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Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) is a chance to build on the simple things we’ve been doing to look after ourselves this year, and to reimagine what wellbeing looks like – together.

Whether you're looking for new ways to refuel and recharge, or you have wellbeing tools in your kete/basket to share, we hope you’ll join us this Mental Health Awareness Week to Reimagine Wellbeing Together – He Tirohanga Anamata.

MHAW is a reminder that we all have mental health. It's a taonga/treasure and something to look after! When you look after your wellbeing, your whānau, friends, colleagues and communities are uplifted too.

Of course, sometimes our sense of wellbeing might feel strong, and sometimes it might not – and that’s okay. That’s a completely normal part of being human. Doing the things that make you feel good is a useful tool to help you manage the ups and downs of life.

Each day of MHAW is inspired by one of the five aspects of Te Whare Tapa Whā – a model of health that describes health as a wharenui/meeting house and that helps us to identify where we need extra support. Learn more about Te Whare Tapa Whā and the daily themes of MHAW.

We hope you'll join us in reimagining wellbeing together by exploring each wall of the whare as we move through the week.

Get Involved

Here are some ways you, your whānau or your community can get involved in each daily theme of MHAW.

Whānau activity ideas

Wairua activity ideas

Whenua activity ideas

Tinana activity ideas

Hinengaro activity ideas

Support

If you’re worried you or someone you know needs some tautoko/support, there is help available.

For updates about Mental Health Awareness Week

Taha Whānau

Family and social wellbeing

Recharge with others / Whiria te muka tangata

Today’s whakataukī: Ehara taku toa i te toa taki tahi, engari he toa taki tini. My strength is not that of one but that of many.

What is taha whānau?

Taha whānau is the people we care about, who recharge us and make us feel we belong. Whānau isn’t just our immediate relatives. It includes our friends, hoamahi/colleagues, iwi or community – the people who are close to our hearts.

Why is taha whānau an important way to wellbeing?

Spending time with whānau, doing things for them and getting involved gives you a feeling of purpose, connection and wellbeing. It benefits you and builds the strength of your whole whānau. As a core source of strength, support, security and identity, whānau plays a central role in your wellbeing.

Reimagining wellbeing through taha whānau

Schools and kura

Ask tauira/students to sit with someone they don’t usually hang out with for the duration of the class.

Think of five people you're grateful to be connected to and why. This can be your biological whānau, the whānau you live with, caregivers or whāngai/foster whānau, circle of friends, school or wider community, or even your fur whānau!

Run the Fruit Salad icebreaker game, which encourages diversity, with tauira.

Workplaces

Share your favourite recipes to make a cookbook with your hoamahi/colleagues!

Ask staff to talk about someone they feel a connection to outside of work. Draw a tree and add photos of everyone’s connections to it. Share it online with #MHAWConnectionTree

Hold a DIY sandwich competition kanohi ki te kanohi/face to face (or over Zoom).

Whānau, community and individuals

Reconnect with whānau you haven’t talked to in awhile via text or by kanohi ki te kanohi/face to face.

Investigate your whakapapa/family history and learn your pepeha.

Offer your time to help whānau in need of tautoko/support. It could be looking after their tamariki or taking their rubbish bins out.

whanau 1

Photo Credit: Toni Touche

Taha Wairua

Spiritual Wellbeing

Rediscover everyday wonder / Whāia ngā mīharotanga o ia rā

Today’s whakataukī: He oranga ngākau, he hikinga wairua. When it touches your heart, it lifts your spirit.

What is taha wairua?

Wairua is about taking notice and appreciating the beauty around us. It’s about rediscovering things that make you feel awe, hope, strength, unity and connection. Wairua is your relationship with the environment, people and your heritage. For some, wairua is faith or a higher power. There’s no wrong way to think of or experience wairua.

Why is taha wairua an important way to wellbeing?

Feeling comfortable in your identity, values and beliefs helps you feel secure in who you are and what you stand for. When you are content with yourself it is easier to cope with challenges, build strong whānau relationships and discover the things that uplift you.

Reimagining wellbeing through taha wairua

Schools and kura

Start your day with mindfulness – check out these Māori mindfulness or videos on YouTube.

Make and share a playlist of songs that make you feel good.

Celebrate different cultures or language weeks – e.g. Te Wiki o te Reo Māori in September!

Workplaces

Identify someone or something that has helped you through the last six months and find a way to express appreciation.

Ask your team to share a song that makes them feel good to create a playlist that uplifts and inspires! Share a link so you can listen through headphones.

Whānau, communities and individuals

Go for a walk in nature and take notice of your surroundings – the birds singing, leaves rustling and clouds moving.

Sing a waiata/song that makes you feel good.

Set some goals and think about the things you are proud of, challenges you’ve overcome, people who are important to you and what you hope to achieve in the future.

wairua 2

Photo Credit: Chaney Manuel

Whenua

Connection to the land and roots

Return to nature / Hono ki te taiao

Today’s whakataukī: Ko te whenua ko au, ko au ko te whenua. I am the land and the land is me.

What is whenua?

Whenua is our connection to the land. It’s soil, plants, animals and people – tangata whenua. It’s the earth through which you are connected to your tūpuna/ancestors. Whenua is a place of belonging and it’s comforting that it is never too far away.

