Mindful Leaders Mental Health

#MINDFULLEADERS Mental Health Leading during crisis such as Covid-19

A campaign by the 2018 and 2019 South African and Lesotho Obama Foundation African Leaders A six week mental health programme for leaders during Covid-19 to improve their mind, body and soul.

"CHANGE WILL NOT COME IF WE WAIT FOR SOME OTHER PERSON OR SOME OTHER TIME. WE ARE THE ONES THAT WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR. WE ARE THE CHANGE THAT WE SEEK."Â BARACK OBAMA

CONTENTS pg.7

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WEEK 1 - POWER OF POSITIVITY

WEEK 5 - CLARITY AND CONNECTION

Focusing on the Mind and writing in a gratitude journal every day.

Connecting with others and nature, and visualising your goals after the pandemic.

pg.13 WEEK 2 - CULMINATING CREATIVITY

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Making time to be creative and doing what makes you smile.

WEEK 6 - MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION

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Using meditation, belly breathing and listening to music.

WEEK 3 - BODY IN MOTION

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Sneaking movement into your routine and making use of pauses while housebound.

MENTAL HEALTH TOOLS AND PRACTICES Written by Amanda Blankfield-Koseff

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WEEK 4 - REST AND RECOVERY

USEFUL RESOURCES

Getting a good night's sleep and avoiding electronics and communication before bed.

A list of useful mental health websites.

LEADING DURING COVID-19 In 2020, Obama Foundation Leaders across Africa committed to work together to do a service project for their communities. Leaders from South Africa and Lesotho across the 2018 and 2019 cohorts joined forces to launch the #MindfulLeaders Mental Health Campaign from 25 May 2020 to 8 July 2020.

Recognising that the world changed significantly within a matter of weeks due to the spread of Covid-19, countries around the world went into sudden lockdown. Loved ones have been separated, livelihoods are at risk, liberties forgone and so much more disruption that requires rapid psychological adaptation has given rise to stress, anxiety, insomnia and grief across communities.

The first week's focus was on the Mind Power of Positivity. The second week's focus was on the Mind - Cultivating Creativity. The third week's focus was on the Body - Body in Motion. The fourth week's focus was on Body - Rest and Recovery. The fifth week's focus was on Soul - Clarity and Connection. The sixth week's focus was on Soul - Mindfulness and Meditation.

We hope that you will enjoy this journey with us as we work towards better mental health, so that we can be more effective and more mindful leaders.

Search the hashtags #MindfulLeaders on social media to view Leaders' reflection videos. Visit our Mindful Leaders Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MindfulLeaders2020

Happy Mental Health!

South Africa and Lesotho Obama Leaders

Obama Leaders realised that to make a sustainable impact on the communities they serve, they need to build their leadership resilience by strengthening their mental health - to become Mindful Leaders.

The Mindful Leaders programme is a six week journey with tools to strengthen the capacities of mind, body and soul.

Mindful Leaders Mental Health Published by Bahari Insights 2020 Copyright ©Bahari Insights Editing, design and layout by Taryn Lock

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The 2018 South African Obama Leaders at the Obama Foundation convenings in Johannesburg on July 2018.

The 2019 South African Obama Leaders at the Obama Foundation convenings in Johannesburg in July 2019.

The 2019 Lesotho Obama Leaders at the Obama Foundation convenings in Johannesburg in July 2019.

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The world as we know it has significantly changed within a matter of weeks. A new norm is rapidly emerging requiring rapid psychological adaptation. This has a significant impact on mental health and without tools to cope and thrive in the given circumstances, there is an increase in stress, anxiety, insomnia and sets off the grieving process. For our global service project, the Obama Foundation Leaders from South Africa and Lesotho are excited to launch the #MindfulLeaders Mental Health campaign. This 6-week campaign is geared at raising awareness and providing information, tools and support for the mental health and wellbeing of leaders in the Obama Foundation network and beyond. We hope to create a safe place for leaders to help during this unprecedented time and become mindful leaders.

