SHARP & JAE WEST - THE LIBERATORS THE ROAD TO RECOVERY A BLOOMING GREAT 2016 BLOOM GROUP OVER TO YOU

CREDITS Founder and Editor-in-Chief: Tasha Broomhall Deputy Editor: Sharna Mensah Editing and proofreading: Sharna Mensah

LEGAL STUFF

Contributing Writers: Tasha Broomhall Sharna Mensah Sophie Budd Peter Schupp Julie Meek

Contributing Photographers: Craig Broomhall Sharna Mensah Typesetting and internal design: Craig Broomhall Sharna Mensah Bloom! Book Cover Design Daniel Agostino Sofia Varano

Blooming MindsŠ 2016 All Rights Reserved. We encourage you to share the content of this e-magazine with others who you think may be interested. However to comply with copyright please ensure that information is only shared in its full form and with the credit given to the authors.

The information, opinions, suggestions and ideas contained in this publication are based on the experience of the contributors and research information which is believed to be accurate but not infallible. All effort has been made to render this information free from error or omission. Whilst written and presented in good faith, Blooming Minds and the contributors assume no responsibility or liability for any loss or damage caused directly or indirectly from this information. The material cannot substitute for appropriate professional opinion, which would take into account individual factors, specific situations, environmental conditions or circumstances likely to influence actions taken or avoided at any time. Please be advised, this presentation provides general information only, and should not be seen as professional advice specific to any particular situation, problem or person. If you require assistance for mental health issues please contact your medical practitioner or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

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TASHA’S UPDATE

H

ello and welcome to our sensational second edition of Blooming Minds e-magazine!

Through presenting at conferences and courses across Australia I meet a lot of new people every week. Over the last year what has caught my attention is hearing so many people bemoaning the state of the world. I’ve heard people complaining about how people have never been so disconnected; how helpless we are to change some of the inequalities in the world; how overwhelming it is to see the atrocities some humans rage against others at individual and national levels... I have at times felt this sense of overwhelm myself. But I’ve also come across some super cool people who have seen issues in their communities and instead of complaining about them, have taken action to create positive change. In this issue we will share a few of their stories with you.

“Here’s the thing – none of us get out of life alive.

So be gallant, be great, be gracious, and be grateful for the opportunities that you have…

Let’s be passionately dedicated to the pursuit of short-term goals – micro ambitious. Work with passion and pride on what is in front of us.”

Jake Bailey

There has also been a lot of attention in the last twelve months around mental illness, especially in regards to the workplace. Once again the prevailing attitude seems to be one of fear and scrambling to know how to respond to these issues. Instead I would encourage you to look at: • What you can do personally to look after your own mental health and wellbeing proactively?

• What can you learn to better understand the mental health issues that those around you experience?

• What systems and supports can you put in place to build a positive mental health culture in your workplace?

We provide you with some tools and strategies to do this, in this edition.

I recently watched and was moved by this speech from Jake Bailey at his school graduation, just after being diagnosed with and commencing treatment for cancer.

If you haven’t seen it yet, please take a minute to do so here.

Tasha

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A Mental Health Strategy Map for Your Organisation

Are you feeling overwhelmed by how to deal with the rising issues around mental health and mental illness in the workplace?

Increasing rates of stress claims; leaders unsure of how to manage employees with mental health issues; ongoing organisational change creating instability and peoples mental wellbeing being affected, are some of the common issues that we hear are causing concerns in workplaces. So where do you start? How can you implement actions to develop a culture of positive mental health and wellbeing?

There are many ideas you can implement to develop a positive mental health culture in your organisation. The following is not an exhaustive or prescriptive list, but rather a collection of ideas that you should assess for merit in relation to your individual organisation, and action accordingly.

Behavioural Integration

Integrating the increased mental health knowledge into the culture of your workplace so it becomes “how we do things around here”. This includes tertiary level interventions designed to develop a culture of peer support to ensure that if and where issues arise, your employees are able to appropriately support each other and engage with your EAP provider or with community resources. Actions speak louder than words. The overall goal of your organisation’s programs should be for your employees to integrate the information they learn into their daily practices. We want them to regularly use their new skills to look after their own mental health and wellbeing, and better respond to the needs of those around them.

Awareness Raising

Assessing and developing your organisation’s mental health literacy. These are primary level interventions that ensure your policies, procedures and systems enhance the mental wellbeing of your employees. They also serve to ensure that mental health issues are recognised and responded to appropriately, balancing the individual’s needs with the organisation’s needs.

Skill Building

Building personal buoyancy, team values development and the capacity of people leaders to recognise and appropriately respond to mental health issues in the workplace. These primary and secondary level interventions focus on professional and personal skill development to ensure that all people leaders have the skills to recognise and appropriately respond to mental health issues in your organisation. They also serve to encourage all employees to develop their individual buoyancy and proactively manage their own mental wellbeing.

Would you like some assistance to get started?

Email us if you would like a complementary Workplace Mental Health Audit.

The above is an edited extract from BLOOM! AT WORK A Mental Health Guide for Leaders by Tasha Broomhall

Purchase your copy here.

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Developing a culture of positive mental health and wellbeing AWARENESS RAISING Information to proactively develop positive mental health and wellbeing Information in your workplace available in various formats (on intranet/regularly in newsletters/posters/reference cards with info services) - General mental health awareness information - Specific illness information - Information for specific groups (new parents/ carers/culturally diverse/LGBTIQ) - General Lunch and Learn sessions to raise awareness of mental health as part of overall health - Policy and procedure that is implemented and communicated - Communication about the EAP provider so people are familiar with it Talk about mental health whenever you talk about physical health (e.g. Agenda items for OSH meetings)

Skill Development Training at induction that includes the importance of mental health and wellbeing and your EAP program and how to access it Proactive stress management and resilience building training available for all staff Specific training for leaders on their roles and responsibilities around mental health in the workplace Specific training for leaders around creating positive workplace cultures Specific training for leaders around positively managing change General training for staff about how to have a conversation with someone that they are concerned about (how to provide support and encourage someone to get help while maintaining appropriate boundaries)

Behavioural Integration Support to refresh and implement skills learned in training Mentoring for managers who have ongoing issues supporting staff with mental health issues Videos and online learning to reinforce skills that can be accessed at any time to refresh knowledge and skills when planning actions Ongoing support to talk through issues for support and coaching as and when they arise

Copyright Blooming Minds 2016 If you want to implement this in your organisation contact us here

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One Step at a Time

With 2016 still fresh as a daisy, are you considering making a change to a

habit that is affecting your personal performance such as nutrition, exercise, stress or sleep? Then get ready for the grand entrance of the party pooper…

Paralysis by analysis! This annoying guest arrives when you think about how and what you are going to change, over and over to the point where the end result is zip, nil, nada, nothing. Before you dive into any resolutions or goals (and not just around New Year) it is essential to work out where you are.