Why is whenua an important way to wellbeing?

Everything in the Māori world has a life force, the mauri, and when our natural resources are not looked after, this life force is weakened. This has a direct impact on mental health and wellbeing.

Reimagining wellbeing through the whenua:

School and kura

Start the class with a karakia acknowledging the whenua. Here’s an example:

Korihi te manu - The bird sings

Tākiri mai i te ata - The morning has dawned

Ka ao, ka ao, ka awatea - The day has broken

Tihei mauri ora - Behold there is life

Ask tauira/students to take care of the whenua by picking up rubbish each day.

Spend time in your own backyard with your tamariki, and remind them that the whenua is where our kai comes from! Find activity ideas here.

Workplaces

Ask your team to bring in a photo of a place they are connected to that gives them strength. Put the pictures up on a wall or create an online space where you share the photos.

Go outside and see how many native plants you notice! Can you spot any harakeke/flax, pūriri, tōtara or rengarenga/native lily?

Get your team to draw a ‘must see taonga’: a local map of places that make them feel good!

Whānau, communities and individuals

Sit in your backyard and watch the world go by. Take your shoes off and feel the grass under your feet.

If you’re not from where you live, discover the name of the local iwi/tribe, hapū/sub-tribe, maunga/mountain, awa/river and moana/sea.

Cook and share kai you love or you’ve grown in your garden with your whānau.

Photo Credit: @the.mint.trip

Taha Tinana

Physical Wellbeing

Refuel your body / Whakamarohi i tō tinana

Today’s whakataukī: Mauri tū, Mauri ora. An active soul for your wellbeing.

What is taha tinana?

Taha tinana is about how your body feels and how you care for it. Refueling your body helps you to feel mentally well. Sometimes your tinana might not be where you’d like it to be and this might be beyond your control. What’s important is that you do what you can to nurture it.

Why is taha tinana an important way to wellbeing?

Trying to nourish and strengthen your physical wellbeing will help you to cope with the ups and downs of life. Having strong taha tinana means we can be there for our whānau and take leadership in helping our loved ones live longer, healthier lives too.

Reimagining wellbeing through taha tinana

Schools and kura

Be grateful for your tinana. Ask tauira/students to write a letter to your body (e.g. thank you arms for helping me hug!).

Adjust your classroom with books, mindful colouring and beanbags so it's a calmer space for tauira. Sensory activities can help to reduce anxiety and stress.

Challenge tauira to set a goal related to their tinana. It could be to do with mindful breathing, swimming, or waka ama – whatever makes them feel their best.

Workplaces

As a team, design a wellbeing space that will help people relax. If you work remotely, discuss what this looks like at home, and how you balance work and lifestyle in a confined area.

Take five and check-in with yourself to see what your body needs – stretching, mindful breathing or a walk around the block. Challenge your colleagues!

Whānau, communities and individuals

Been to the doctor lately? Consider visiting your local GP or hauora for a general check–up.

Kai nourishes your body. Why not cook one of your favourite meals this week? You could hold a whānau MasterChef competition!

Make a commitment with your whānau to improve your physical wellbeing. E.g. Support one another to quit smoking or drink more water.

Credit fleuresqueandco

Photo Credit: @fleuresqueandco

Taha Hinengaro

Mental and emotional wellbeing

Refresh your mind / Whāngaia tō hinengaro

Today's whakataukī: Ki te wātea te hinengaro, me te kaha rere o te wairua, ka tāea ngā mea katoa / When the mind is free and the spirit is willing, anything is possible.

What is taha hinengaro?

Taha hinengaro is your mind, heart, conscience, thoughts and feelings. Just like your physical health, your hinengaro needs to be nurtured. Hinengaro is what you do to stimulate and refresh your mind so you can better cope with the ups and downs of life.

Why is taha hinengaro an important way to wellbeing?

Taking care of taha hinengaro is important for everyone, regardless of whether or not you’ve experienced mental illness or distress. When your taha hinengaro is strong, you can express your feelings and reach out for support from friends, whānau and hoamahi/colleagues if you need to.

Reimagining wellbeing through taha hinengaro

Schools and kura

Ask tauira/students to take five to think of five positive thoughts or good things that have happened this week.

Create a compliments jar and ask tauira to write compliments or notes of aroha to their classmates. Kaiako/teachers and other staff can do this too! It’s a nice idea to read these aloud at the end of the day or week.

If tamariki or tauira are feeling restless or over–energised, head outside for five minutes and encourage them to take deep, slow breaths and listen to the sounds of nature.

Workplaces

Reflect on the challenges you overcame as a team and what what strengths you discovered.

Map your daily energy levels – when do you feel most energy? Morning or afternoon?

Try something new or rediscover an old interest (e.g. the guitar!).

Whānau, communities and individuals

Share your thoughts and feelings with someone you trust. Expressing our emotions can help us to understand them better, and to feel less alone in what we're going through.

Practice gratitude and write down three things you’re grateful for.

Read books that talk about feelings and emotions. Buy them online or head to the library!

hinengaro 1

Photo Credit:@britmuminnz

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