We’re All In This Together…
“How are you?”
This question is part of our Kiwi DNA. We ask it several times a day, but what do we do if the answer is “actually not that great” or “mmm, OK”?
Firstly, it’s important to remember that everyone on the planet has ups and downs - it's a fact of life. Yet now, thanks to COVID, so many of us are experiencing new, real challenges that we’ve never faced before. That means for some of us things actually aren’t “good thanks”.
If you’re lucky, you have someone in your life you can talk to. Someone who cares and who won’t judge, dismiss or change the subject but will be supportive and listen with compassion. Someone who's on your team and wants the best for you.
And from a community perspective, we have a team of 42,000 (our Queenstown Lakes population) who can be there for each other, to listen with kindness and provide practical support when it’s needed. As a Trust, we strongly believe that by giving as many people as possible the tools and confidence to know how to help when their partner, neighbour, friend or colleague is struggling, our community gets stronger. After all, we’re all in this together.
It sounds easy but actually being worried about what to say can often stop you from saying anything. But you don’t have to be an expert to talk about mental wellbeing.
The Southern Wellbeing Trust developed the GoodYarn community pilot to train up members of our communities who have been hard hit by COVID, and deliver targeted, evidence-based mental health education to their peers, in their native language, or in locations that best suit each group.
Our aim is to help build a strong foundation of mental health awareness across the Queenstown Lakes community so that people can look after their own wellbeing, look after each other, and know how and where to access support. Together we’re stronger.
This month we’re partnering with local tourism operator Ziptrek Ecotours on its #Wellbeing ForWhakatipu initiative. Highlighting the 5 Ways to Wellbeing through a month-long promotion is about helping people understand how they can take action to look after their own mental wellbeing. Plus, with $15 of each Ziptrek tour going towards supporting the Trust to deliver these workshops, we can continue to expand mental health education in the community.
Team Ziptrek attending our Mental Health GoodYarn Workshop on Oct.19th/2021.
This town is full of amazing people so let's continue to show each other how much we care. Next time you ask the question, really ask “how are you?”.
To find out more about our free community workshops, click here.
This article was written by Anna Dorsey and published in the Lakes Weekly Bulletin in October 12th, 2021 and the Southern Wellbeing Trust website.