The Stages of Change, designed by James Prochaska and his friends can be applied to any new or sought after health behaviour. The process can be used for anything at all that you are trying to change, but using changing your eating habits as an example, the journey could look like this:

Stage One: “It has crossed my mind” - Contemplation

You might be thinking about overhauling your food intake and looking after your body because the graphic advertisements that you see on TV and the constant media talk about our obesity epidemic are starting to get to you. Despite this, you are not quite ready to make the changes and you are still trying to get motivated.

How to go about making healthier choices seems rather overwhelming at this stage because you’re not sure how to do it and haven’t worked out specific goals and strategies. You do believe that your health, energy levels and general wellbeing will improve if you start eating better and develop new habits. As a result you know that making a change will result in better health. You are aware there will be roadblocks but haven’t worked through how to get around or over them. I know there should be a monster truck option but there just isn’t.

Stage Two: “I am thinking about it” – Preparation

This is the stage of change where you have decided to overhaul your diet, make the changes and have determined specific goals and how to achieve them. You have a plan of action and you are ready to use it.

Stage Three “I’m going for it” – Action

You have been actively making change and eating well for at least six months; you are looking for innovative ways to continue this and you have been troubleshooting along the way to overcome roadblocks, adjusting to how it feels with these new changes. The roadblocks will include the triggers that you associate with not making the best food choices and might include things like busyness, too many things to do, fatigue or disruption to routine.

Stage Four “I’m done” – Maintenance

Arriving at this stage means that your change has become a habit; you are officially a nutrition nut and an example to your co-workers, friends and family. You have designed creative ways to maintain your new routines and you are looking for new ideas to cement the change and prevent a relapse.

A NUTRITIONIST AND DIETITIAN, JULIE MEEK IS ONE OF THE MOST RESPECTED SPORTS DIETITIANS IN AUSTRALIA WITH OVER 15 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE IN PUBLIC, SPORTS AND CORPORATE NUTRITION. http://www.juliemeek.com.au/

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Do It With a Smile in 2016

Are you ready to make the changes that can help you prepare to do amazing things in 2016?

Have you ever made big plans for change, started with a burst and then slipped off track and found yourself back at your normal routine? Don’t get down on yourself, this is more common than your toast falling butter side down!

But do try again and this time think differently, make a small change for success.

Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy that refers to small continuous improvements that made Japanese products world leaders. When I read about Kaizen in Sean Achors book The Happiness Advantage (a great read indeed!) I was fixated with it. I had been living my life like this, working to improve upon every situation, even if it was things like perfecting the fine art of croissant cooking, and now I had a word to describe my intention. When I was looking for a business name that described my mantra, they were too long, so it was back to Kaizen, my favorite word!

So why is this important to you? Because I know that we can all fall off our ‘new me’ challenges and with the season of reflection and new me’s having just passed us by, I want you to feel like the shining star that you are.

Your wellbeing is broken down into three parts - body, mind and spirit. When you choose to challenge yourself this new year, look to find a manageable plan that incorporates all aspects of your wellbeing and not just trying to fit the mould set by the media.

To help succeed in sticking to a’ new you’ challenge, you will need a team behind you all working toward the same goal and to make sure it is the best FUN you have ever had!

Join an interest group – making new connections with people who have a common interest can have a huge boost to your wellbeing. Talking about what you love is easy and you will sound more intelligent in this situation

than you ever have before. Try meetup.com to find your special interest groups that actually meet in person to socialise and even practice your favorite thing.

Volunteer help groups – altruism is the act of being unselfish and helping others which you will get in spades from joining with others for the greater good. This has such a fantastic positive effect on your wellbeing. Your immune system has been proven to improve from one hour of helping others and gratitude is the fast lane toward sustainable happiness.

Exercise with a smile!! If you aren’t smiling or enjoying the process, find an exercise group that isn’t like exercise – chase a ball around a golf course, try an orienteering group, bird watching with a bush walk, join a Laughter Yoga club or learn to dance!

Plan yourself an awesome year this 2016 and make sure you do it with your circle of support or find some new circles to continually improve on every aspect of your wellbeing.

Peter Schupp

is the President of LaughWA and can be found at his own Kaizen Wellbeing Laughter Club every Tuesday night from 7pm at 89 Marlock St, Greenwood.

Peter has an ability to connect with individuals and lift their energy and that creates successful events.

Wellness has never been so accessible and fun.

www.kaizenwellbeing.com/

Peter Schupp is the President of LaughWA and can be found at his own Kaizen Wellbeing Laughter Club every Tuesday night from 7pm at 89 Marlock St, Greenwood.

Peter has an ability to connect with individuals and lift their energy and that creates successful events. Wellness has never been so accessible and fun.

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If Not Us, Who? If Not Now, When?

2015 brought some very significant issues locally and globally into the community conversation. The plight of Syrian refugees, the attacks in Paris and many other issues got our attention and then for many people, widened our scope to acknowledging that such human suffering occurs in many countries every day. I think that sometimes we don’t acknowledge the violence that happens in far flung countries because it feels too big. When large scale violence or disaster happens closer to us, in our own country, or in a country we’ve visited, or where the society operates in a way similar to ours, sometimes it gets more of our attention. It feels closer to our experience. And yet if we talked to individuals from these far flung countries, we might just discover that we have more in common with them, than what separates us. And why wait for the large scale issues? There are plenty of examples of individuals suffering in our own communities that we need not turn a blind eye to.

I encourage you to expand your view to see the many people in the world in pain and suffering; acknowledge and validate their plight with your attention. Acknowledge it but don’t get overwhelmed.

Instead, acknowledge it and determine to then narrow your focus in to your sphere of influence and to commit to actions that make a difference where YOU can. Let the anger and the distress that you feel motivate you. Use the energy to propel you into action. Break the inertia.

It is easy to feel helpless as individuals, but what if we could take action at a local level to create some change? Maybe then we could make a difference to the world. You don’t have to have the full answers to a problem to be able to start working on it. The global issues can seem insurmountable, and yet there is plenty of need at a local level, in our own families, workplaces and communities where we can start to effect change. Instead of stopping and looking at these incidents helplessly, there are some people who take actions to change their communities and the wider world.

In the following pages of this edition we have featured 6 people who have done just that. We hope they inspire you to take some steps towards creating the world you want.

“I always wondered why somebody didn’t do something about that and then I realized I am somebody.”

eople who have a good support network feel confident and that confidence means they can cope better

Lily Tomlin 8

if not us, who? if not now, when?

Nick Maisey Befriend Nick Maisey was an Occupational Therapy student at Curtin University in 2010, when he received an email, forwarded to all students from the school fieldwork coordinator.

“Hi, my name is Tim. I’m 23 years old, I love going to the beach, watching movies, and hanging out with others. I don’t have any friends. If anyone is interested in getting to know me, please get in contact…”

The rawness and simplicity of Tim’s words and his vulnerability in his request for connection, resonated with Nick and compelled him to meet Tim. Through meeting Tim, Nick gained an insight into some of the barriers that Tim and many others face to social inclusion and connectedness. Nick knew that it is the people we share our lives with that give us a positive sense of self, fostering positive mental health, wellbeing, and quality of life. So he was curious about how to help break down some of the barriers that lead to increased isolation for some people in our communities. Nick and a group of Occupational Therapy students and friends founded Befriend Inc., to work towards a vision of an inclusive, connected world.

