The Readings - Summary + Themes
Why the stress in the city reading?
The statistics on mental health issues is what drew me to this reading. New Zealand has high stats for mental health, so it is a big issue it would be a great one to come up with solutions for. It also resonated with me because it talks about how city density increase is a polarizing issue. For me, this is a great concern, as crowds cause me anxiety and claustrophobia. I then began to think about other mental health and disability issues and how the city might be for people suffering those.
Initial Research/Ideas - Disability: Acknowledge. Accept.
Connect with
the people around you – family, friends, colleagues and neighbours.
"Think of these as the cornerstones of your life and invest time
in developing them."
Be
active. Go
for a walk or a run, step outside, garden, dance. "Exercising
makes you feel good… Discover a physical activity you enjoy, one
that suits your level of mobility and fitness."
Take
notice. Be
curious, catch sight of the beautiful, remark on the unusual, notice
the changing seasons and savour the moment, whether you are on a
train, eating your lunch or talking to friends. "Be aware of the
world around you and what you are feeling, reflecting on your
experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you."
Keep
learning. Try
something new, rediscover an old interest, sign up for a course, take
on a different responsibility at work. "Learning new things will
make you more confident, as well as being fun to do."
Give. Do
something nice for a friend or stranger, volunteer your time, join a
community group, look outwards as well as inwards. "Seeing
yourself and your happiness linked to the wider community can be
incredibly rewarding and will create connections with the people
around you."
Cantabrians
are already familiar with these messages repackaged in the
award-winning All Right? campaign, a pot-quake social media push to
promote wellbeing. The website allright.org.nz is a great place to
visit for resources, many of which can be downloaded for free.
A
few years ago, I was interested in finding out what impact these
actions had on wellbeing. Using information from more than 5000
working Kiwis, I was able to show just how strong the relationship
is.
The
results surprised me. All five ways upped the odds of participants
recording high levels of wellbeing, but taking notice had the
biggest impact (followed by giving, keeping learning, connecting and
being active in that order).
Those
who said they regularly took notice were four times as likely to
enjoy flourishing mental health than those who said they seldom took
notice.
And
that's after taking differences in gender, age, ethnicity, marital
status, household income and academic qualifications out of the
equation.
The
main take-home message for me was that taking notice, giving and
learning were more powerful than what we've traditionally relied on –
catching up with friends and being physically active.
Kia Puawai Initiative
Story of disability discrimination
Statistics NZ rates of disability
Right to Life/Saving Downs Initiative
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