VC Martin Bean & Dr Bronwyn Gresham - Snr Advisor, Mental Wellbeing

VC Martin Bean and Dr Bronwyn Gresham, Senior Advisor Mental Wellbeing

[START OF TRANSCRIPT] 

VISUAL: RMIT Vice Chancellor and President Martin Bean addresses the camera. 

MARTIN BEAN SPEAKS: 

Hello everyone. It's now been a few weeks since the restrictions were putting in place and we've all had to make some major changes to the way we live and work. We've had to come to terms with what the new normal looks like, and we're all experiencing ups and downs. Some days are productive and positive and filled with exercise, endorphins and great conversations. Others are a bit flat and I find myself missing my normal routine and being among our RMIT community on campus, a place where I draw so much energy from. Working, studying and caring for others and managing loneliness can feel heavy during normal times. So, we need to pay even more attention to our mental health right now. There's plenty of resources available for you on our website, but there's nothing quite like hearing from an expert who's actively supporting people to work through these challenging times. So, I'm going to hand over to Dr Bronwyn Gresham, our senior mental wellbeing advisor at RMIT, to share some thoughts and advice. Over to you, Bronwyn.

VISUAL: RMIT Senior Advisor for Mental wellbeing, Dr Bronwyn Gresham addresses the camera. 

DR BRONWYN GRESHAM SPEAKS:

Oh, thanks so much Martin. It's wonderful to be speaking with our RMIT community and yeah, it's so true. I mean we all know that everyday life is full of ups and downs and that we're acknowledging how this global crisis can really add to or amplify our everyday stresses. It can be really unsettling, and it can take up a lot of head space. There'll be some people in our community who are hit particularly hard. People who are living away from family, particularly overseas. University students who were studying for the first time, perhaps they've been transitioning away from home for the first time. People with health conditions, with caregiving responsibilities, or perhaps those who have lost employment.

So, I really want to begin by highlighting just how normal it is…

VISUAL: Cartoon style title card appears on screen. Hand drawn arms and hands on a bright blue background, the hands surround white text in the middle. 

TEXT: IT’S PERFECTLY NORMAL TO FEEL: UNPRODUCTIVE, UNMOTIVATED, CONCERNED AND WORRIED, AT A LOSS, GENERALLY FLAT.

…to expect moments of feeling unmotivated or unproductive, concerned or worried or even at a bit of a loss or just generally really flat. And that we recognise that and hold also the possibility that we can find ways to grow through this adversity, particularly when we're supported to respond with really skilful coping.

When it comes to getting through the tough times, it really is different for everybody… 

VISUAL: The same cartoon style title card appears on screen. Hand drawn arms and hands on a bright blue background, the hands surround white text in the middle. 

TEXT: IT’S DIFFERENT FOR EVERYBODY

TEXT: ACKNOWLEDGE HOW YOU FEEL – HOW AM I FEELING? WHAT AM I THINKING?

TEXT: PUT WORDS ONTO YOUR EXPERIENCES

…But what I can recommend for all of us is to develop the skill in acknowledging how we feel. To really ask ourselves and notice how is my body feeling in this moment and what kinds of thoughts are going through my mind. And the trick here is to put words on our experience, and here's why. You see, when we start to articulate how we feel, we can gain insight into what we might need. So, for example, if I notice that I'm feeling lonely, then the wisdom in that pain is urging me to connect. So, putting words on our experience is one part of the skill.

The second part is how we notice, that we become familiar with our experience, with an attitude of kindness. And this is based on the reality that how we talk to ourselves really does matter. 

VISUAL: A cartoon style drawing of a hand with hearts floating from its centre on a bright blue background. Underneath white text.

TEXT: IT REALLY MATTERS HOW YOU TREAT YOURSELF

It can be the difference between adding to our pain and de-motivating us or soothing our pain in that experience and opening up some possibilities. So being self-kind sounds pretty simple, but it can be really tricky. 

VISUAL: The same cartoon style title card appears on screen. Hand drawn arms and hands on a bright blue background, the hands surround white text in the middle.

TEXT: BE KIND TO YOURSELF. ENCOURAGE YOURSELF.  

But it does sound like talking to her best friend who says something like, "Hey I hear you. We are all in this together. Other people feel this way too when faced with difficult situations. You're not alone. And I don't have all the answers, but let's think through this together. I'm on your side, I've got your back.

