Wellbeing bites 3: Targeted wise actions

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VISUAL: Cartoon style title card bounces around the screen on a bright blue background, disappears in a cloud of green cartoon smoke.

TEXT: DR BRONYWN’S WELLBEING BITES

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: TARGETED WISE ACTIONS

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

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

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

DR BRONWYN GRESHAM SPEAKS: 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.

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

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…

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

…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.

VISUAL: Cartoon style title card bounces around the screen on a bright blue background, disappears in a cloud of green cartoon smoke.

TEXT: DR BRONYWN’S WELLBEING BITES

TEXT: RMIT WELLBEING 

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