SNN_August 2020 Issue FA_low res

NEW ZEALAND SPINAL TRUST 4
Many years from now when COVID-19 is a “back-in-myday
story” and we tell our grandchildren, about the
pandemic, it is going to be some story. What will our
take-aways be? I think my stand-out memory will be
running along the beach, or just going for a walk around
the block to get some sun on my face and get some
perspective.
There are a million things to worry about and, if you let
your mind run away on you, you could find yourself down
a deep, dark hole. Don’t go there. At the New Zealand
Spinal Trust, Hans and the management team have done
a great job encouraging our staff to adopt a mind-set
of being grateful for what we they have and to look at
this time as an opportunity. Of course, there are many
days when this is easier said than done, but we must
always try.
During the lockdown our kids weren’t sleeping well, so I
slept downstairs with our youngest daughter, Georgia, to
make sure we all had some rest. Like most people, I
worked from home. This meant that everything I did –
where I slept, ate, watched TV and worked – was all
within about 15 metres of each other. If I didn’t go outside,
I could feel the weight of it all, and it started to erode my
ability to cope. I needed some help.
I attended a session on mindfulness with psychologist
Maya Nova, which was like a breath of fresh air. Maya’s
session was called “CREATING ORDER IN CHAOS –
Mindful Habits and Daily Rituals”, and I highly
recommend checking out her website: www.mindbalance.
co.nz or booking a session.
Maya provided some practical and valuable advice for
right now, and there were a number of key learnings I
have adopted.
She says: “Mindful awareness is about learning to pay
attention, in the present moment, and without judgment.
This reduces our tendency to work on auto-pilot, allowing
us to choose how we respond and react. Mindfulness
teaches us to respond calmly to situations and stressors,
to recognise our unhealthy mental and emotional habits,
to become more patient and tolerant, less judgemental
and kinder to others and ourselves.”
The four tips I adopted from Maya’s session included:
1. Keeping a daily diary of what I had been doing and
reflecting on it: The diary has been good to look at each
night. I could ask myself what were my priorities for work/
family/life and how did I measure up? What was in the
way and how could I better align my priorities?
2. Meditating (or, in my case, as a Christian, praying and
being still): Being still right now is important. I have been
working on my breathing - calming everything down and
focusing on what I am grateful for and hopeful for. It has
been a good mind-shift. Each morning I read from the
book The Word For The Day which is sent out by Radio
Rhema, and these words of wisdom are a good guide to
my thinking.
Many years from now when
COVID-19 is a “back-in-myday
story” and we tell our
grandchildren, about the
pandemic, it is going to be
some story. What will our
take-aways be?
3. Starting each day with sunlight on my face: Every
morning I take my cup of tea out to the front yard, sit in
the sun and just have a few moments to myself. In the
session with Maya, we were taught that “Sunlight and
darkness trigger the release of hormones in our brains.
Exposure to sunlight is thought to increase the brain’s
release of a hormone called serotonin. Serotonin is
associated with boosting one’s mood and helping a person
to feel calm and focused.” Five minutes in the sun or
daylight – no matter how cold in the morning – makes a
world of difference.
4. Limiting the amount of screen-time I have each day: it
is so easy to spend so much of our lives looking at screens.
You wake up and go straight on the phone, catch up on the
world’s news on Breakfast TV, and then go straight to the
laptop for the whole day, with breaks on the phone, and
finish the day with a few hours watching telly. It is not
good for our brains. We have to change. I have loved
chipping golf balls in my front yard or taking a walk
around the block and reading books. All of this is a step in
the right direction of stress management.
Doing something practical about the stress and anxiety
has made a huge difference.
Aside from the mindfulness, it is also really important to
be honest. We may be doing it tough but so are many
others. We are all in this together and, if there is one thing
at which Kiwis are brilliant, it is helping others through
hard times. Tell people about what you are going through
and give them the opportunity to help. No one has it all
sorted and, if they say they do, they are pulling your leg.
There is always hope, always tomorrow. Never give up.
And you know what if you are like my little Charlie and
can’t hold in your cry right now, that is all right too. I am
right there with you.