Stress is a completely normal and useful part of life. Without stress, a muscle grows weak. With the right amount of stress, a muscle grows strong. But too much stress and a muscle can become injured, and then we need time for rest and recovery. Problems arise when there is too much stress. So if we experience no stress at all – there are no challenges in our life – we can become bored and even depressed.

When we face the right amount of stress - a challenge that stretches us and is manageable - that can bring an enormous amount of satisfaction, growth and learning. This keeps our mind healthy. When we face too much stress - a challenge that is overwhelming – that can wear us down. And just like when we overuse a muscle, if we don’t take time to rest and recover, we can experience ongoing pain, and the damage can become worse.

The amount of stress we experience is a result of two things – our external world (what’s happening around us) and our internal world (how we think and feel about what’s happening, as well as our physical wellbeing).  We can’t always make choices about what challenges we face, but we can always consider how we think about what is happening to us and then work at changing that.

Let’s look at a resilience model that has been found to be very helpful in managing stress. It’s called the 3-Ps. It’s designed by one of the founders of Positive Psychology, Martin Seligman. The three Ps stand for Personalisation, Permanence, and Pervasiveness. They are the ways we think that increase our stress levels.

Personalisation is when we believe we are the sole source of a problem rather than considering how our circumstances are contributing. For example, if you were more organised, perhaps you could get all your work done. And perhaps your workplace practices share in the responsibility. Talking with your colleagues and manager about how work is distributed may form part of the way forward.

Permanence is believing that a difficult situation will last forever. When we are in the middle of something that is very difficult or painful, it can feel like it will never end, which makes the whole situation feel worse. But change is constant – and the difficulty will pass. Reminding ourselves to look at how a situation is constantly changing and to see it in a longer-term context can help us to begin to see a way to turn it around.

Pervasiveness is believing that a difficult situation applies to all areas of our life, not just a particular circumstance. A common example is when you say to yourself, “I’m so stupid!” as a piece of DIY falls to pieces. The truth is that perhaps you’re not the world’s greatest handyperson, but you might be fantastic at comforting a friend in need or managing a work project.

Keeping an eye on these three ways of thinking can reduce the amount of stress in your life as well as increase your resilience. Come talk to us about the way you think and how you can change it – you might become less stressed. Call Newport & Wildman on 1800 650 204.

Stephen Malloch, Manager Clinical Consulting

Image by pch.vector on Freepik

“Yes, I’m stressed and barely sleeping. But that’s reasonable given what’s going on. My mortgage rate keeps going up month after month, I can really see the effect of inflation on how much I’m spending, and now my boss is talking about re-structuring so I’m worried about my job. How could talking with someone about it help? I don’t need a counsellor.”

We recognize that for many people speaking with a counsellor doesn’t seem like a helpful thing to do and it may feel quite daunting. Why would that help? is a very reasonable question. A recent study found that there was one main skill that counselling teaches that makes it helpful – ‘psychological flexibility.’^[1] Psychological flexibility consists of three components – all of which can be built through seeing a counsellor.

• The first is Awareness. This means noticing what is happening in the present moment… What thoughts are you having? What feelings? And what sensations are you noticing in your body?
• The second component is Openness. This means allowing any difficult thoughts and feelings that you notice just to be, without battling them. Interestingly, it’s often the battle with the difficult thoughts and feelings that grows the difficulty.
• The third component is Valued Engagement. This means knowing what matters to you, and taking steps in that direction. It involves being in contact with your goals and your values.

Awareness, Openness, and Valued Engagement can all be learnt and developed. We can change the way we think – counselling is very good at helping us do that. And when we bring these three elements more into our life, we find we have more choice and control. We are more aware of what it is worth putting our energy into.

Let’s return to the person I quoted at the beginning of this article – the person who is experiencing many stresses, and doesn’t see any point in counselling. A friend convinces them to call us, and they arrange some counselling sessions. After their first session they recognise that simply stressing about rising interest rates and cost of living doesn’t help – but action does. So they get some specialist financial counselling from us which helps them lessen their debt levels. They then speak with a nutrition counsellor, they start eating more healthily and exercising more, which in turn helps them sleep more soundly. They also speak with a career counsellor who helps them plan for their next career step.