Be the change that you want to see and join our campaign to create a world of mentally healthy leaders.

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JOIN THE MOVEMENT Heal with us over the next 6 weeks by following the instructions below: Learn - Each week we will have a theme with various mental health tools that you can try and work through.

Listen - Have Listening Circles with trusted friends which are a safe space for leaders to air, share and reflect on how they are emotionally, mentally and physically. These are planned 2-hour facilitated discussions giving us the space to connect and reflect on our mental health and wellbeing.

Lead - Every Sunday, Leaders are to do a 1-4 minutes long reflection video post on social media on what they learned using the questions below as guidelines: What shifted for you this week around your personal understanding of mental health and wellbeing, if any?

What shifted for you this week around your understanding between wellbeing, as it relates to your professional role and your organisation, if any?

What about this week supported those shifts?

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones that we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." ~ Barack Obama MINDFUL LEADERS| PAGE 4

Providing information, resources and support for the mental health and wellbeing of leaders in the Obama Foundation network and beyond.

THE POWER OF POSITIVITY Write in a gratitude journal every day.

A number of studies have found gratitude to be linked with positive emotions, and overall wellbeing and life satisfaction.

BODY IN MOTION Physical activity helps improve all aspects of your health, including boosting your immune system. It also reduces mood, which in turn helps you sleep better and prevents burnout. That said, the current recommendations for adults are to aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity every week. That's about 30 minutes of movement, 5 times per week.

CLARITY AND CONNECTION Even in the midst of this global pandemic, we can find ways to focus our spirituality. Spirituality is connecting with others, but most importantly, with yourself. By tuning into the present moment, our sense come alive and we are able to see with clarity and focus.

CULTIVATING CREATIVITY Creative activities are a great way to boost your mental wellbeing. According to the Mental Health Foundation, art can be a great way of helping with loneliness, boosting our confidence and alleviation of anxiety, depression and stress.

REST AND RECOVERY Adequate sleep can maximise your potential for having better days under these circumstances. Optimal sleep helps regulate mood, improve brain function, and increase energy and overall productivity during the day.

MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION Incorporating mindful practices into your daily routine can help calm anxiety and build healthy coping skills. Being mindful is what it sounds like. Taking time to focus on the present, being intentional and thoughtful about where you are and how you are feeling. Trying to centre your thoughts and be in the moment.

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#MINDFULLEADERS WEEK 1

THE POWER OF POSITIVITY Write in a gratitude journal every day. A number of studies have found gratitude to be linked with positive emotions, and overall wellbeing and life satisfaction.

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THE POWER OF POSITIVITY Share it: The gratitude list itself will help you feel more positive but you want to increase that feel-good vibe, share your thanks with others.

Try to Find the Good in the Bad: It's ridiculous to expect that simply focusing on the fact that it's a bright sunny day will make you feel better when something really bad is going on. But it will improve your outlook if you try to find the opportunity or lesson to be learnt in a not-so-great situation.

Do it everyday: Research shows that the more you do something the more likely it will become a habit. The longer your gratitude list gets, the greater the case you're building for feeling positive.

Be Specific: The positive impact that you get from gratitude increases when you offer yourself real specific evidence for why you feel grateful. E.g. I am grateful that my husband got up in the morning and let me sleep in this morning.

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TARYN LOCK 2018 OBAMA LEADER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: READ TO RISE

a) What shifted for you around your personal understanding of mental health and wellbeing?

Your mind plays a big role in how you perceive things. Being grateful and positive about your circumstances can really help you in times of uncertainty and crisis. Focusing on the positive helps one get through these unprecedented times.

b) What shifted for you around your understanding between wellbeing, as it relates to your professional role and your organisation?

There is power in being positive in the workplace. It is important as your positivity is likely to contribute to the morale of your organisation. Positivity will make people more productive especially during times of crisis. Our attitude can influence our organisation. c) What supported those shifts?

Being grateful and seeing the good in the bad has made me realise the power of positivity.