TB: What did Befriend ‘look like’ at the beginning?

NM: The earliest Befriend events were a small group who’d get together for a barbecue in the park on a Sunday afternoon. I love a good Sunday arvo barbecue myself, and I figured, if there are people out there just looking for an invitation, well they’re very welcome to join me, simple as that!

I’d pop down to the shops beforehand to buy some sausages, buns, onions and the rest, and people would chip in a couple of dollars each so that I wasn’t out of pocket.

From an operational perspective, in the early days as you’d expect, all of our team were volunteers, chipping in bits of time outside normal work/ study hours. For me, it looked like a lot of late nights, getting home from work, and clocking on for Befriend-time.

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TB: How does it look now?

NM: The model of the open network has gone gangbusters – We have almost 4,000 people signed up in Perth, and on an average month, we’re hosting 15-20 social gatherings of all different shapes and sizes, in many areas of Perth. We’ve matured as an organisation, from an informal community group with big dreams, to a non-profit social enterprise, with staff, an office, a huge community of partners and supporters…and still have big dreams. We have an incredible Board who are united in our vision for an inclusive, connected world and who believe deeply in Befriend’s ability to spark this change. We have four staff (myself included) who manage our projects, people, partnerships and funds, and a team of 40 creative, passionate, committed volunteers. It all sounds quite official, but we’re basically one big family. And we still don’t take ourselves too seriously.

TB: What role does Befriend currently fulfil?

NM: Befriend is a bridge, from isolation, to connectedness. We sit somewhere between the mainstream community (which is subject to attitudes that often serve to exclude those who are different, who don’t fit our social norms), and the community service sector. We develop partnerships with community service organisations, informing their network about Befriend and the opportunities that it offers for connection, to link in those who are vulnerable, isolated, or who find it hard to fit in elsewhere.

We lead loudly and proudly with our focus on inclusion – it doesn’t matter who you are, you’re welcome. All we ask is that you treat others how you’d like to be treated. This simple message and approach to openness, acceptance and understanding permeates through our ethos, culture, and the community of Befriend.

Our approach is unique to that of any other organisation, and we’re moving towards developing professional development workshops to upskill and empower others.

TB: What are your future goals for Befriend?

NM: Our aspiration is for Befriend to be a unique, working model of a sustainable social enterprise that truly enables an inclusive, connected community. It is our hope that if someone, anywhere in Perth is looking to get connected, Befriend will be there for them as their starting point, to spark new connections, and a rich, active, connected life. If we can get things right in Perth, we can move forward to work with new communities into the future.

TB: How can individuals / organisations get involved?

NM: If you want to meet new people and enrich your social life – Sign up as a member via www.befriend.org.au or call 0404 831 201; it’s free to join, and as simple as joining a mailing list.

If you want to volunteer with Befriend, express your interest via www.befriend.org.au/team If you’d like to donate to support our work, there is an online donation facility at www.befriend.org.au/support Organisations can contact Nick Maisey directly via 0421 061 042 or nick@befriend.org.au to explore partnership opportunities.

Nick’s advice for someone who sees a need, but doesn’t know where or how to start?

Keep talking – Don’t just let your frustration, idea or passion wither and die. Keep talking to others about it, and seek out those who’ve been there before. You’re not the first person to ever be frustrated about how the world works. And there are thousands of people working every day to make it a better place. Get out there and talk to them.

Be proactive – Enhance your knowledge and understanding so that you truly and deeply understand the issue, not just your surfacelevel observations. Who else shares your frustration? What organisations are working in that space to effect change? What approaches have been tried before?

Start small – We’re a community of 4,000, but we started with a bunch of us getting together for a Sunday BBQ. Start small, focus on growing what’s good. You probably can’t make a significant difference to the social issue at scale when you’re just starting out, but you can almost definitely make a significant difference to one person. Start there, and be open to what follows organically.

Develop yourself – I studied as an Occupational Therapist, and I am truly privileged and grateful to have received the amazing opportunities for education that I did. But now I run a non-profit social enterprise. In the last 5 years, I’ve had to push myself to learn and do things I’d never done before – how to develop a brand, how to do financial forecasts, how to develop a business model, how to measure social impact…the list goes on. It’s an ongoing learning experience, and I’m embracing it.

Find friends – There’s no way I could have built Befriend to be what it is today on my own. In fact, I probably would have gone a little crazy. Find people who share your passion, and work together. I started with asking my friends, my family, my colleagues, for little favours, here and there, to contribute towards Befriend’s development. Many of them have absolutely loved it – it’s been an opportunity for them to give back, to do good, to learn, to be humble, to share their resources and privilege with others.

Get organised – There are tons of resources available to support someone really wanting to make a difference. If you’re serious about it, get organised – set goals, make timelines, develop plans, draft budgets. Set up a series of systems that work for you, and enable you to stay on track and make progress.

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BE FR I E N D S U M MER SESSIONS WE'RE KICK-STARTING THE YEAR WITH A SERIES OF

FREE EVENTS

SO YOU CAN GET THE MOST OUT OF SUMMER!

Befriend Summer Sessions are casual social gatherings on Sunday afternoons at various parks around Perth.

There'll be a local musician playing an acoustic set for your entertainment, and a couple of our volunteers cooking up a BBQ, so you can snack on a hotdog for a gold coin donation.

SUMMER SESSIONS ARE A GREAT WAY TO GET OUT AND ABOUT ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON, MEET SOME NEW PEOPLE, AND GET YOUR YEAR OFF TO A SUNNY START! WHETHER YOU'VE BEEN COMING TO BEFRIEND EVENTS FOR YEARS, OR YOU'RE STILL YET TO DIVE IN, THESE EVENTS ARE PERFECT FOR EVERYONE. BRING A FRIEND OR TWO, OR THE WHOLE FAMILY! LOOK OUT FOR THE BEFRIEND FLAG! Summer Sessions run January - March 2016 Supported by the City of Subiaco, City of Joondalup and City of Fremantle.

CHECK OUT THE EVENTS LIST OR FACEBOOK PAGE FOR FULL DETAILS OF ALL EVENTS IN THE SERIES.

w w w.b e frie nd .o rg.au Se a rc h ‘ Be f ri e nd ’ o n Fac e b o o k E n qu i r y ph o ne line 0404 831 201 r s vp @ b e frie nd .o rg.au

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if not us, who? if not now, when?

shanna crispin Hi there gorgeous!

Originally from New Zealand, communications specialist Shanna Crispin worked as a journalist in London and Perth prior to launching her blog ‘Hi There Gorgeous’ in early 2015. Through her blog Shanna shares her insights and experiences of living with and recovering from anorexia and has created a forum dedicated to positive discussion around happy and healthy living with particular focus on positive body image.

Shanna believes that the distorted and often destructive conversations that have become ‘normal’ about food and body image in our society, increase the risks of people becoming unwell with eating disorders and can be damaging to a person’s emotional wellbeing.