Above all, they learn they have more say over how they feel and think than they imagined they did. They are more in control of themselves and their life. That’s why you speak with a counsellor!

If you would like to arrange an appointment, call us on 1800 650 204.

Stephen Malloch, Manager Clinical Consulting

[1] ">Steven Hayes (2022) – The most important skillset in mental health.

Photo by Negative Space

From time to time we all encounter situations where we need to have a constructive conversation with someone. It may be that your job requires you to have these conversations with people on a regular basis. A common myth is that raising the issue might make things worse. However, a carefully constructed conversation might save things from getting worse.

Here are some tips for initiating a potentially difficult conversation:

1. Be Confident with your Concerns

It can be easy to stop ourselves from raising concerns by minimising their importance. For example, we may tell ourselves we are “just being silly” or we are “being too sensitive” or “it’s not such a big deal really”. If it is impacting on you or someone else negatively, it is important. Be clear with yourself about the reasons why you are initiating the conversation.

2. Focus on the Behaviour

Let the person know that it is their behaviour which is upsetting or concerning to you. 

3. Be Clear and Specific

Anxiety about how someone might react can lead to messages being “watered-down”. We may give a lot of positive feedback in amongst the negative, or we might talk generally to a group about behaviour that bothers us without speaking directly to the person involved. The risk is that your message will not be heard by them.

4. Listen

This can sometimes be the hard part because people can be defensive or angry after hearing your concerns and your feedback. They may attack. They may deny that there’s an issue. Let them talk. Don’t interrupt, explain, justify or defend. First, listen. There will be time to respond later.

5. Respond Calmly

Depending on how the person has reacted to your concerns remaining calm can be tricky, however, focus on clarifying the factual accuracies of what the person has said. Their feelings are subjective and you can’t change these. Confidently re-state your concerns. If you can, come to a resolution or compromise. You may need some time to think about what each other has said.

Constructive conversations are about more than winning an argument or getting your point across. They are about deepening understanding and building ways forward. For more information or to arrange an appointment to assist you with a conversation, call us on 1800 650 204.

Newport & Wildman is your Employee Assistance Program (EAP), your proactive mental health and wellbeing service here to support you. Confidential and free for staff, we offer access to counselling, coaching and training. Utilising EAP has become even more important in recent times, with people facing long wait times for counselling appointments through their GP and with the reduction of the Medicare-funded psychology sessions occurring at the end of this year.

During the pandemic, the government increased the number of Medicare-funded psychology sessions each year from 10 to 20, recognising the impact the pandemic was having on the mental health of Australians. In the 2021-22 financial year alone, 1,023,241 additional sessions were provided by psychologists¹, highlighting the real need for support. This increase will end on the 31st of December 2022, reverting to 10 sessions.

The decision to reduce the number of Medicare sessions was based on a study from the University of Melbourne. The study suggested the current system was not providing equitable access for lower socio-economic groups and those living in regional areas. The government will convene a forum of experts and people with lived experience of mental illness early next year to assess the recommendations of the University of Melbourne report.

The danger of reducing the Medicare-funded sessions before that review is completed is increased anxiety in the community and more barriers for those with mental health concerns to receive adequate support. At Newport & Wildman, we acknowledge that people may be concerned and recognise that this change may affect you or people within your organisation. With the reduction of sessions, we encourage the use of EAPs to help bridge the gap with long wait times and to add another layer of support.

We are here ready to support you. Contact Newport & Wildman on 1800 650 204.

Marcela Slepica

Director, Clinical Services

¹ Australian Psychology Society

Shari Walton, Organisational Development Consultant

A key building block of positive psychology and wellbeing is character strengths. These 24 positive traits were determined in a 3-year research project involving 55 scientists and are manifested behaviourally, cognitively, and emotionally. They form part of the Engagement pillar of Professor Martin Seligman’s wellbeing model, and everybody has experienced at one time or other getting lost in an activity because it is so engaging. This is often referred to as “being in the zone” or in a state of “flow”, a theory introduced by Hungarian-born researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in the 1970s. During this optimal flow experience, individuals feel strong, alert, in effortless control and at the peak of their abilities.