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#MINDFULLEADERS WEEK 2

CULTIVATING CREATIVITY Creative activities are a great way to boost your mental wellbeing. According to the Mental Health Foundation, art can be a great way of helping with loneliness, boosting our confidence and alleviation of anxiety, depression and stress.

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CULTIVATING CREATIVITY Get crafty: You don't have to be an artist to get crafty.

Art can be as simple as drawing scribbles to express your feelings.

Do whatever helps you smile: The key to getting creative and keeping calm during this period is to do whatever helps you smile, whether that's baking, colouring-in, knitting or something else entirely.

Be Creative: Arts Council England reported that creative activities help people feel happier and more relaxed than when doing other activities such as watching TV.

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#MINDFULLEADERS WEEK 3

BODY IN MOTION Physical activity helps improve all aspects of your health, including boosting your immune system. It also reduces mood, which in turn helps you sleep better and prevents burnout. That said, the current recommendations for adults are to aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity every week. That's about 30 minutes of movement, 5 times per week.

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BODY IN MOTION Take advantage of pauses during the day: Take advantage of times when you're waiting for something to start or finish. You can fire off some arm stretches or practice some yoga poses while dinner is in the oven or those 15 min a Zoom meeting.

"Sneak" movement into your routine: Even though we're mostly housebound, you can still find ways to incorporate movement into your day..

Move around the house more: Walk around while you are making calls. Take an extra lap or two around the house if you need to put something away. If you have stairs, go up and down a few times throughout the day.

Exercise during commercial breaks: Many of us are watching more TV. Make the commercials and credits count by adding in some squats, jumping jacks, lunges or push ups.

Use your chores: Household tasks like scrubbing, dusting, sweeping and vacuuming can all add up when done at a brisk pace. They also work the muscles in your arms and legs, MINDFUL LEADERS| PAGE 18

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DAYLENE VAN BUUREN 2019 OBAMA LEADER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: CITY YEAR SOUTH AFRICA

a) What shifted for you around your personal understanding of mental health and wellbeing?

I gained a deeper understanding and appreciation that as much as we do internal work on ourselves our physical health is our vessel in this world. It forms part of our wellness journey. We need to take care of our bodies and keep them healthy and able to help us achieve our desires in this world.

b) What shifted for you around your understanding between wellbeing, as it relates to your professional role and your organisation?

Physical well being and motion can release positive energy, it has the ability to help us be physically present in a space and in our work, how we feel and show impact how we work and relate to others.

c) What supported those shifts?

Daily making time to stretch, being still and breathe helped me feel less stressed and more focused. The exercises keep me fired up during my work day

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#MINDFULLEADERS WEEK 4

REST AND RECOVERY Adequate sleep can maximise your potential for having better days under these circumstances.

Optimal sleep helps regulate mood, improve brain function, and increase energy and overall productivity during the day.

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REST AND RECOVERY Limit Screen Time: Turn off your devices one hour before sleep time. Leave your cellphone charging in the kitchen so you are not tempted to look at Covid-19 updates during the night.

Try breathing exercises Use ten slow deep breaths to fall asleep and return to sleep. It should be a slow inhale though your nose for 3 to 4 seconds and a slow exhale through your mouth for 3 to 4 seconds.

Create a sleep schedule:Â Figure out your sleep need (experiment with different amounts), then prioritise that amount of sleep each night. While 6 or 9 hours may be appropriate for most adults, most need 7 to 8 hours. We are not obliged to late night social activities, so getting to bed 'on time' is more realistic right now - take advantage of that!

Find time for you: Take the hour before bed time as 'me time' with no electric engagement. Minimise conversations and calls during that hour. We all need at least one hour alone per day. Take a hot shower/bath, play soothing music, try a meditation app or read a book or magazine.

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TARYNÂ LOCK 2018 OBAMA LEADER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: READ TO RISE

a) What shifted for you around your personal understanding of mental health and wellbeing?