Shanna developed anorexia in her early 20’s and credits her recovery to an intensive treatment program based on cognitive behavioural therapy. However, during the period that she was living with anorexia and was indeed very unwell, she engaged with professionals such as personal trainers and dieticians and none had expressed concern at what she now considers very unhealthy and disordered eating habits and ideologies around food and exercise.

“Every day, women especially but also men, have conversations which at their essence are focused on negative body image. Making the decision to publicly offer a dissenting view was hard especially since it involved me sharing a very personal story.”

TB: What motivated you to start ‘Hi There Gorgeous’?

SC: I wanted to create a forum which would achieve two distinct objectives; firstly, to present my personal story as a way for people to better understand eating disorders and perhaps recognise warning signs.

Secondly, I wanted to shift the generally accepted dialogue from one of negative body image to one of positive body image. We are subject to a general assumption that we all want to change our bodies in some way and that it’s perfectly ok to continually criticise yourself if your body is not what you want it to be. It is this rhetoric that is damaging to peoples’ mental health and plays a significant role in people developing eating disorders. Our bodies are amazing mechanisms that allow us to achieve so much – we should treat our bodies with respect and care.

“I wanted to shift the generally accepted dialogue from one of negative body image to one of positive body image”

TB: How has ‘Hi There Gorgeous’ grown so far?

SC: The Hi There Gorgeous blog, Twitter account and Facebook page each help spread conversation across numerous platforms so it may reach the best audiences. As with all blogs and social media presences it started with an audience of zero! However it wasn’t long before I received messages from people who had read my blog thanking me for speaking out and raising awareness of this issue. It has gained a small but dedicated following. However, it’s still early days – I look forward to Hi There Gorgeous becoming better known and hopefully, influential!

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TB: This is such a personal project for you, what barriers have you faced with Hi There Gorgeous?

SC: On one hand it’s hard for people to share personal stories and the premise of creating Hi There Gorgeous is being open and honest about my experience with anorexia. Talking about that was hard in the beginning but I am more comfortable with it now as I try to focus on the good that comes from talking about it and giving people the opportunity to learn from my experience.

But secondly there is still a significant amount of stigma attached to any sort of mental illness. I was advised that perhaps I should keep it to myself as it may affect how people perceive me in the future. But at the end of the day I realised it was more important to strive for increased understanding through speaking out than worrying about what perception people would have of me because of it.

TB: What are your future goals for Hi There Gorgeous?

SC: I hope to continually spread the body positivity message through an increased audience for Hi There Gorgeous. I also hope to keep holding people and organisations to account which are reinforcing the negative body image rhetoric and, as a result, putting people’s mental health at risk. Ultimately, I hope that Hi There Gorgeous will become known as a forum for positive body image discussion.

TB: How can individuals / organisations get involved?

SC: Anyone can come to the website to share their stories; in 2016 I hope to launch a chat or message-board function on Hi There Gorgeous and allow people to post questions and comments. You can also follow Hi There Gorgeous on Facebook and Twitter. Organisations have an opportunity to pay a role in increasing positive body image discussion by supporting Hi There Gorgeous.

They can do this though linking to the website and social media channels.

Shanna’s advice for someone who sees a need, but doesn’t know where or how to start?

The best thing is to talk to people you consider trustworthy and who will be able to help support decisions and strategies to get started. I am fortunate to have a number of mentors which I can call on for any advice on where to take Hi There Gorgeous. But the most important thing is to make sure you commit to your vision. Nothing great ever came from people sitting on their hands and as the well-known quote goes: If not us, who? And if not now, when?

Website and other contact details www.hitheregorgeous.com https://twitter.com/ShannaHiThere https://www.facebook.com/gorgeoushithere

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wecareperth.com.au Sunday 7 February 2016

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if not us, who? if not now, when?

BETTY KITCHENER MHFA

While walking their dog around Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, a conversation between Betty Kitchener

and her husband Tony, stimulated an idea that would dramatically change the conversations we have around mental health and mental illness in this country, and across the world.

Betty who was a trauma research nurse at the Canberra Hospital and also taught first aid for Red Cross on weekends and evenings had realized that there was nothing in the standard First Aid course curriculum about giving a person first aid for mental health problems. Betty who had trained as a teacher, counsellor and nurse and had experienced episodes of major depressive illness herself, knew how important it was for others to know how to Help someone experiencing mental health issues, yet she was also acutely aware that many people didn’t have these basic skills. Bettys husband just so happened to be leading mental health researcher Professor Tony Jorm and together they were able to develop and distribute their Mental Health First Aid course, first in Australia and now in twenty-three countries throughout the world.

Mental Health First Aid is the early intervention— where members of the public can help a person before

they are able to get appropriate professional help, if needed. It has become a basic type of training for people in human service occupations, who have a higher chance of contact with people having mental health problems, but are not themselves mental health professionals.

Given that 1 in 5 of us will experience mental illness every year, with estimates that almost half of us in our lifetime will experience mental illness, this training is vital for our community. For workplaces, it makes sense that if your organisation requires first aid trained staff, you should also have Mental Health First Aid trained staff.

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TB: How did you start the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) program?

BK: I started as a part-time volunteer and wrote the manual in 2000 with help from Tony. A mental health reference group was formed to guide the content, as there was limited guidance in the academic literature at the first aid level for mental health problems. The course was run for free in the first year due to a small grant from the ACT government. My husband and I were also successful in getting some research grants, resulting in publication of early evaluation studies, which showed very good outcomes. The successful evaluations helped it to be taken up in other states and territories, and then, starting in 2004, by other countries.

TB: How has the MHFA program grown?

BK: The curriculum is now informed by many years work of developing expert consensus first aid guidelines for many different mental health problems and mental health crises. The original course was for adults helping adults. Now there are specialised courses: Youth MHFA for adults helping adolescents, teen MHFA for high school students to help their peers, the Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander MHFA course. There are also tailored versions of the Standard MHFA course for pharmacists, white-collar workplaces, legal industry, financial counsellors and tertiary students. Many welldesigned evaluation studies have been conducted in a number of countries, with good outcomes. It has been endorsed by the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs in the USA. There are now 12 FTE staff at MHFA headquarters in Melbourne and over 1300 accredited instructors across Australia. Since mid-2015, anyone completing a MHFA course can take an exam to attain accreditation for 3 years as a MHFAider. As of 2015, we have trained over 2% of the Australian adult population, and over 1 million people across the world have attended the course.

TB: What are the future goals for MHFA? BK: In the long-term we are aiming for parity with physical first aid in terms of uptake in the population, with 12% of the adult population having a current MHFA certificate.

Website and other contact details www.mhfa.com.au E: mhfa@mhfa.com.au T: 03 9079 0200

Betty’s advice for someone who sees a need, but doesn’t know where or how to start?

Be willing to put in your own time and resources. Look around your family and friends for what skills they can contribute. My family contributed to constructing the website and web database, provided legal advice and research evaluations. It is also worth approaching your local Rotary club for help. Rotarians have a wide range of skills, which they are often willing to contribute to worthy causes in their area.

