WELLBEING MENTAL HEALTH
Solving the Jigsaw of Wellness Words by: Jackie Harrigan
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peaking to the Dairy Women’s Network conference in May, wellness coach Rachel Grunwell said that wellness is like a jigsaw puzzle with many pieces. “I want to stop the overwhelm – you don’t have to work on all the pieces of the puzzle – don’t walk away from here thinking you have to work on a hundred different things. Just choose one thing that resonates with you and work on that.” In her Youtube presentation Grunwell encouraged viewers to find the one thing that lights a fire in their hearts and if they don’t need all of the tools in the toolkits outlined below, she suggested the tools might be good to be shared with their husbands or children.
Rachel Grunwell.
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“Given that one in four people suffer from mental health issues in NZ, we all need those skills.” A trained and experienced journalist, she says when offered a role writing a wellness column she embraced it and transformed herself from ‘busy, hassled working mum of three sons into discovering a better way of achieving and building wellness’. Later she trained to be a wellness, yoga and lifestyle coach. Her scientific approach to wellness is based on the findings of 30 global experts, which she details in her book Balance.
MOVEMENT
Fitness is the foundation of your physical and mental health, says Grunwell. “It’s not just about the bodywork, it’s about the mindwork.” Movement is crucial not only for improving health outcomes - increasing lifespan, reducing the risk of disability, guarding against diabetes and heart disease, building strong bones - but also for happiness, managing anxiety, preventing depression and for boosting productivity, creativity and brain power.
ALL TECHNIQUE TO PROCESS STRESS
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Acknowledge the stress – I feel stressed Link the trigger – why do you feel this way? Why do you have this trigger? Helps understanding Let it go – process the stress, breathe out, relax shoulders, let it go.
“Being fit is crucial to you living well and being productive.” However, just walking doesn’t cut it, she says. “You have to get your heart rate up.” Grunwell made herself embrace running, saying she used to get puffed just pushing the pushchair but now runs marathons. “Just show up – start small, 20 minutes walking will get you started. “You don’t have to be good at fitness – you just have to start and get a bit better each time. I went from walking around the block for 10 minutes twice a week to now being a multimarathon runner.” Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | July 2020