------------------------------------------------------------

Research proposes that everyone has 24 character strengths. These are personality qualities like creativity, honesty, humour, and perseverance. What makes everyone unique, is that some strengths come more naturally to them than they do for others.

When you complete the free scientific VIA Character Strengths Survey, your results will reveal which strengths rank highest and lowest for you. Understanding and applying your strengths will help you increase happiness levels, boost confidence, strengthen relationships and improve work performance. For leaders, they can provide greater insights into individual styles, team dynamics and contribute to developing a high-performing, effective team.

Three reasons why understanding individual strengths is a pathway to greater well-being:

1. Your highest strengths are natural happiness boosters.
   • Research refers to your top strengths as signature strengths. They are so essential to your identity that they are like your fingerprint or written signature. People notice these strengths in you, and it feels good for you to use them.
2. Lesser Strengths are not Weaknesses
   • Humans have a natural negativity bias but lesser strengths are not weaknesses, they are qualities that don’t come as easily to you as some of the other strengths in your profile.
3. Finding your Just Right in Self
   • Once you become more conscious of your strengths, you will notice you are more inclined to overuse or underuse certain strengths depending on preferences. Understanding these dynamics can help you recognise when your strengths are out of balance, and you can adjust for better outcomes, which can lead to many positive wellbeing and overall happiness.

For more information, reach out to the Newport & Wildman Team to arrange a consult with our Organisational Development Team. To arrange a counselling appointment, call Newport & Wildman on 1800 650 204.

Shari Walton is an enthusiastic solution focused senior Organisation Development Consultant with extensive experience designing, developing, and implementing a broad range of Leadership Development, Talent Management, and other Learning and Organisation Development interventions that drive change and support individual, team, and business success.

Shari has over 30 years’ experience in the organisation development field across Finance, IT and Higher Education sectors. This experience is complemented with formal qualifications in Human Resources, Learning & Development, Executive Coaching, along with a Graduation Diploma in Communication Management, and a Diploma in Holistic Wellness Coaching.

Newport & Wildman wishes you all the best for the Festive Season. We appreciate the opportunity to be your pro-active mental health and wellbeing service and would like to thank you for continuing your partnership with us. Through utilising the service, you have helped make the lives of vulnerable children and families a little easier. As a profit-for-purpose organisation our surplus profits go to programs that support vulnerable women and children. For more information about the H.O.P.E. Program, see here.

Please be assured our counselling and onsite services are available 24/7, 365 days a year however our other business functions observe the Australian public holidays and a break from 26th December to 13th January 2023. Contact Newport & Wildman on 1800 650 204.

Shari Walton, Organisational Development Consultant

The term emotional intelligence was popularized in 1995 by psychologist and behavioural science journalist Dr. Daniel Goleman in his book, Emotional Intelligence. Dr. Goleman described emotional intelligence as a person's ability to manage his feelings so that those feelings are expressed appropriately and effectively. Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence Framework contains four components.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some suggestions for how to embed key components from each of the four quadrants are outlined below.

Self-awareness strategies include:

1. Keep a journal
2. Slow down
3. Step away and find perspective
4. Practice optimism

Social Awareness suggestions include developing:

1. Empathy: Builds human connection through understanding others' emotions.
2. Service orientation: Assist staff personal development and explore issues impacting on others personal development and growth. How and where do you add value to your employees, colleagues, team members?
3. Organisational Awareness: Understanding the dynamics of your team – who are the influencers? How are their strengths capitalized within your team?

