Your wellbeing: Taking control of your emotions and finding the ‘silver lining’  

We’re in a time of uncertainty and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and discouraged. One thing is for sure – we, as individuals and a collective, are re-evaluating what we have control over, and the things that really matter to us.

Outlined below, our Wellbeing and Sustainability team has some great suggestions for reframing our current shared reality and creating mind space for positivity and happiness – and finding that sought-after silver lining!

1. Kindness is part of our new normal  

Many people have felt the spike of being overwhelmed and confused in the past week, and other emotions you don’t have words for. We can all expect to be operating at less than usual capacity. Stress hormones make it harder for us to absorb information, remember and process things, and to complete tasks we’d usually find simple. This is normal, so let’s cut ourselves and the people around us some extra slack. Kindness is king. Long live the king. 

2. Choose where you focus your attention – this you can control 

This is the #1 strategy that the NZ Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience (NZIWR) suggests. The ReThink team, the facilitators of our Mental Distress workshops, shared this NZIWR document with us, which says  that  even at the best of times, humans are hard-wired to notice threats and weakness.

Negative emotions and experiences tend to stick to us like Velcro while positive emotions and experiences bounce off like Teflon. It’s important for our psychological health to step away from the regular COVID-19 news updates and tune into what’s still good – seek out the people (and do the stuff) that makes us happy. 

Positive emotions include love, joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration and awe. Frequency, not longevity, is key, so think how you can punctuate your days and weeks with these. 

For example, you might want to write a diary, noting what you’re grateful for each day, and pick up the phone (or turn on your Skype), and connect with whānau and friends. Or you could hop on a meditation session with Nirmala and through breathing exercises reach a place of serenity. Or put on some music and get up and dance, experiencing the joy and most probably amusement at your own or your bubbles’ moves.

Doing an at-home workout is a good way to get an instant sense of achievement and pride, and a rush of endorphins. Check our Nest What’s on calendar for workouts including Bootcamp with Dan Brady and John Russell, yoga options and the free Les Mills online workouts, as well as the conversations on Yammer – there are heaps of positive opportunities to engage.

3. Negative emotions like powerlessness, being overwhelmed or feeling alone don’t need to last long  

Letting ourselves feel it all – the good and the bad – is a crucial part of building a resilient mindset. However, dwelling on things that cause us pain is not healthy.

Being overwhelmed is the consequence of trying to juggle too many mental operations at once. To relieve this pressure and reduce the corresponding sense of panic, focus on one thing you know you can get done. It sounds cliché but it is true. Just try it.

Feeling alone stems from the brain spending too much energy taking stock of our inner landscape. The best thing you can do in this instance is to focus on someone or something outside yourself. Helping others activates hardwired, ancient brain circuits that release feel-good brain chemicals such as oxytocin and serotonin, and prevents the release of chemicals that impair immunity and promote fear.

Powerlessness stems from a lack of perceived control. To re-engage your internal reward system and regain your sense of possibility, take action that engages your body and gets you moving. Actions such as quickly stepping outside to try the 5-4-3-2-1 technique, going for a walk or doing a simple Deskfit stretch will help. And once that is done, plan your next action. By doing so, you shift your mindset from one of powerlessness to one of ‘agency and action’.

Staff resources: The Employee Assistance Programme

The Employee Assistance Programme is a confidential service available to all staff. It’s there to support you with any issues that may affect your work performance whether the issue is personal or work related. You can also request budgeting and career advice. The sessions provide you with access to independent, experienced, New Zealand registered practitioners, professional expert advice or assistance.

Unitec covers the cost of three appointments and no authority is required for staff to access these and no information about who is accessing this service is provided to Unitec. You can make an appointment:

• By phone: 0800 327 669 (between 07:30 – 20:00 Monday to Friday
• By online booking: online requests are actioned as soon as possible

Got something you’d like to share on how you are coping in your bubble?

We welcome any suggestions for how you’ve adapted to this new situation, to ensure you’re caring for the mental wellbeing of your bubble.  Email communications@unitec.ac.nz or share on Yammer.