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if not us, who? if not now, when?

Alicia Curtis

100 Women It’s safe to say that before Alicia Curtis cofounded 100 Women, she wasn’t just sitting around

watching the tomatoes grow! Alicia has been actively involved in helping others for most of her life. At just 12 years of age she attended the first International Children’s Conference on the Environment run by the United Nations, and then co-founded her own children’s conference called Kids Helping Kids.

This organisation still exists today, now known as Millennium Kids.

In 2002 Alicia established a leadership training consultancy and has developed leadership programs for young people and young professionals, and created a blog, Revolutionary Lives that hosts online summits to inspire people to live fulfilling lives that contribute to the greater good.

A few years ago Alicia read the book Half the Sky, a book which she describes as “pretty confronting!”

Written by international journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn about the discrimination that women face around the world. Alicia says “In the book, they call this discrimination the most shocking and widespread human rights violation of our age, because it just continues to happen under our noses.

The book’s introduction starts by telling you about a Cambodian teenager, her name is Rath, who is kidnapped and sold into the sex trade. Then it goes on to tell you about acid attacks, genital mutilation, girls around the world missing out on food, vaccinations or selective abortions. All in the introduction!”

“I thought to myself I can’t sit by any longer and not try to do something positive against these challenges that still exist for women. These women are just like you and me, full of potential but without the means to realise their hopes and dreams. But what could I do? How could I use my time, expertise and financial resources to make a difference?

What struck me the most in the book was the knowledge that when we invest in women the outcomes are far reaching. The book showcases that whole communities prosper when women are safe, educated and have access to health and economic opportunities. When you invest in a woman, she reinvests the majority of what she is given back into her family and community. So I shared the 100 Women idea with my good friend Megan. Immediately, she liked the idea. Simple, collaborative and the potential to make a huge difference. We started working on it right away.”

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TB: What is 100 Women?

AC: 100 Women is a giving circle where members donate $1200 per year to a pooled fund that is distributed to organisations based on a rigorous grant making process and is completed by members voting on the causes chosen.

Our vision is to ignite women’s philanthropy through the power of collective giving to advance the empowerment of all women. As a member, you have an opportunity to be involved in the grant making process as much or as little as you want. You’ll be invited to participate in grant assessment evenings, site visits, online voting and develop long term relationships with the grant recipients.

TB: So you and Megan had an idea that excited you, how did you progress it to action?

AC: We knew we would have to bring together a committee to take this idea to the next level. So we put a call out through our social media networks for different positions on the committee. We eventually pulled together 10 people from a wide variety of backgrounds - marketing, business development, grants, community and finance. It was a dream team really.

Passionate, savvy and committed. This team has built 100 Women from scratch, everything from setting up the organisations tax deductibility, building our membership base, designing the grants process and running our events.

We launched in March 2014. 8 months later we had attracted 85 donors to give $1200 each, totalling to $100,000 to give away in our first year! We granted this money to three causes - both local and international projects.

TB: What do you see 100 Women achieving in the future?

AC: We believe there is a great opportunity to inspire and empower women to learn more about philanthropy and put it into action. Of course, 100 Women is open to anyone who wants to improve the lives of women and girls around the world - but we also want to play our part in helping women find their philanthropic feet. We want to disassociate philanthropy with just the ultra-wealthy. We believe that everyday people can be philanthropists.

TB: How can individuals and organisations get involved?

AC: To become a 100 Women member who donates, it’s a minimum donation of $1200 to receive a vote in grants process. Organisations can join as members or sponsors of 100 Women too. You can join together with others as a mini circle, to collectively achieve the minimum $1200 donation. All donations are tax deductible. To join go to http://100women.com.au/membership/. To read about the experience of joining as a mini circle, go to http://100women. com.au/minicircles/

Alicia’s advice for someone who sees a need, but doesn’t know where or how to start?

If the courageous women written about in Half the Sky, can overcome adversity and still change the world, what excuse do we have not to make a difference? What can we do to create an everlasting legacy?

Join together with others who share your values and can embrace your vision. The diversity of skills, knowledge and strengths is powerful when you bring together like minded people. I couldn’t have started 100 Women by myself and we’ve achieved all that we have through bringing together strong teams.

You have to find supporters at all different levels too - committee members, ambassadors, media and business. You have to be unafraid to make the ask and encourage people to get involved.

Website and other contact details http://100women.com.au/ info@100women.com.au

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if not us, who? if not now, when?

The Liberators

Peter Sharp & Jae West

Peter Sharp was living in Spain where he knew no one and didn’t speak the language. He wanted to get

connected into a city that didn’t yet know or trust him.

Spain was in the grips of economic crisis, in the streets he was disturbed by young people whom he describes as having a sense of despair, disengaged, and who seemed to be just waiting for something to happen in their lives.

As he started to make friends he came up with an idea to connect with some likeminded individuals to give something back to the city that was embracing him. His intention was to provide people with a positive experience in the street, who could then go home and tell their families and then increase the positive energy in their lives. So the very first Liberators event was held. Peter and a bunch of friends stood outside the bus station in Barcelona to meet the tourist bus as it arrived. The group acted like a

welcoming party, with fruit and water and lollies to hand out to the arrivals, acting as though these distinguished guests were royalty. Peter described the benefits he received that day “the act of giving can be one of the most incredible experiences you can have.” A quirky idea that Peter says created a ripple of energy in those tourists and locals, which they then would have carried throughout their day and their further interactions with others.

On returning to Perth Peter faced some opposition from friends who complained “that would never work in Perth”, so Peter, teamed up with Jae West to officially cofound The Liberators and set about proving the doubters wrong. The Liberators mission is: ‘To involve people in

participatory acts of freedom that allow us to see that beyond our differences there is love and humanity.’

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TB: How has The Liberators grown over the last few years?

JW: we now have a range of options for people to get involved with our movement. We organise flash experiences, such as flash dancing, flash meditation etc. We facilitate audience engagement at festivals; perform DJ sets; run workshops and corporate connection events.

PS: At present it’s a global movement that is working collaboratively with other organisations for peace and unity.

Our Eye Contact Experiment went totally viral and that’s special – it went viral with action not just people sharing it on social media but people actually setting up own events to get involved.

JW: Each individual who participates is re-writing how they see themselves so the next day maybe smile at a stranger and make their day better.

TB: What are some of the barriers you have faced with The Liberators?

PS: Fear and fear of judgement. People wanting to do the filming instead of being involved in the activity. But we have such freedom – how do we honour that, what are we going to do that honours the freedom we have as individuals?

JW: Different crowds engage differently and we’re very respectful of these differences.

Website and other contact details http://www.theliberators.com.au/ Perth Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/719810121434642/

TB: What is next for The Liberators?

PS: We will be doing a tour through America in the next year and are working towards having four global events each year.

TB: How can people get involved?

JW: We are currently planning our next global event. People who wish to get involved should check out our social media pages. I still get people emailing me who want to do their own version of the body acceptance event we did in London.

