Many Kiwis would appreciate some “resilience training” to get through the demands of their normal working week.
But as we head into the festive season, some workers are being offered training to help them get through their Christmas/New Year holidays.
More than 35 companies have signed up for the Resilience Institute’s ‘holiday resilience training’ programme. It includes an online webinar on Wednesday.
The company recommends a number of tools and practices to help people make the most of their holiday break, in the process unravelling some of the habits that were not supporting their resilience.
Institute global partner Bradley Hook said the training involved a series of breathing, sleeping and journaling practices which were aimed to help workers “recover, relax and rejuvenate”.
“We recommend creating rhythms whereby you implement micro-breaks throughout the day during your holiday period so that you are able to create that space for recovery and relaxation . . . just as a professional athlete would,” Hook said.
“We find that people go on holiday and they’ve developed a number of habits over the course of the year that are not necessarily productive.”
Hook - described on his company online biography as a “dedicated resilience practitioner” - said one of the worst habits picked up over the working year is employees outside of work hours constantly checking their phones - including for emails - including late at night.
An email sent to the Herald said the resilience session would explore “preparing for the break” and “the importance of rhythm”.
The Resilience Institute was founded in New Zealand in 2002.
It says its mission “is to deliver high impact, practical, evidence-based and integrated Resilience training by bringing together modern preventative medicine, positive psychology, emotional intelligence, cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and neuroscience”.
Major New Zealand organisations they have worked with include High-Performance Sport NZ, New Zealand Rugby, KPMG, Tourism NZ, Top 10, as well as global companies such as Shell, PWC, Nestle and World Bank.
Earlier this year it released its Global Resilience Report which tracked 23,990 people over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, and identified five practices that “really support the most resilient people”.
“The master factors are sleep, fulfilment, bounce, relaxation and focus,” Hook said.
“One of the most important things is prioritising sleep, and we deep-dive into what a good night’s sleep looks like in terms of timing, rhythm and blue light exposure particularly in the last couple of hours before bedtime.”
The Resilience Institute is now present in Switzerland, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, South East Asia, Australia, and South Africa.
Last year the company relocated its headquarters from Auckland to Lausanne, Switzerland to support fast growth across Europe and North America.
How to get ‘Holiday Resilience’
Relax, recover and rejuvenate
Connect with loved ones
Celebrate and be kind to yourself
Choose a micro-habit to practise before the break begins
Take time to sense the needs of your body
Take stock of feelings and emotions
Notice the habits of mind
And reflect on; What has gone really well this year? What has been challenging but successful? What has been difficult or frustrating?
Tips: The Resilience Institute