Service manager at Balance Whanganui Rana Aston. Photo / Bevan Conley
Service manager at Balance Whanganui Rana Aston. Photo / Bevan Conley
As Covid-19 restrictions cease to hang over us, people are being encouraged to reconnect with important people and places as part of Mental Health Awareness Week.
Rana Aston, the service manager at mental health charitable organisation Balance Whanganui, said people still experienced anxiety around Covid but things were gradually gettingback to normal.
"There is a lot less fear now it is becoming a known quantity and a lot more people are experiencing it as mild flu," she said.
"Back in 2020, I remember cleaning all my groceries with bleach because my mum was staying and she had been ill in the past."
People were enjoying the freedom of being in public without masks, Aston said.
Experts in the field of mental health, leadership development and workplace wellbeing will discuss the power of reconnection, and how to boost staff wellbeing and resilience in times of change and uncertainty.
One in five New Zealanders experienced a mental illness and/or addiction each year, MHF chief executive Shaun Robinson said.
"The last couple of years have been tough for us all and it's easy to feel disconnected from the people and places that are important to us.
"There's growing recognition that we need to uplift our mental well-being and that connection is a crucial part of this.
"Wellbeing isn't just for people who have not experienced mental illness – it's for everyone."
Aston said some people Balance worked with didn't have a family or had lost connections with them.
Their connection was with the public.
"That could be just going to the library. It doesn't mean having deep conversations, it's just being in the presence of other people.
"Some sit in places like the mall and wearing a mask meant you could even exchange a smile with someone. You can only share so much with the wrinkles around your eyes."
Winter can be a tough time for people, Rana Aston says. photo / Mead Norton
Age Concern Whanganui manager Michelle Malcolm said she hoped connections made during the pandemic remained in place.
"Families, when they were able to, gathered around each other.
"Now we are going back to a bit of normality I hope that continues. It's really important."
Some hesitancy remained in the community over Covid so it was important to check up on older loved ones who still weren't confident in getting out and about too much.
A lot of people were guilty of not being in contact enough, herself included, Malcolm said.
"It's different for different people too.
"Some might only want a monthly visit but others might need daily contact."
This week was a chance for New Zealanders to prioritise their mental health, Robinson said.
In line with the theme for 2022, that could mean "reaching out to someone you have lost contact with, visiting a place that is special to you, or getting outside in nature".
Aston said winter was a really hard time for some people.
"It's going to be warm and sunny soon though, and that means we are going to be able to do things outside together.
"We [Balance] never close during the Christmas break, just the stat days and that's it.
"There have been times during that period when people just pop in and say they're really stressed, and we have a coffee. That can be all they need to take the load off."
This year's theme would "resonate deeply with many New Zealanders".
"It's a great reminder of the importance of reaching out to those we know and care about," Little said.
"You often don't realise what pressures many people are experiencing and what a difference you can make by taking the time to check in, touch base or spend some quality time."
To learn more about the Mental Health Awareness Week, head to www.mhaw.nz .