Self-management includes 6 subcategories: emotional self-control, trustworthiness, contentiousness, adaptability, achievement, and initiative. Suggestions for self management actions to explore:

1. Regulate your emotional responses in your interactions with others.
2. Find your calm in the situation
3. Remove judgements and assumptions
4. Respond in a controlled manner

Relationship management includes 8 subcategories:

1. Developing Others – recognise strengths and offering challenges.
2. Influence - build consensus and support - focus on what is important to others
3. Communication - ensure the right emotional tone is used.
4. Conflict Management - realizing when a situation is heading towards conflict and taking quick and decisive action to resolve it.
5. Leadership - be the person that others choose to follow.
6. Change Catalyst - question established ideals and initiate new ideas, recognizing when change is needed.
7. Building Bonds - by cultivating an extensive network of colleagues, acquaintances, and friends that has mutual benefit.
8. Teamwork and Collaboration - defining your success criteria in such a way that everyone can make their own unique and valued contribution.

The most effective influencers and leaders integrate 4 or more of the above characteristics regularly into their leadership practice. For more information, reach out to the Newport & Wildman Team to arrange a consult with our Organisational Development Team.

To arrange a counselling appointment, call Newport & Wildman on 1800 650 204.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shari Walton is an enthusiastic solution-focused senior Organisation Development Consultant with extensive experience designing, developing, and implementing a broad range of Leadership Development, Talent Management, and other Learning and Organisation Development interventions that drive change and support individual, team, and business success.

Shari has over 30 years’ experience in the organisation development field across Finance, IT and Higher Education sectors. This experience is complemented with formal qualifications in Human Resources, Learning & Development, Executive Coaching, along with a Graduation Diploma in Communication Management, and a Diploma in Holistic Wellness Coaching.

November 18th is White Ribbon Day. It's an opportunity to bring people together – in person or online - to raise awareness and commit to action to prevent violence against women. Learn more about the day and how you can keep the momentum going forward on the White Ribbon Website here.

On October 17^th State and Federal governments released the National Plan to end violence against women and children. This is a 10-year plan that includes a framework of actions to end violence against women and children in one generation. It highlights how all parts of society including governments, business and workplaces, media, schools, and communities must work together towards a shared vision of ending gender-based violence.

Read more about the plan and how Newport & Wildman can support you and your organisation in our article- Release of the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032.

Marcela Slepica, Director, Clinical Services

On October 17^th State and Federal governments released the National Plan to end violence against women and children. This is a 10-year plan that includes a framework of actions to end violence against women and children in one generation. It highlights how all parts of society including governments, business and workplaces, media, schools, and communities must work together towards a shared vision of ending gender-based violence.

The statistics are very confronting. 1 in 3 women has experienced physical violence since the age of 15, 1 in 5 has experienced sexual violence and on average 1 woman is killed by an intimate partner every 10 days. The rates are higher for certain groups such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women¹. To address these staggering figures, the National Plan has 4 domains: Prevention, Early Intervention, Response and Recovery, and Healing.  The government is working on clear action plans with the first plan to be released in early 2023.

Newport & Wildman are very supportive of this National Plan. We continue to provide domestic and family violence counselling and deliver accredited training to organisations around Australia. As a part of our social purpose, we recognise the importance of addressing this issue and in providing vital clinical support for people in need. We encourage all organisations to think about their role and what they can do.

So what can your organisation do? Prevention includes raising awareness and educating your people about domestic and family violence. Organisations also have a role in the Response and Recovery domain. On the 27^th October, the Federal Government amended the Fair Work Act and passed a law that all employees will be entitled to 10 days paid Domestic Violence leave. This law comes into effect in February 2023.

We know that this is a very confronting and complicated issue. Newport & Wildman are here to support organisations and their people. We have renewed our accreditation, and as a White Ribbon Approved Training Partner, we facilitate White Ribbon training for People Leaders in organisations who are undergoing their own accreditation process. We also offer our own Domestic & Family Violence Training for Employees and Leaders.

With White Ribbon Day approaching on the 18th of November and the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on the 25^th, it’s an important time to take action now and beyond these awareness days.

If you would like to have a conversation around supporting your people and raising awareness around Domestic & Family Violence, please reach out to Newport & Wildman on 1800 650 204. As always, our people are here to help support you and your people be their best in life and work.

