Taulaga Alatimu
Taulaga Alatimu is a Healthcare Lecturer in the Bachelor of Nursing programme and is the course coordinator for the Mental Health paper – Knowledge for Nursing Practice 2: Mental Health and Addictions & Mental health Praxis. As we continue our focus on mental health this week, she’s well-placed to share a perspective on mental wellbeing.
Taulaga’s background
Of Samoan descent, Taulaga is a qualified Nurse and a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, delivering Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to young adults, mostly Pacific People. As a church youth leader for the past 15 years, Taulaga works alongside Pacific youth every week and has supported their mental wellbeing through workshops focusing on mindfulness, relaxation and overcoming fear and doubt.
Taulaga also recently graduated from a Master of Nursing at the University of Auckland. Her thesis topic: Pacific perspectives of the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): a study about the views and experiences of Pacific psychologists conducting CBT among Pacific people in NZ, highlighted the need to adapt treatment for Pacific people. Her findings recognised the importance of maintaining a sense of connectedness and upholding the language, values and beliefs of the Pacific culture when engaging in therapy.
In honour of Mental Health Awareness Week, Taulaga shares some thoughts on how to maintain a healthy mental wellbeing…
Since it’s Mental Health Awareness Week, I wanted to share two important qualities of maintaining a healthy mental wellbeing – the significance of connectedness and mindfulness.
Mindful living means ‘being’ in the moment or ‘being present.’ This suggests that it is profoundly essential to pay attention and be fully engaged with what you are doing in the present moment. However, living mindfully can be challenging in this day and age. With so many external influences and distractions from digital technology, our ‘busy’ minds are constantly occupied with numerous thoughts, whilst aiming to meet ongoing demands of daily living.
It is utterly important for any individual to have a sense of connectedness; mentally, physically and spiritually. Whether we realise it or not, people long to be connected. To belong means to be connected to family/friends, social group, cultural identity, ancestors, land, language and spiritual beliefs. Ultimately, this provides a greater sense of purpose and the need to nurture meaningful relationships.
Here are some practical ways you can enhance your mental wellbeing, through practicing mindfulness and connectedness:
- How to be mindful:
- When possible, do one thing/task/interaction/activity at a time (e.g. house chore, cooking, interacting in a conversation)
- Pay FULL attention (e.g. using your senses; smell/touch/hear/sight/taste)
- When your mind wanders, bring it back
- Repeat step 3, several billion times
- Investigate your distractions
- Explore ways to connect with people e.g. friends, family, work place/school and community.
- Find an activity that you enjoy doing and will boost your confidence. Reflect on this question, what makes you feel most fulfilled?
If you need to talk to someone, or know someone who needs support, please visit the Mental Health Foundation website for a list of contacts, or check out our Nest post listing the options available for support at Unitec.