I realised that it's important for your body to get a good night's rest especially during a time of crisis. If you are well rested you will be able to think better and clearer, and have energy for the day ahead.

b) What shifted for you around your understanding between wellbeing, as it relates to your professional role and your organisation?

I learnt that there are ways to help one sleep better, such as limiting screen time before bed time and rather charging your phone in a different room so that you are not tempted to check your phone during the night. If you are well rested you will be in a better frame of mind to work and deal with the challenges. c) What supported those shifts?

Making sure that you limit screen time before you sleep and enjoying 'me time' by listening to soothing music or reading helps to calm your mind so that you will sleep better!

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#MINDFULLEADERS WEEK 5

CLARITY AND CONNECTION Even in the midst of this global pandemic, we can find ways to focus our spirituality. Spirituality is connecting with others, but most importantly, with yourself. By tuning into the present moment, our senses come alive and we are able to see with clarity and focus.

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CLARITY AND CONNECTION Visualisation:Â Visualise what your goals will be after this period of isolation.

Praying: Praying is a common practice that aids those who are disarming fear and uncertainty. Many believe that spirituality involves chanting, breathing exercises and ceremonies or rituals.

But praying is an expression of hope and can be to anyone or anything you desire to send your wishes and dreams to.

Connecting with others:Â Spirituality and your spiritual life can also include your daily interactions with others.

Connecting with nature: Transform your current circumstances by choosing to appreciate the beauty around you and think positive of your experiences. Connect with your spirituality by transcending into the environment. Start by spending some time in the outdoors near your home or taking a stroll around your neighbourhood.

Poetry: During these challenging times, many are turning to poetry for solace. Poetry connects you to a higher thinking of yourself, what matters to you and what you feel about your surroundings in a beautiful, therapeutic way. Poetry can nourish your soul in that the affirmations of poets solidify what you feel value in. You can grow your spiritual development by feeling and visualising what artists have written about their personal experiences and emotions.

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DAYLENE VAN BUUREN 2019 OBAMA LEADER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: CITY YEAR SOUTH AFRICA

a) What shifted for you around your personal understanding of mental health and wellbeing?

The strength, quality and clarity of our relationships to others or nature can have a profound effect on how we relate to the world and ourselves. So choose wisely who and what you let into your space and life and how those relationships are in service to your greater purpose and how you contribute positively to others.

b) What shifted for you around your understanding between wellbeing, as it relates to your professional role and your organisation?

When we are in leadership roles, connection and clarity are two of the most critical elements when we work with people and lead a strategy and this week helped me understand that clarity needs to start with yourself before you can lead others.

c) What supported those shifts?

I enjoyed the visualisation exercise, to articulate my thinking and vision moving forward. Being able to focus on the quality of relationships and not just the number of people I am in contact with.

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#MINDFULLEADERS WEEK 6

MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION Incorporating mindful practices into your daily routine can help calm anxiety and build healthy coping skills. Being mindful is what it sounds like.

Taking time to focus on the present, being intentional and thoughtful about where you are and how you are feeling. Trying to centre your thoughts and be in the moment.

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MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION Meditation:Â Sit in a relaxed, comfortable position.

Pick something to focus on, like your breath. When your minds wanders bring your attention back to your breath.

Listening to music: Focus on the whole song, or listen specifically to the voice or instrument.

Belly Breathing: Put one hand on your stomach and one hand on your chest. Slowly breathe in from your stomach (expand like a balloon) and slowly breathe out (deflate).

Limit Multi-tasking:Â Multi-tasking rarely works and can actually increase stress.

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Listening Circles

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Saturday 4 July 4pm-6pm SAST Zoom

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Mental Health Tools and Practices

Mindfulness meditation is a great way to still the mind and stop the thoughts from causing stress and anxiety. Our brains have a default network which creates all kinds of thoughts all the time except when we are focusing on something and being “in flow”. All the other times, our thoughts continue. The problem comes when we get stuck on a thought, and obsess about it, which causes negative emotions like fear, worry, anger etc. When these thoughts get entrenched they become beliefs and the lense through which we see the world. Things do not happen “to” us but we perceive the world that way if we are not mindful. We are actually living in an inside-out world – reality is there but how we each perceive it differs and they only thing we have control over is how we react to/manage this reality.

