When it comes to wellbeing, everyone’s dealing with their own individual challenges. Exercise, diet, work-life balance, relationships, financial stress – there’s so many things that can impact your working life.
To provide Macquarie staff with a wellbeing program that supports the varied needs of our diverse community, a Wellbeing Action Group was established last year bringing together the many areas of the University that have a wellbeing focus – including MQ Health, the Centre for Emotional Health, the Sport and Aquatic Centre, Sustainability, Human Resources, Campus Wellbeing and health and safety representatives in Risk and Assurance.
We asked some of the members of the Wellbeing Action Group to share their personal wellbeing challenges and how they’re overcoming them. For more ideas, check out the staff wellbeing portal, where you’ll find information about upcoming wellbeing events for Macquarie staff.
Nicole Gower
Director, Human Resources
Action Group Sponsor
Biggest personal wellbeing challenge?
Managing my energy, as well as my time. When I go home at the end of each day, I want to have the energy to enjoy time with my family and give them the best of me.
What are you doing for your wellbeing at work this year?
I’ve been on an exercise regime for the past six months which I’m really enjoying. It’s given me more energy, lowered my stress levels and my jeans fit a little better too!’
Ben Wilkes
Associate Director (Student Wellbeing), Campus Wellbeing
Action Group Chair
Biggest personal wellbeing challenge?
Chronic pain. For the past 12 months, I’ve been adjusting to a degenerative condition. I’m focused on enabling my continued participation is as many social activities as possible.
What are you doing for your wellbeing at work this year?
Making sure I get to our regular Wednesday morning tea get-togethers at Wellbeing. It’s a great time to take a moment and appreciate our peers.
Leah Dudley
Sustainability Officer
Biggest personal wellbeing challenge?
Remaining optimistic and on-task amid organisational changes, and having to deal with the unknown and ambiguity. If I don’t manage this challenge effectively, it can create feelings of burn-out.
What are you doing for your wellbeing at work this year?
I use a combination of strategies including rephrasing, active problem solving (‘what I can influence/change?’), planning, reaching out to colleagues and friends, setting engaging/meaningful tasks and goals at work, and engaging in recreational activities that will reduce stress like going to the gym, reading, socialising and using a gratitude journal.
Nicholle McNiece
Business and Administration Officer, Centre for Emotional Health
Biggest personal wellbeing challenge?
Finding time to exercise amid a hectic work schedule and maintaining a good work-life balance to manage stress and difficultly in sleeping.
What are you doing for your wellbeing at work this year?
Going ‘old school’ with my Fitbit notifications to remind me to move more often during the day, take the stairs wherever possible, take different walking routes between my office and other meeting locations, getting off at the bus stop before my actual stop to ensure my step count goal is achieved each day.
Sophie Curtis
Manager (Sport Development and Partnerships), Campus Life
Biggest personal wellbeing challenge?
A long commute to work means early mornings and late nights to fit in time for the gym and for friends and family. Maintaining a balanced approach to my time is the most significant contributor to my overall feeling of mental health and wellbeing.
What are you doing for your wellbeing at work this year?
Campus Life allow me to work one day a week from home so I can balance my energies across my week. I’m also conscious of busy periods and am working on saying no to extra things on my plate during these times so I don’t get overrun.
Loren Hutton
Lead Consultant and Co-Manager (Organisational Development), Human Resources
Biggest personal wellbeing challenge?
Maintaining a consistent structured exercise regime, with regular park runs, bushwalks and yoga.
What are you doing for your wellbeing at work this year?
Challenging myself to do at least 10,000 steps a day by incorporating more incidental exercise – parking further away from where I need to be, using the stairs and walking my dog.
Wendy Botha
Senior Consultant (Organisational Development), Human Resources
Biggest personal wellbeing challenge?
Eating regular healthy meals during the week and fitting in my weekly runs and F45 classes. Exercise is my medicine – it is my sanity and keeps me going!
What are you doing for your wellbeing at work this year?
In HR we’ve organised our own team wellbeing program with regular walks and mindfulness classes, which I try to attend. I also like to schedule meetings in other areas of the University to get out of the office and to get more walking into my day.
If you have ideas or suggestions for the staff wellbeing program, you can email them to develop@mq.edu.au
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Many of the academics I interact with on campus don’t look or sound as good as the selection of comments provided above. Many are self-confessed or at least undiagnosed workaholics. What about repeating the exercise by asking a selection of academics (balanced workload and teaching focused etc) what they do to maintain their own wellbeing and wellness?
HI Grant, I’m sure the Action Group would be interested in your ideas for supporting academic staff wellbeing, the email address is listed at the end of the story.