Dismal wellbeing report: Experts reveal why Northlanders may be feeling burned out

Whangārei wellbeing coach Sarah Trass says Northlanders need to take time out to rest and recuperate - physically, mentally and emotionally. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Northlanders feeling frazzled following a few years of intense challenges would benefit from taking more notice of their mental health and wellbeing.

That’s the advice from two wellbeing experts who believe the fallout from Covid, the continued cost of living crisis, and severe weather events including Cyclone Gabrielle have impacted heavily on people’s mental health.

Whangārei health and wellbeing coach Sarah Trass and Massey University senior clinical psychologist Kirsty Ross aren’t the only ones who think Kiwis could do with a little more “me time”.

Lululemon’s latest Global Wellbeing report showed New Zealand scored lower than the global average when it came to wellbeing.

One in three Kiwis surveyed admitted their wellbeing was at its lowest level yet, and while 65 per cent of respondents said wellbeing was their top priority, 47 per cent felt it was an impossible task to stay on top of.

Nearly 40 per cent said they felt hopeless about the state of the world, as climate change, political uncertainty and overseas conflict impacted on their mental health and affected personal relationships.

Trass, an ICF-certified life and wellness coach, said she has noticed a lot of clients coming to her with symptoms of burnout.

A series of Covid lockdowns that began in early 2020 and finished around December 2021, right on Christmas, meant people didn’t get the break they needed.

The following year was “a write-off”, then Northland experienced an extremely wet summer and Cyclone Gabrielle.

“We moved on with our lives; people didn’t want to talk about Covid any more, they pushed on,” Trass said.

“A lot of people put so much expectation on the summer of 2023 to be beautiful and that was going to be their chance to rest and get energised after so much that had happened.

“That really crashed down on people.

“They haven’t given themselves the time to recuperate ... people just haven’t rested enough between those two very big experiences.”

Sarah Trass said many Northlanders haven’t given themselves the time to recuperate from Covid and extreme weather events like Cyclone Gabrielle.

Trass said many factors influenced wellness, which included physical, mental and emotional health.

It was important to learn to be in partnership with yourself rather than treating body and mind as separate entities.

“It’s easy to push on and treat ourselves as mechanical beings.

“It’s learning to be more in tune with yourself and not just listening to your head.”

There are many types of rest including mental, emotional, social, creative, and physical, Trass said.

“When it comes to your energy there is a simple equation - you are either adding or subtracting from it, yet most of us don’t give much consideration to the adding side of things.

“We tend to limit our approach to thinking that if we get enough sleep, if we have a little rest on the weekend, then our energy should be back to normal.

“It’s about bringing awareness of what you’ve been taking from your system and what you need to put back in.”

Sarah Trass’s take-home message: Integrate more breaks into your day and spend time outside. Treat your body and mind as a whole and realise when you need to stop and rest, whether it’s emotionally, physically, mentally or creatively.

For Massey University senior clinical psychologist Dr Kirsty Ross, wellbeing takes a conscious effort from many angles.

“One challenge with wellbeing is that people assume it is an absence of mental illness and distress.

“People work in black and white ideas of either having depression or anxiety or ‘I am fine’.

“It’s more subtle than that.

“People need to regularly focus on their mental health and wellbeing before they get to the point of mental distress.

“It’s something everyone should do.”

Ross said looking after your physical wellbeing was part of it, as was exercising the brain, staying hydrated, eating good food and not relying too heavily on caffeine and alcohol.

Maintaining social connections, recognising how you’re feeling and knowing how to regulate emotions was also important, she said.

Massey University senior clinical psychologist Dr Kirsty Ross says people need to regularly focus on their mental health and wellbeing before they get to the point of mental distress.

Ross said many people were getting the message about having regular checkups for their physical health and not waiting until they’re unwell.

“It’s the same with mental health, but people often ignore that until they’re distressed.

“You need to do regular things for mental health and wellbeing to keep you well and give you resilience to draw on when life throws challenges at you, which it inevitably will.

“It’s about not waiting ‘til you reach a tipping point.”

Ross said stress management was a “crucial part of wellbeing”.

Ideally, people worked within a “stress threshold” where they remained physically well and their thinking was sharp.

“When people exceed their stress threshold, you stop noticing subtle changes physically and emotionally,” Ross said.

“When it’s consistent you tune it out, you don’t realise how stressed you are until something changes like you go on a summer holiday.”

Dr Kirsty Ross’s take-home message: Pay attention to your wellbeing on a regular basis. Be proactive. Regular self care will help minimise the experience of distress. It’s about your body, mind and soul, your social connections, and the people you love.

Jenny Ling is a news reporter and features writer for the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering health, food, lifestyle, business and animal welfare issues.