¹ABS 2016 Personal Safety Plan

Anthony Bui, Learning and Development Advisor

“Mindfulness is the awareness that arises through paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally” American Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn

How often do we spend time dwelling on past events or worrying about the future? Are we connected to what’s going on in the present or busy indulging in other thoughts? How does this affect our ability to stay calm in tense situations at work or within our relationships? How does this impact on our approach to leadership?

Mindfulness is being aware, accepting and not judging or attaching. It doesn’t mean being a passive observer, rather that we acknowledge what we are feeling or thinking and allow the space to respond constructively.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mindfulness allows us to decrease stress and anxiety by reducing reactivity and increasing response flexibility, improving our ability to empathise with others, developing our ability for self and other compassion and increasing our self-awareness of our emotions.

Ways to start practising mindfulness at work include:

• Doing one task at a time. Taking the time to attend to an individual task without paying attention to other competing tasks.

• Walking between meetings and taking the opportunity to be aware of our surroundings in terms of what we see, what we hear, and what we feel.

• Being present when interacting with a colleague in a meeting. This may mean allowing ourselves to focus fully on our colleagues, providing space for them to express themselves and not getting distracted by other sounds in the room, or thoughts.

• Taking time to eat lunch mindfully. Pay attention to the taste, the textures, and the smells of the food we are eating. Slow down chewing and savour your food.

• Starting and ending the workday by “returning to the breath”. Spending 10 minutes focusing on breathing, is a great way to centre yourself for the day ahead, or to draw the day to a close.

Introducing mindfulness to our lives will greatly enhance our work and relationships and personal satisfaction. It will propel us to value, enjoy and appreciate every moment we have of every day. For more information or support on our training offering, reach out to the Newport & Wildman Team to arrange a consult with our Organisational Development Team. To arrange a counselling appointment, call Newport & Wildman on 1800 650 204.

Anthony Bui is a Learning and Development Advisor with experience in ensuring customer learning and development needs are actualised. This includes experience with developing and designing course content and innovating training programs to further business success. He is passionate about developing leadership skills, communication skills and promoting positive mental health in the workplace. Anthony has completed the Bachelor of Counselling (Coaching) and is a regular member of Men’s Table. With work experience in blue-collared industries, he hopes to encourage positive mental health practices for men.

Pixels Photo by Yan Krukov

Newport & Wildman is proudly part of AccessEAP.

Our Reconciliation Action Plan is an important part of our journey of cultural responsiveness and sensitivity, enabling us to sustainably and strategically take meaningful action to advance reconciliation.

We recognise the need to offer the opportunity to speak with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Counsellor or a Culturally Sensitive Counsellor. We have an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Dedicated Support Line to facilitate a culturally safe experience for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. We partner with a range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Organisations and are currently offering EAP services to the staff of an Aboriginal community organisation, working with them to ensure our training is culturally appropriate and is being delivered by either an Indigenous facilitator or co-facilitator.

We are on this path with the guidance of Aunty Gail Daylight, a proud and strong Aboriginal woman from the Kamilaroi Nation.

 Aunty Gail is a proud and strong Aboriginal woman from the Kamilaroi Nation, is married and has 2 children and 2 grandchildren.

She has worked within Aboriginal health since 1978.

Throughout Aunty Gail’s working career, she has been involved in the drafting, development mentoring and monitoring of many Reconciliation Action Plans for both government (GO) and non government (NGO) sector.

Title: Mum + Dad

Artist: Kayelene Slater

The story shows Aunty Gail’s Mum & Dad with their 14 children.

Aunty Gail is the 6^th symbol from the bottom right and is shown between her 2 brothers who have spears beside them.

Newport & Wildman acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples as the First Peoples of the lands we live and work on throughout Australia. We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters, culture and community as we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and future. We extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples who connect with this page.

The words ‘Self-Care’ are used to describe those things we do to sustain ourselves through difficulties and help us feel buoyant. A useful way to think of it is that we have various ways in which we can nourish ourselves. There’s the way that is most obvious – the food we eat.  And then there are other ways – the music we listen to, the books that we read, the artwork and scenery that we look at, the conversations that we engage in. All these activities feed us through our senses.