People can get involved, it’s not just about us.

PS: We’ve created templates for people for how to do their own events such as the Eye Contact Experiment. We had to in order to make a global event so successful.

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Peter and Jae’s advice for someone who sees a need, but doesn’t know where or how to start?

• Call up your mates and have a cuppa and an intentional chat. With an intention of determining action.

• Positive peer pressure can be useful to transfer from ideas to action.

• So think about friends who care about something bigger than themselves. And get together to create a plan for action • Even if things don’t go to plan, don’t look perfect, just keep doing it.

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SOPHIE BUDD’S Simple Mango Mousse You Need 1 x whole mango peeled and chopped up 1 x frozen banana 3 x tbsp. coconut cream 1 x tsp lemon juice Method Blitz up in a nutri bullet or blender, tip out, chill for 30 mins then serve! - Top with some fresh passionfruit pulp and grated coconut – simple perfection.

Sophie Budd is chef and owner of Taste Budds Cooking Studio.

She is passionate about teaching people to cook and feeding people!

Her resume includes working for both Rick Stein and Jamie Oliver. http://www.tastebudds.com.au

Why Meditate?

Meditation can be done anytime or anywhere. Brain science is beginning to show us that it’s one of the best things you can do for your mental health and wellbeing! There are some people who relish longer meditations – meditating for twenty minute sessions or more every day. However, you don’t have to do that if you prefer to do smaller meditations and mindfulness activities. Sit for a few minutes and let your mind wander naturally; take a deep breath and sigh out when moving from one activity to the next; use deep and deliberate breathing every time you get a red light while driving your car; or use the time in an elevator to be still and focus on the buttons lighting up as the elevator moves through the floors, not engaging with any thoughts that may be wafting through your mind.

The key is to develop your capacity to be still, to be mindful and not be dragged mentally through the day. Instead choose where you put your attention and give your brain some attention breaks. I once heard meditation compared to cranial floss. It’s as good at cleaning out the mess in your brain as dental floss is at removing debris from your teeth.

Go to our website for free downloadable meditation guides

“MEDITATION CAN DRIVE POSITIVE NEOPLASTIC CHANGES THAT CAN ALSO REFLECT MENTAL AND PHYSICAL WELLBEING SUCH AS GREATER EMOTIONAL BALANCE, COMPASSION, AND GENUINE HAPPINESS, AS WELL AS A POTENTIAL BUFFERING OF STRESSFUL AND TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE WHEN IT DOES OCCUR.” John Kabat-Zinn, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Workbook

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RESOURCES WE RECOMMEND

WE ARE NOT PAID AND DO NOT HAVE ANY KICK BACK FROM THE RESOURCES WE FEATURE. IF WE FEATURE IT, IT’S BECAUSE WE HAVE BOUGHT IT AND LOVE IT – THAT SIMPLE!

THRIVE Arianna Huffington (2014) Harmony Books ISBN 9780804140843

OPENING THE DOOR OF YOUR HEART Ajahn Brahm (2010) Hachette Australia. ISBN 978 0 7336 2311 0

BOOK REVIEW AND GIVE AWAY RISING STRONG by Brene Brown

If you’ve attended any of our courses in the last couple of years you would have heard me recommend a bunch of great books for developing your mental health and wellbeing; a list which would have included Brené Browns insightful Daring Greatly.

Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. In addition to her books, she is known for her online courses and her 2010 TEDx Houston talk, “The Power of Vulnerability,” which is one of the top 5 mostviewed TED talks in the world.

Her new book Rising Strong takes the reader through the process of understanding the common reactions to failing; how these reactions cause damage in our roles and relationships, and provides tools and strategies to ‘get out from under the rock’ and rise up. The book unfolds more like a conversation with an interesting and funny friend than a text by an academic. Her writing style is engaging and she discloses a lot of her own stories, demonstrating her own frailties, which helps connect with the reader and gives us the encouragement to be brave and decide what changes we would like to adopt for ourselves. She also shares many stories from interview participants, people from very diverse community and business backgrounds.

This books takes you on an exploration of your emotions and their impact on our capacity to live, love, parent, lead and connect with honesty, compassion and wholeheartedness.

I was eager to read this book and yet initially I found it a challenge to get into. I think it was the content about ‘you can’t skip the middle’ that most resonated with me and was a bit tricky to get through. However I’m glad that I persevered. As with Daring Greatly, I found this book reminded me of past ideas, solidified some current ideas and inspired me with new possibilities. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to make some changes in their life and develop a framework for Rising Strong.

We are giving away one copy of Rising Strong to someone who can tell us two things you did to support your own mental health last year, and two things you are going to do this week!

Apply by emailing info@bloomingminds.com.au or leave your answer on our Facebook page. We will randomly draw a winner from all of the entries.

Entries close 26th February

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Community Mental Wellness Project Over the last year we have been collaborating on an exciting new model for increasing mental health and wellbeing within local communities.

The program builds capacity through • helping individuals develop positive mental health and wellbeing, • helping the community proactively build positive mental health and wellbeing, • and equipping individuals and organisations to better respond to mental health issues that do occur.

The program draws on Ernesto Sirolli’s models of community engagement with the goals of ‘capturing the passion, intelligence, imagination and resources of its people’.

It has four main phases to support community agencies to plan and implement coordinated initiatives including providing training opportunities for relevant stakeholders to allow for ongoing localised approaches to community mental wellbeing.

Watch this space for updates as we embark on this exciting new program with several communities in 2016. Together we can make a real difference. If your town or locality is interested in partnering with us on a program then get in touch!

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OUR RESOURCES FOR YOU BLOOM! MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING

BY TASHA BROOMHALL

Available in paperback or ebook format.

This book debunks some of the common misunderstandings around mental health and mental illness and provides practical strategies for you to use to support your own mental health as well as support those around you.

$22 INC GST

BLOOM! AT WORK! A MENTAL HEALTH GUIDE FOR LEADERS

BY TASHA BROOMHALL

Available in paperback or ebook format.

This book will provide knowledge about the relevance of mental health issues, a brief overview of common mental health issues and possible functional impacts and a range of proactive strategies and resources that may assist both the employee and the organisation.

$44.00 INC GST

A YEAR TO BLOOM – 52 WEEK JOURNAL

Feeling stressed? Overwhelmed? In a funk?

Need some support for your mental health?

This guided 52 week journal will give you practical ideas and guidance to enhance your wellbeing through two strategies. Each week a new journal activity will encourage you to continue actively enhancing your mental health over the next 52 weeks.

You can choose from two different formats – a printed a5 journal or weekly emails delivered straight to your inbox.

$17.60 INC GST

LIVE CONSCIOUSLY AND BLOOM – SELF REFLECTION JOURNAL

The personal reflections journal provides a guiding hand in reviewing your values. Based on these values you will then set daily intentions and cultivate your gratitude.

Carrying out those two simple steps each day can make an incredible difference to your life.

$24.20 INC GST

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Are you engaging with a friend, colleague or family member with mental health issues?

