Mental wellbeing is all about feeling good and functioning well. Mental health is something we all have, and just like our physical health, our mental health is something we can look after and strengthen.
Disasters and traumatic events can place added strain on our wellbeing - both with the stress of the initial event and the secondary stressors that follow, e.g. insurance issues and damaged infrastructure.
In the early stages following a disaster (i.e. the first 6-12 months), it can be tempting to want to give people practical things to do — things that in normal everyday life, might indeed be helpful. But if people are struggling, they may not have the reserves to cope with anything that feels overly demanding. Timing is everything!
Initial communication by the All Right? campaign focused on acknowledging and validating people's experiences and emotions. Similarly, ‘Aroha from Cantabrians’ asked people to share their own experiences with those living in Kaikōura and Hurunui after their earthquakes.
Disasters can leave people feeling helpless and disempowered. We might not be able to control the environment or things that are ‘out of our hands’ but it can be helpful to focus on the things that we can control.
When you’re confident the time is right, a positive step can be simply reminding people to keep doing the little things that make them feel good. While this may seem a bit ‘basic’ or easy, when it comes to wellbeing, the old saying is true — the little things often make the biggest difference.
All Right? produced ‘Practical Tips for Coping with a Disaster’following the Kaikōura Earthquake series in 2016 which shared some simple tips to help remind people of the things they can control and prioritise.
This paper aims to develop confidence in organisations and workers that their communication of the messages is supported by best practice, built upon good understanding of the evidence and reflects a consistent national approach
Five Ways to Wellbeing can act as a useful guide for thinking about and planning events and programmes aimed at helping communities activate and engage in improving their wellbeing.
Some examples from the All Right? campaign include translating Five Ways to Wellbeing into eight different languages, and the All Right? Amble, part of the walking festival where activity stations are centered on Five Ways to Wellbeing.
Five Ways to Wellbeing at Work Toolkit (developed by the Mental Health Foundation and Health Promotion Agency) is full of practical resources to support New Zealand workplaces, communities, and people to flourish.
All Right? developed 'Practical Tips for Coping with a Disaster', following the Kaikōura earthquakes. It has since been developed into a postcard, which has been shared following other natural disasters such as the Port Hills Fires, and the 2019 fires in Nelson Tasman region.
Recovering from a disaster takes time (experts suggest five to ten years) and it's important to say right up front that it’s not a straight forward process. It’s very normal for things to feel “two steps forward - one step back” — but research suggests there are some common phases communities go through.
Mental wellbeing is all about feeling good and functioning well. Mental health is something we all have, and just like our physical health, our mental health is something we can look after and strengthen.
Before you do anything, it's important to get a sense of where people are at, and how they are doing. Whatever your budget, asking questions and seeking to understand is the perfect place to start (and continue!).
Whether you're working in a recovery space or are wanting to foster greater wellbeing in your community, it’s important to work closely with potential allies who can help. You don’t have to do it alone – and even if you could, the end result is always better with a little help from your friends.
Regardless of your budget or the type of work you’re hoping to do, you can achieve much more by working in partnership with others in your community.
Mental health promotion supports people to have more awareness of and control over what helps them feel good and function well. Raising emotional and wellbeing literacy can reduce worries or concerns over troubling experiences and emotions, bringing people’s natural coping mechanisms to the fore, improve quality of life, raise awareness of issues early and reduce the need for service-level care.
Having a team with a wide range of backgrounds and specialities can deliver the best results. Team up with people who specialise in the things you don’t and foster a culture built on trust, where it's okay to disagree, have different opinions and throw ideas around.
Whether you're creating resources, giving talks or planning an event, creativity and thinking outside the square can really help you generate some buzz and engage your audience. Getting specialist help with visual communication can be a big help!
Knowing the difference you’re making enables you to continually refine and reframe your approach. As well as helping to ensure you’re on the right track, having evidence that you are making a difference can help you secure ongoing funding and support.
All Right? has been annually evaluated - this has taken two forms, a quantitative survey and a process evaluation. The survey has measured reach and impact, while the process evaluation has focused on specific population groups or aspects of the campaign.