How to start:

1. Take a moment to remember a conversation or interaction that really nourished you. What were you talking about? Who were you with? Perhaps it was with close friends or colleagues talking about a topic that really mattered to all of you? Maybe you came away from it feeling calmer, or clearer, or more alive?
2. Then take a moment to remember a conversation or interaction that left you feeling drained – perhaps you felt somehow diminished by it.
3. You can apply this same exercise to the music you listen to, the books and articles that you read, what you spend time looking at (which can include what you wear), as well as, of course, the food that you eat.
4. Having made a mental (or actual) list of what nourishes you and what doesn’t – the next step can be to decide what a really healthy, sustaining way of living looks like for you – food, reading, conversations, music, what you look at, what you wear.

Nourishing ourselves like this helps us face and work with the inevitable difficulties of life and work. Rates of burnout and fatigue are rising in Australia. The latest ELMO survey of Australian workers (reported in April this year) found that almost half are feeling burnt out – a 10% increase on the same period last year. The increase is attributed to our increased workloads – 24% said they had taken more responsibilities in their jobs, and 32% feel overwhelmed with the amount of work they need to do. This is coupled with 44% of survey respondents saying they want things to change and are seeking greener pastures – they are planning to look for a different job this year.

Self-care is an activity we can do both individually and collectively as a whole organisation. As an individual you can ask yourself what ways of living nourish you. As a leader or manager, you can ask your employees how they are finding their workplace and workload, and what nourishes them.

We’ll never get it perfect – but we can nudge things along, paying attention to what is in our control, so our circumstances improve, and we feel more nourished by our life.

To arrange an appointment to help you through this process, please call Newport & Wildman on 1800 650 204.

Stephen Malloch, Senior Clinician

Australia is no stranger to natural disasters, e.g. bushfires, droughts, cyclones and floods. These events impact entire communities, including organisations, their employees and families. The disruption to daily life can be significant. People may be forced to evacuate their homes and workplaces leaving cherished possessions behind as they turn their focus to survival. It is common to experience a range of intense emotions following a traumatic event like a natural disaster. The immediate loss of control and personal safety is frightening and can lead to severe or acute shock, distress and anxiety. People who have faced potential loss, injury, or even death from natural disasters will experience a range of feelings immediately, weeks and even months later. The memories and associated fear that a similar event will reoccur can be long lasting.

For individuals, see our tips and strategies (download pdf here).

As a manager, there are a few things you can do to support your employees (download pdf here):

1. Normalise reactions: Accept that people will experience a range of emotions and that it is normal. Once the event is over it doesn't mean people's feelings go away. Acknowledge their feelings and reassure people that their intense feelings are normal given the disaster.

2. Try to keep calm and lift spirits through community involvement: Provide reassurance that "we will get through this together" and focus on the things that were managed well, e.g. the brave responses of emergency services. People feel united in the shared experience and can support and comfort each other. This connection and sense of helping is critical to coping.

3. Ask how you can help: Ask if there's anything that you can do to assist employees or if there is anything they need? e.g. flexible hours, transport or belongings.

4. Do not catastrophise: It is common to reflect on the "what ifs" or "what might have been". Do not speculate on how much worse it could have been. Avoid comparison of stories as each person has a right to their feelings.

5. Encourage people to talk about their experience because keeping it inside isn't helpful - avoid reassurances such as "it could have been worse". It's common for people to want to escape their reality, they may deny or withdraw. They may need to delay their emotional response while they focus on survival or practical things so check in regularly and gently.

6. Avoid probing questions: Curiosity is part of human nature. Asking people for the details of a traumatic experience may bring it back or trigger other emotions, wait until they are ready to share their story.

7. Encourage a familiar routine: Routine and normal day to day activities provide a sense of control and security, which is reassuring when a natural disaster has a significant effect on their lives.