One way to train our minds not to get stuck on these negative thoughts is to practice mindfulness meditation for at least 5 minutes every day to start. The aim of the meditation is to firstly focus inwardly, to do a “body check” and to feel where we have stress or pain so we can deal with it later, and to breathe deeper and more consciously for those 5 minutes.

How to do it – there are many kinds of meditation and they have different methodologies.

The simplest one to start with is to sit in a comfortable position on a chair or on the floor.

Have a blanket around you if you may get cold. Close your eyes and just breathe in for 5 counts, hold your breath for 5 and breathe out for 5 counts. Do this 3 times to calm you and centre you. Then breathe normally. Whenever a thoughts comes into your mind, don’t fight it, just distract your mind by focusing on your breathing or the sounds around you – whether it’s birds chirping or traffic, it will stop your mind getting stuck on a thought.

I started mindfulness meditation three years ago and attend monthly sessions (online now) where we share our experiences of this and help one another. In December 2019 I did a course in Transcendental Meditation which takes meditation to another level. Since doing the course I have continued doing twenty minute meditations with a mantra the teacher provides at the course twice a day. I have found that especially now during lockdown, the routine of doing these meditations and the mediations themselves have really calmed me down and centred me. I have more energy, more positivity and more peace of mind. I recommend it!

By Amanda Blankfield-Koseff, 2018 Obama Leader

Extra reading: https://www.nikiseberini.com/coffee-and-conversations-with-niki https://www.mindful.org/meditation/mindfulness-getting-started/

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Useful Resources Useful resources

SADAG - SA Depression and Anxiety Group http://www.sadag.org Lifeline telephonic counselling https://www.lifelinejhb.org.za/counselling.ashx Childline telephonic counselling https://www.childlinesa.org.za Clinical Psychologist Leanne Stillerman http://www.leannestillerman.com Child abuse - The Teddy Bear Clinic http://ttbc.org.za Anti sexual violence - Tears Foundation https://www.tears.co.za Mindfulness practice - Niki Seberini https://www.nikiseberini.com/coffee-and-conversations-with-niki Mindfulness info https://www.mindful.org Mindfulness and psychology - Maxine Ngonyoza http://www.icwsa.com/ #MindfulLeaders Mental Health https://www.facebook.com/MindfulLeaders2020/

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Contributors Amanda Blankfield-Koseff 2018 Obama Leader South Africa Executive Director, Empowervate

Sharon Rapetswa 2018 Obama Leader South Africa CEO, Sharon's Consulting

Kudzai Kutukwa 2018 Obama Leader South Africa CEO, Mobbinsurance

Pontso Tshoeunyane 2019 Obama Leader Lesotho District Manager, Ministry of Social Development and Afridreams.org

Taryn Lock 2018 Obama Leader South Africa Executive Director, READ to RISE

Daylene van Buuren 2019 Obama Leader South Africa Executive Director, City Year South Africa

Wandile Mthiyane 2019 Obama Leader South Africa Founder & CEO, Ubuntu Design Group

Lesley Donna Williams 2018 Obama Leader South Africa CEO, Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct

Rufaro Mudimu 2018 Obama Leader South Africa CEO, The enke Group

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Special Thanks to: Obama Foundation Obama Foundation African Leaders Country Co-ordinators: South Africa - Ludwekazi Ndlazi, Taryn Lock Country Co-ordinators: Lesotho - Pontso Tshoeunyane, Nvulane Nhlapo Service Project Committee Member - Saieshan Govinder Project Co-Captains - Lesley Donna Williams, Wandile Mthiyane Simidele Adeagbo Rufaro Mudimu Amanda Blankfield-Koseff Macani Toungara Rebecca Musiitwa Taryn Lock Bahari Insights

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