Papanui Rotary Club Chat 06 Apr 2022

 

 

 

 

Stephen Kearney (MSc, MClin, DipBus), a clinical psychologist and Chief Medical Officer with the Defence Health Directorate, gave us an excellent presentation last week about building resilience in difficult times.

 

Stephen’s work includes helping prepare staff for various roles in the Defence Force which includes helping those going overseas to function at their best plus also assists with supporting and developing strong leaders. 

 

“Those who try to live up to high standards and place the needs of others above themselves can often result in issues that can get in the way” noted Stephen.

 

He noted that as we get older, life can often tend to become much more complex with raising children often adding chaos in one’s life which is often the opposite to what we expect.

 

He next shared a Mental Health Continuum …

 

 

… and asked us what it might be like going from yellow to orange.  “Yellow is common and reversible” noted Stephen “whereas Orange can be unsustainable and can impact your functioning.  Red is trouble and can have significant effect on how one functions.”

 

He next shared the Te Whare Tapa Wha model and noted that these four areas can all interact with each other and, when we are at our best, we have a purpose in life and what is important to us as part of this approach is valuable to us.

 

 

When things are becoming a challenge, these can manifest in these areas in the following way:

 

Sadness, anger, loneliness & isolation.

 

Withdrawal, outbursts and manipulation.

 

Alcohol, sleep issues, illness and injury.

 

Cynicism and disengagement from passions.

 

Stephen then shared how we can overcome these issues:

 

Writing these issues down and challenging yourself to look at them in a different way which includes focussing on the good things you have experienced.

 

Identifying who is in your network and deciding which relationships are the best ones to invest in.  Connectiveness and the depth of relationships is seen as especially valuable here,

 

Looking at your diet, exercise, sleep patterns and alcohol usage to help you be in good shape.

 

Reflection on one’s belief and asking oneself: “How do I want to be remembered by those I care for and how might I show this?”

 

Stephen next shared that what the US Armed Forces think makes a great soldier is connections as these are seen as of most value when having to weather the storms life brings.

 

He stressed that we need to make sure we have fun and enjoyable things in our lives especially when we are either crazy busy or facing challenges.  “What we think of in the ‘now’ is often based on the past and we need to ensure it doesn’t’ overshadow moving forward in a different now as things change” concluded Stephen.

 

Grant thanked Stephen for sharing this model with us and for his insights into what can help when facing challenging times.

 

 

 

 

As discussed at last Thursday’s meeting, we are planning to have a working bee at the Aratupu Preschool Garden at 97 Harewood Road on Saturday 16 April at 9 am. As can be seen in the photos, the garden needs some TLC and tidying. 

 

Aratupu has asked us to help with the garden as the volunteer who used to care for it has now retired. We gave the volunteer a Community Award several years ago for his work on the garden which is used to grow vegetables and fruit to feed the children and their families in this hard working community.

 

This is a great opportunity to get involved in our community and make a real difference to families. We know it is Easter Saturday on 16 April but we want to get started so we can get the work done and some winter vegetables planted before the weather gets too cold. We hope to also plant Spring bulbs for the children to enjoy.  There are lots of great things we can do! 

 

Please join us on Saturday 16 April at 9 am.  It is a while since we were able to do a project so let’s make this a great one! 

 

Bring garden gloves and tools you need to use. We will provide morning tea (maybe even some of Kathy’s famous scones)!  It’s a great chance to have fellowship while making a difference to many families. We are delighted New Horizons Rotary is also going to help.

 

Any queries, please contact Keith or Lois. Please let Keith know if you are free to help to guide us with numbers. 

 

We look forward to seeing as many of you as can come on 16 April.

 

 

 

 

 

A reminder from Denis that we are back at the Papanui Bush next Tuesday morning the 12^th and we will need helpers to plant over 100 trees that we are receiving from Trees for Canterbury.

 

 

The usual cuppa will be on so bring your thermos and come join the fun & comradery!

 

 

 

Our Zoom activity at 7:00 pm this Thursday the 7th of April is a fun Holy Quiz from our own quizmaster Ron Thomson!  Be there or be square.

 

The following week on Thursday the 14^th of April we will start our Zoom meeting by acknowledging the delivery of our cheque from the Trailer Raffle to the Rotary Community Breast Milk Bank with those involved present.  This will be followed by a presentation from our famous flyer Keith Mitchell about his amazing lifetime of experiences in the aviation world.

 

I will be sending out the Zoom link for this week tomorrow. Remember to copy down the Password as you may be asked for this after clicking the join link.

 

 

 Food for Thought