Come along and learn how to recognise that someone is in distress and how to appropriately respond to better support them and yourself.

Mental health first aid is the help provided to a person who is developing a mental health problem, or who is in a mental health crisis (e.g., the person is suicidal or has had a traumatic experience).

Like physical first aid, mental health first aid is given until the person receives professional help or until the crisis resolves.

Mental health first aid strategies are taught in evidence-based training courses authored by Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Australia and delivered by accredited MHFA Instructors across the country. Blooming Minds offers MHFA Courses as authored by MHFA Australia, delivered by Instructors who are currently accredited by MHFA Australia.

Date: 1st & 2nd MARCH 2016 Time: 8:45am - 4pm Venue: Wollaston Conference Centre, Mt Claremont Cost: $375 plus GST. Includes catering and comprehensive course materials

To book contact info@bloomingminds.com.au or call Anna on 0409 922 155

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The Road to Recovery You, Me, We

One in five adults experience mental illness every year, however not all of these people are diagnosed or receive treatment for their illness. Sometimes we are not aware of what we’re going through, particularly in the early stages, so we may be experiencing mental health problems but not doing anything about them until it reaches a point where it is having a huge impact on our functioning, and is then noticed by ourselves or by others. By this time the impact can be devastating in terms of how it affects our life – it may be causing a loss of work or life roles, loss of opportunities, loss of relationships, or loss of self-esteem and confidence. Many of us will mask the emotional distress and impact of living with mental health issues because, although our community talks a lot more openly nowadays about depression, we often don’t talk about other mental illnesses, and we still have high levels of discrimination and stigmatising attitudes about mental health issues in general. Almost half of us (45%) will experience mental illness in our lifetime. If you haven’t had your experience yet then maybe it’s been someone close to you who has, or maybe yours is still to come. So while you may not be experiencing mental illness at this point in time, it may have been in your past and may still be in your future. Consciously choosing strategies to keep yourself on the more positive side of the mental health continuum is a great idea.

Together Forever?

Some people will have short term experiences of their illness. They will get treatment and/or supports and will get better. Others may have ongoing dances with their illness for many years, where they have periods of being well, as well as periods of being unwell. With good resources and supports many of these people can learn what their triggers might be. They can learn how to minimise the risks of becoming unwell and how to put in place personal, family, community and workplace supports to minimise the impact of these unwell periods. The concept of “recovery” is often spoken of in terms of mental illness.

Recovery does not simply mean that the person gets better and never has the illness again. It can also mean that a person recovers functionally, so even though they may continue to experience symptoms of the illness, they are still able to function (sometimes with resources and supports) and to live the life roles and experiences that they have chosen. It is important to understand that even someone with long term mental health issues does not have to passively just exist with the effects of the illness.

Many many people

live beautiful, functional, enriched and delicious lives and experience mental illness simultaneously. Remember, mental health is a part of general health, and we can treat mental illness just as we do other illnesses with proactive strategies to reduce our risks, and ways to manage times of ill-health with appropriate resources and supports. If you think that there is something wrong with your heart you would see a medical professional, right? If you think that you have diabetes you would see a medical professional, right?

So it stands to reason that if you think you are experiencing mental health issues you should see a medical professional.

If you think that you may be developing mental health issues or clinical mental illness then go and get some help. A great place to start is to find a General Practitioner who you feel comfortable talking to about your mental health issues. In Australia you can look at the beyondblue website for suggestions of good GPs. If I’m looking for a good GP to recommend to someone, I will ring their local medical practice and ask the receptionist which doctor they recommend as being very up-to-date and helpful for someone with mental health issues. In my experience they will usually have a good idea of who in their practice fits this bill, and they will happily give you this information.

Then book a double appointment and go in and talk about your concerns.

If you are feeling nervous you can take a trusted friend or family member with you. Alternatively write a list before you go, detailing your concerns so that if you feel overwhelmed you can pass the list to the doctor to read instead. The GP will do an assessment and determine a treatment plan with you that may include referral to a psychologist or another allied health professional; medication or other medical treatments; lifestyle changes, and other complimentary therapies. There are many different treatment options but remember mental illness is not a “one size fits all” experience. It is an individual experience and your treatment plan should likewise be individual. So if you feel the need, get a second opinion and look at what options will suit you best. The important thing is to get some help. Explore your options and take your mental health seriously.

This is an edited extract from BLOOM! Mental Health and Wellbeing, by Tasha Broomhall Purchase your copy here.

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OUR PARTNERS We are proud partners with the following organisations:

Holyoake is a leading provider of alcohol and drug treatment services since 1975, offers a range of Wellbeing@Work programs to help address stress and unhealthy coping mechanisms.

It promotes self-responsibility through a holistic, non-judgemental approach. www.holyoake.org.au

Centrecare Corporate provides a range of services including serious incident response, EAP counselling, conflict management services, mediation, executive coaching, manager support, organisational and clinical training, psychometric assessments, climate surveys and organisational development consultancy. www.centrecarecorporate.com.au

Blooming Minds partners with organisations and communities todevelop positive mental health cultures.

From short courses to ongoing programs, individual consulting or resources for your workplace; Blooming Minds delivers.

Blooming Minds works with organisations and communities to enhance positive mental health cultures to assist employees to proactively support their mental health as well as to appropriately recognise and respond to mental health issues in themselves, their colleagues, clients, families and communities.

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Want to make sure that you bloom in 2016?

There are many different models and ideas for how you can enhance your mental health and wellbeing. The following five simple steps may assist you in this process.

STEP 1 – CHECK YOURSELF OUT Do this little exercise with me for a minute. Close your eyes. Imagine a

string stretching across the room that you are in. On the left hand side of the room is the space where you would be struggling emotionally, not doing well, feeling overwhelmed, emotionally distressed and often not well connected with others. Over on the right hand side of the room is where you would be thriving and buoyant – emotionally resilient, able to deal with the daily pressures of life, able to experience and manage your emotions very well, able to fulfil the roles that you have chosen, and be well connected with others.

Still with your eyes closed, I want you to imagine where you currently sit on that continuum. Are you down on the left hand side?

Struggling? Maybe masking it beautifully, but inside you recognise that you are not travelling well? Life has become a chore and you are feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, hollow and distressed a lot of the time. Or are you on the right hand side? You’re feeling fabulous.

You’re strong and optimistic and resourceful and able to deal with whatever comes your way with confidence. You’re feeling connected and buoyant! Just imagine where you are. Does anyone else know where you’re sitting? Do you know where they’re sitting? Maybe not – because sometimes we mask so well. Sometimes it feels as though our jobs, our relationships, and our sense of self rely on the masking.

And sometimes it’s just no one else’s business – and that’s ok. It doesn’t have to be that we wear it on our sleeve for everyone else to know, but it is important for us to reflect on our mental health and wellbeing for ourselves. Not to the point that we try to diagnose the human condition. It is natural to be happy at times and to be sad at times. It’s normal to have fluctuations in our emotions – we don’t want to be diagnosing ourselves and others with mental health issues just because what we’re experiencing is the usual range of human emotions. But we do want to notice if we ar e experiencing these emotions in a way that is ongoing and impacting negatively on our wellbeing or functioning. Take the time to stop, reflect on where you’re at and how you’re going.

