Wellbeing & Resilience: Thank you 2020…? By Zoe Lewis

Thank you 2020…?

ZOE LEWIS, JUSTICENET & CHAIR OF THE WELL-BEING AND RESILIENCE COMMITTEE

Ipromise not to use the “C” word. No doubt you are sick of it. And if someone asked you about 2020, no doubt you would tell them how sick of that you are too. We all know it has been difficult, disappointing and a whole lot more.

But research repeatedly reminds us that gratitude is one of the surest ways to boost our mental wellbeing and resilience, so I am going to do my best to convince you that loads of good things came out of 2020 too.

WHY GRATITUDE MATTERS

Gratitude boosts your mood, enhances your relationships, protects your physical and mental health, and makes it easier to cope with the tough times.1 The unfortunate thing about our brains when it comes to Gratitude is that we are hardwired to preference negative memories. In other words, the good things might pass us by largely unnoticed while the negative things… Well, they stick with us. There are good evolutionary reasons for this (something about making us learn how to stay safe from lions) but in everyday life, this can be a real issue. So, we need to make an extra effort to cement those positive thoughts and memories.2

It doesn’t mean that we should ignore or forget our problems, or dismiss the challenges we are facing as being unimportant. It just means giving our good memories a boost so we can balance out the scales. And the good news is that studies show that the more we practice gratitude, the easier it gets – and the more we can enjoy the benefits.3

A GRATITUDE LIST FOR 2020 • We scored a closer look into each other’s real lives as pets and family members became guests in our zoom meetings – this enhanced many of our connections with colleagues on a more personal, human level; • Many of us were forced to upgrade our IT equipment and our attitudes in relation to WFH – this has given some of us more flexibility than ever and bodes well for future possibilities for all of us (think options for parents, people with limited mobility and those living in more remote locations!); Many of us spent most of the winter in track pants and ugg boots rather than having to brave the cold in our usual business attire; Hamilton was brought to our screens by Disney Plus – and a vast array of professional artists provided both recorded and live content available free online; Pollution levels plummeted due to the drastic reduction in all forms of transport around the world – in India, some people reported seeing the Himalayas from their homes for the first time;4 Dogs and other pets everywhere were happier having their humans at home more; Some felt a renewed sense of appreciation for how lucky we are to live in this state/country; We adopted a greater focus on supporting our local businesses; There was a reduction in the stigma around mental illness and poor mental health – and more dialogue and awareness leads to better outcomes for all of us; The recent Federal Budget also came with a big win for mental health: sessions subsidised by Medicare were doubled from 10 to 20 per calendar year and lots of other services gained additional funding; More telehealth services are available now than ever before – this saves time and inconvenience and improves access to these services (many of which are free); Many workplaces have really moved away from the toxic culture of “work when you are sick and never take sick leave so you prove you are a good employee” – we are now more likely to acknowledge the benefits of keeping our germs to ourselves and letting our bodies heal; Our trains, buses, gyms and supermarkets have never been cleaner!; There was a significant reduction in the occurrence of flu and flu-related death in SA, likely due to social distancing measures and increased uptake of the influenza vaccine;5 We reconnected with some of our local tourism treasures; Many individuals and businesses have been inspired (or forced) to reflect on their practices and consider what approaches are serving them and which ones aren’t – where do we really want to invest our time, money and energy going forward?; We rediscovered some favourite pastimes – at-home movies, gardening, baking, reading, board games…; There was an increase in our participation in beneficial activities like walking, bike riding and gardening – as evidenced by the enormous lines we saw outside our local Bunnings stores!; Many of us used technology creatively as a way to connect – we recognised that merely “liking” something on social media wasn’t enough and instead picked up the phone or arranged Friday night drinks via zoom; And on that note, many of us chose to be more deliberate about our consumption of technology as well – “unfollowing” people and pages that drained us and finding more positive content to track such as The Good News Movement; Spotify launched Daily Wellness playlists in which music is selected according to your personal preferences with more energizing tracks in the morning and more soothing music and podcasts in the evening; The adoption of creative measures to keep rough sleepers off the streets and renewed attention to the issue of homelessness (and more importantly, some possible strategies to address it); Some services improved to the benefit of people with a disability – for example, a greater array of at-home services and deliveries and more activities which they could partake in online from the comfort and safety of their own home; For a while at least, we enjoyed almost