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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.
SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 5 Supporting Positive Futures Hans Wouters CEO’s Column From L- R: Paul, Hans, Nancy and Bernadette at the new NZST Resource Centre. So, What Do You Do? I meet many new people and, if any conversation goes beyond the initial meet and greet, this is one of the most frequent questions I am asked: (So, What Do You Do?) This is how I answer “I have one of the most amazing jobs. I lead an extraordinary team of people who support folk who break their necks or backs.” A very interesting and fulfilling conversation always follows. I do have an extraordinary team of whom I am very proud. The impact we have supporting positive futures is profound, vital and tremendously valued by those we work for and work with. The effect of the Covid-19 restrictions did not dent our determination to reach people, even though we could not access the spinal units. As I write, this edition of ‘Supporting Positive Futures’, New Zealand has experienced one of the most extraordinary weeks in its political history. The Honourable Nikki Kaye, former Minister of ACC, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at the Beehive and was impressed with, announced her resignation. Like National Party Leader Todd Muller’s resignation at the beginning of that week, Nikki’s came out of the blue. Her reason for departing is one that is all too familiar with our team at NZ Spinal Trust and those we support; Nikki acknowledged “Cancer has taught me that life can change We have worked hard to support positive futures despite our location limitations. in a moment”. She took sick leave from her ministerial duties in 2016 for breast cancer treatment and her life, as she knew it, stopped in its tracks and was changed forever. How does one adjust to a life-changing moment? One day at a time, with deep breaths. I have encountered so many people whose world had been turned upside down by a spinal cord impairment, and have had the privilege of observing and, in some cases, supporting their journey. I liken it to a fork in the road - a whole, new unexpected path in life. What is the path like? It is rich; it is painful; it is dark; it is bright; it is hopeless; it is hopeful; it is uncertain; it is fear-filled; it is contented; it is lonely; it is crowded; it is bleak; it is even joyful. Above all, it is real -
Page 1 and 2: August 2020 Volume 23 / Issue 2 SNN
Page 3: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 3 “I Can’t
Page 7 and 8: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 7 Back in Tune
Page 9 and 10: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 9 Nick Cornish
Page 11 and 12: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 11 NZ Spinal Co
Page 13 and 14: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 13 support serv
Page 15 and 16: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 15 Telling It L
Page 17 and 18: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 17 NZ Spinal Tr
Page 19 and 20: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 19 right?’…
Page 21 and 22: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 21 Kathy: We ha
Page 23 and 24: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 23 really good
Page 25 and 26: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 25 The Attitude
Page 27 and 28: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 27 University o
Page 29 and 30: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 29 Driving and
Page 31 and 32: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 31 SpeediCath
Page 33 and 34: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 33 “Throwing
Page 35 and 36: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 35 Thank you to

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