STEP 2 – GET RESOURCED When I talk about being blooming and buoyant, I am not talking

about eradicating all stress in your life – because that is never going to happen. It’s how quickly we bounce back from that unwell side of things that is important. If you feel that you have been on the unwell side of the continuum for a few weeks, I encourage you to talk to your GP, or another mental health professional. The risk of not bouncing back in a quick manner from this unwell side of the continuum may be that a person develops a mental illness such as an anxiety disorder or depression.

Stress management strategies such as yoga or meditation classes can really help some people as additional supports. You don’t have to go through it alone. Get some help. Resource yourself with the skills and utilise professional assistance to look after your mental health and to deal with any problems that may arise.

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STEP 3 – GET BALANCED What are your most important values in life? Do you live by these Values? Think back over the last three months. Were you living in line with these values?

What we value most may be our family relationships, but the reality often is that we can’t spend 24 hours of our day in these relationships. How do you prioritise family time outside of your other responsibilities? What if you value community service the most? And you want to help and support charities, and you spend a lot of time talking about it but never doing it? Or maybe you strongly value being positive and kind. But maybe you are so overwhelmed with work that you find yourself being snappy and judgemental of others. What caused you to stop living in the way that is most important to you? What can you do to keep your values front of mind and in focus? One way to focus is to proactively use a journal to help you define your values, and decide how you will intentionally live aligned with them. A Live Consciously and Bloom journal can assist with this.

STEP 4 – FIND 4 There is research that advocates that we should do 4 positive nurturing things for ourselves each week to support optimal mental health. I love this idea – it seems like a fabulous antidote to the Groundhog Day existence that so many people experience.

If you’re like me you might find yourself with your head down passionately working towards goals, championing causes, being with your family and helping others. It’s easy to get so caught up in these things that you forget to also look after yourself. I know. I’m working on breaking that pattern myself! I meet many people who live like this – doing their job, doing family chores, doingdoing-doing. But as my gorgeous old Psychology professor, Alex Main asks me: “Tasha are you a human being or a human doing?” So I love this concept of committing to doing 4 positive nurturing things for your mental health each week.

Have you done 4 positive nurturing things for yourself in the last week? What about for someone else? You might have done 4 things for someone else in the last day!

If 4 positive nurturing things for yourself each week seems impossible, then just start with one.

STEP 5 – WAKE UP! So, how do you start this process of developing your buoyancy andyour mental wellbeing? Firstly you need to wake up! You need to make conscious decisions and take deliberate actions to create the life that you want.

We don’t often stop to reflect on how we’re going in terms of our broad life goals very often – besides New Year’s and our birthday! And then for the rest of the year we tend to fall into patterns of unconscious behaviour that may not actually be serving our goals. Don’t wait until you’re struggling emotionally, or not coping with stress, to look at your mental health. Be proactive. Stay conscious and reflect ongoing, so you can make any changes to look after yourself that may be needed. Choose a day each month to reflect on how you’re going and what you’re doing. Are you living your values? Where do you sit on the continuum, from not feeling well at all through to being brilliantly buoyant! Put that day on auto repeat on your calendar or write it in your diary. Every month as you stop on that day and reflect, congratulate yourself for what you’re doing well and plan what changes you need to make in areas that you’re struggling.

Edited extract from BLOOM! Mental Health & Wellbeing, by Tasha Broomhall

“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.”

Leonardo da Vinci

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START A BLOOM GROUP

A monthly catch-up with likeminded friends who each wish to positively influence their mental health and wellbeing Do you want to increase your mental health and wellbeing? If so, connect with others who wish to achieve the same and support each other to BLOOM! Being part of a group can help you to each maintain focus on your personal goals and can provide positive energy and encouragement for those times that you feel stuck.

There is so much evidence now that we can indeed influence our happiness and emotional wellbeing through simple acts of choosing to align our thoughts, emotions and actions, and through positive intention.

People who have a good support network feel confident and studies have shown that social support is the highest predictor of happiness during times of stress. The support a person receives is important but the support they provide to others is an even more important factor in sustained happiness and engagement.

Through your Bloom Group you can treasure and prioritise those who sustain you and provide support to others where you can.

The Bloom Groups are based on the ‘A Year to Bloom’ personal wellbeing journal.

This journal is designed to give you practical ideas and guidance to enhance your wellbeing through two strategies. Firstly, imagine if this year you could enjoy at least 4 intentionally positive and nurturing things each week! That means only doing something nice for yourself every second day. This is more than most of us do each week (and you probably do something intentionally positive for someone else every day!). So, take the challenge and commit to engaging in 4 intentionally positive and nourishing things for yourself every week. Start today!

Secondly, consider the weekly theme and where the ideas may fit in to your life. Each week’s theme provides ideas, questions or tasks designed to focus your attention on different areas of your life, your influence on others and your wellbeing. Commit to completing each week’s tasks and detailing your journey in the journals pages.

To access BLOOM Group resources email us.

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Over to You STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH - NICE THINGS PEOPLE WHO WORK WITH US SAY Tasha’s presentation was the highlight of our program – she is engaging, knowledgeable, inspiring and has a wonderful rapport with her audience. The topic she spoke on: ‘Stress or Blooming? Sow the seeds of success and nurture wellbeing in the workplace’ was highly relevant for our delegates who work in the aged and community care sector, and are currently undergoing huge changes through aged care reforms. We were also very happy that in addition to learning practical strategies for managing stress and nurturing wellbeing in the workplace, our delegates were able to access online resources from Blooming Minds following the session. We would have no hesitation in recommending Tasha and Blooming Minds to any organisation.

Gretta Koch

Communications Officer, Aged & Community Services SA & NT

I highly recommend this course to anybody who manages staff in the workplace as it provides practical tools and advice on how to approach issues that may involve mental health in the workplace, building leaders’ confidence in tackling situations for the best outcome for the staff involved and for the organisation.

We have used Blooming Minds to deliver mental health training to our supervisors at UWA for the past 3 years.The questions we were getting from Coordinator Corporate Systems, HCN our staff were along the lines of ‘we understand the signs and symptoms of mental illnesses such as Depression and Anxiety ... but have difficulty knowing actually what we can and can’t say to support staff members who are experiencing these signs and symptoms. We want to support our staff, but we don’t want to get ourselves into trouble for saying the wrong thing’.

Tasha has been the facilitator of our sessions and I cannot recommend her highly enough. Her sessions are very practical and evidence based.

She uses humour very well to make the participants feel comfortable and is able to engage with all levels of staff (from Executive through to new supervisors). The sessions use current research and literature that is explained in a way that is clear and simple for attendees to digest, and then implement in the workplace.

The feedback we receive from attendees is always positive and it is the first training we lock into our training calendars each year.

K Burton

S. Ashton

Manager, Injury Management and Wellbeing, Safety and Health, The University of Western Australia

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