Once we've given ourselves some encouraging words, the next step is to really take some targeted wise actions. 

VISUAL: A cartoon style title card appears on screen. on a bright blue background, hand drawn cartoons of a man waving to someone on his computer screen on a video call and a smiling woman with a hot cup of tea or coffee in her hand, the hands surround white text in the middle. 

TEXT: TAKE TARGETTED, WISE ACTIONS

So, this step is crucial and sort of like if we hear a smoke alarm and we go and check out to see if there's a fire. If there is a fire, then we really need to activate the appropriate resources to put that fire out. And I also know that sometimes knowing where to begin, when we're juggling so many different priorities and demands, can be really tricky. So, I want to offer three different areas of coping that are connected with our three top psychological needs.

So, our first psychological need is for safety. 

VISUAL: The same cartoon style title card appears on screen. 

TEXT: SAFETY

And it's really normal for us to all be a bit more on high alert at the moment. But in knowing that, we really need to be deliberately finding ways to centre ourselves and to stabilise our nervous system. 

TEXT: CENTRE YOURSELF, TAKE TIME TO SLOWDOWN, BREATHE, GROUND YOURSELF

So, anything that helps us to breathe, slow down or feel grounded is key here. It's really much easier to tolerate uncertainty and manage stress when we're feeling anchored.

Our second need is for feeling good, for feeling satisfied and competent. 

VISUAL: The same cartoon style title card appears on screen.

TEXT: FEELING GOOD

So, do something that you're feeling good at. And when it comes to study, see if you can break down that into very achievable steps. 

TEXT: DO SOMETHING YOU’RE GOOD AT, BREAK LARGER TASKS INTO SMALLER GOALS, DO THINGS THAT MAKE YOU FEEL COMPETENT

And that way you'll experience many moments of that really awesome boost we get when we've achieved a task and done something well, rather than waiting to the end of when something's completed in a few days to get that really important reward effect.

And the third psychological need is for connection. 

VISUAL: The same cartoon style title card appears on screen.

TEXT: CONNECTION

And there's this saying that our minds and bodies are wired to be calmed through kindness. So, this is such a good resource to share with ourselves and others. 

TEXT: BE KIND TO OTHERS, CONNECT WITH OTHERS, STRENGTHEN RELATIONSHIPS, CONNECT WITH THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Give yourself a time, show kindness to others, strengthen your relationships, your clubs and your networks, and see if you can expand that sense of connection to feel connected with the natural environment, things bigger than us.

So, I'd like to finish with a call out to please look out for each other and check in if you're worried about a peer or a friend. Even if you're feeling self-conscious or unsure what to say, you could always speak with a teacher, a supervisor or a mentor. Hop online to our wellbeing resources or check out our canvas mental wellbeing essentials course. And if you're really worried or concerned about yourself or someone else, please reach out and call our 24/7 crisis support line.

VISUAL: Cartoon style title card appears on screen. On a bright blue background, a hand-drawn arm and hand, holding a digital tablet, an envelope with wings flies out of the tablet’s screen.

TEXT: STUDENTS 24/7 CRISIS SUPPORT – 1300 306 727

TEXT: STAFF CONFIDENTIAL SUPPORT – 1300 360 364

When we show each other that we care, we can really break down the stigma of going through tough times alone. We can normalise it. We're so much stronger coping through this together. So, thank you for this opportunity. That's it from me today, Martin, and for bringing this mental wellbeing conversation to our community. And thank you to everyone listening for the many ways that you're already helping each other.

VISUAL: RMIT Vice Chancellor and President Martin Bean addresses the camera. 

MARTIN BEAN SPEAKS: 

Thanks Bronwyn. Many people are doing a tough right now. We need to keep talking about mental health. Isolation doesn't need to equal loneliness. You're part of the RMIT community today and every day. We have support services and experts on hand, and it's amazing what a simple conversation can do. No one should feel alone. Be kind to each other, reach out for the help that's available and we'll get through this together.

VISUAL: On a bright blue background, cartoon style title card, with multiple hand drawn hands and arms, surrounding white text:

TEXT: WWW.RMIT.EDU.AU/TOGETHER

TEXT: #RMITtogether 

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