8. Returning to work: Having a sense of purpose and connection is essential to recovery and often work provides this. Facilitate this process by offering options such as flexible hours. The recovery process takes time, and there are often ups and downs so plan for people to have setbacks. Each individual will be different and recover at their own pace.

As a trusted partner your EAP is here to help: Remind your employees about their confidential EAP service and let us help you support your people. For further guidance call our Manager Support Hotline on 1800 650 204.

Shari Walton, Organisational Development Consultant

Emotional intelligence is a key component of effective leadership. Being in tune with your emotions and having sound situational awareness is a powerful tool for leading yourself and teams. Understanding emotional triggers, the power of gratitude, emotional agility, and empathy, are essential ingredients to strong leadership.

Social psychologist Dr Barbara Frederiksen indicates that positive emotions lead to novel, expansive or exploratory behaviours that over time manifest to meaningful long-term social and relationship benefits. Harvard Medical school psychologist Dr Susan David offers unique expertise on cultivating more agile, healthy, resilient, and authentically happy people, families, workplaces, and communities.

To live a rich and purposeful life we need to paint with the full palette of human emotions. Having emotional agility allows us to recognise and understand what emotions we are feeling and be conscious about them rather than being driven by them. It allows you to be more intentional as a leader and to encourage individuals to recognise and feel their emotions. Engagement, creativity, and innovation will flourish under this emotionally agile leadership approach.

How can you lead with emotional agility for yourself and your team? 

1. Show Up

Approach your emotions or feelings with curiosity and acceptance. It may be tempting to ignore the uncomfortable ones but face them anyway. As a leader, listen to others' concerns, acknowledge the range of emotions involved and focus on positive change.

2. Step Out

Enable autonomy over your actions and decisions by detaching from your emotions. See them for what they are, simply emotions, not who you are. Where possible label them as accurately as possible as this will help you to better understand their origins and what you can do about them.

3. Walk Your Why

Recognise your core values and use these to drive you forward. When decision-making, ask yourself whether this decision reflects your core values and long-term goals.

4. Move forward 

Introduce small, purposeful adjustments to align your mindset, motivation, and habits with your core values. Make sure that these tweaks are connected to who you want to be in your life, and as a leader. These value-centred shifts will support ongoing improvements in your life. 

Emotions keep us in tune with our inner and outer world and are an incredibly rich data source. As a leader, help your people to acknowledge their feelings, reassure them that all feelings are valid and encourage the ongoing processes of adopting emotional agility. For more information or support, reach out to your Relationship Manager to arrange a consult with our Organisational Development Team.

Shari Walton is an enthusiastic solution focused senior Organisation Development Consultant with extensive experience designing, developing, and implementing a broad range of Leadership Development, Talent Management, and other Learning and Organisation Development interventions that drive change and support individual, team, and business success.

Shari has over 30 years’ experience in the organisation development field across Finance, IT and Higher Education sectors. This experience is complemented with formal qualifications in Human Resources, Learning & Development, Executive Coaching, along with a Graduation Diploma in Communication Management, and a Diploma in Holistic Wellness Coaching.

Image from Pexels by fauxels.

The Mission Statement for R U OK? is to inspire and empower everyone to meaningfully connect with people around them and support anyone struggling with their life circumstances. R U OK? has resources to help create the skills for great conversations that are a normal part of your everyday check-ins with colleagues and friends. It was started by Gavin Larkin, whose father committed suicide in 1995. In 2009, Gavin chose to champion just one question - “are you OK?” - to honour his father and to try to protect other families from the pain of suicide. Working with Janina Nearn, the R U OK? movement was born.

Asking R U OK? is not just for R U OK? Day (held each year, nationally, in early September). It’s a habit for all of us to cultivate every day of the year. Checking in on someone when we notice they might not be OK assists people to feel connected, supported and hopefully prevents them from spiralling downwards.

In addition to us as individuals checking in on the people around us, we can help create an R U OK? workplace culture. An R U OK culture means that you feel comfortable asking your colleagues how they are every day - and mean it! Be ready to have a chat if they say they’re not ok – take the time to be with them to listen. Trust your gut instinct if you sense someone isn’t OK – reach out to them and have a chat.  It’s a workplace culture where leaders role model caring behaviours towards others, taking time to listen. An R U OK? culture is having time for each other and asking someone if they’re ok if you sense that they aren’t.

What are you doing to contribute to the creation of that sort of culture?

It might be that a colleague’s behaviour changes in some way. They may seem withdrawn, not their usual chatty self, they may have taken a few days off work unexpectedly, or seem irritable, and this change in behaviour continues for a week or two. It’s important to be aware that if these signs continue to be present for more than a couple of weeks it is advisable that someone see their GP or make contact with a counsellor (perhaps through their EAP program).

Asking someone R U OK? might just change a life.

For more information on how to have an R U OK? conversation, click here or to arrange an appointment for yourself, please call 1800 650 204.

#WomensHealthWeek 5-11 September 2022

With the stress COVID has placed on everyone's lives, along with other challenges faced in 2022, it’s now more important than ever to look after your overall health and wellbeing. This September, Women’s Health Week will be a great reminder to take time out to check in on your health and to keep making positive changes that can last a lifetime.

For more information and resources visit the Jean Hailes' Women's Health Week Website. It's time to put your health first.

With so many competing demands and expectations, the struggle to keep up with both work and home commitments can be extremely stressful. When stress persists to a point that a person feels they aren’t coping, it can affect the functioning of their day-to-day life as well as their overall wellbeing. The stressors of too much ‘juggling’ together with trying to do things well and be ‘good’ at everything is impacting women and their ability to sleep, think clearly and make decisions.

If you would like to arrange an appointment for yourself call us on 1800 650 204. Find out more about our counselling service here.

It’s ok not to be ok. It’s even more ok than ever to not be ok through our current pandemic. When you find yourself consistently challenged in ways you’ve never really experienced before, over an extended period of time, it’s easy to feel drained. We are in a period of time that we can say is unique for most of us as our lives change and evolve in response to the pandemic. At the moment that you find yourself reading this take a pause and acknowledge that in spite of all the challenges you have done the best you can do, and that’s more than can be expected. Remember, “It’s ok not to be ok”.

If you need to prioritise your self-care download our Personal Tool for Keeping Mentally Healthy.

Support is available. Reach out to us here at Newport & Wildman on 1800 650 204.

Life is always unpredictable and to some degree, confusing. And for many of us, this is one of those times. With the ongoing pandemic, natural disasters and personal changes in our lives, it can be hard to find a way of being that doesn’t draw us into feelings of anxiety and uncertainty.

And this is where Positive Psychology comes in.

Positive Psychology is not about pretending that everything is OK, and it’s not “look on the bright side!” That sort of ‘positivity’ is not helpful and can be upsetting in certain situations. Positive Psychology is the scientific study of what helps us to flourish. And when we flourish, we are much more likely to be more creative and be better at solving complex problems and meeting adversity. The term ‘flourish’ is often used in positive psychology. It means more than just managing and getting through life. Martin Seligman, one of the founders of positive psychology, talks about flourishing as finding fulfilment in our lives, accomplishing meaningful and worthwhile tasks, and connecting with others at a deeper level.

These are ways of living that we can pursue, whatever is happening around us. Ways to move towards flourishing are summed up in the PERMAH model. You can read about PERMAH and other ways of living that help us live a full and meaningful life in our Positive Psychology tip sheet (access through the AccessMyEAP App).

Along with cultivating flourishing, it is also important to be kind to ourselves. All of us will, at times, face adversity. By cultivating self-kindness, self-forgiveness, and self-compassion, we are better able to handle and recover from adversity, and we are better able to practice kindness, forgiveness and compassion towards others. These, together with pursuing a flourishing life, can create a sturdy raft on which we can navigate unpredictable and confusing times.

WIN News 17th August 2022

Newport & Wildman Director Melita Griffin and Clinical Services Manager Dorienne Spennato spoke with WIN News yesterday. Discussing R U OK? Day, with the message to check in with those around you and to keep having ongoing meaningful conversations.

Watch the video here.