This is a unique time for all of us, and that is why it is important to take extra care of our wellbeing and mental health.

To support you on that journey, the Wellbeing team are excited to announce virtual “Collective pause” mindfulness sessions. These expert-led sessions start from today, 5 October, and will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, at alternating morning and afternoon times.

The first mindfulness session will be the all familiar ‘TREAT Rest and Recovery’, led by Jo Gibbs, who will guide staff through a gentle movement and rest practice, aimed at providing relaxation, fatigue management and improved mental focus.

Jo is a firm believer that the key to preventing burnout is recovery time after a particularly stressful event or series of events.

“TREAT is based on a month-long study performed at Sandringham Hospital. The study evaluated whether a regular, short and guided group mindfulness practice for staff in an acute general medicine team improved attention and teamwork,” she explained.

“The study concluded that a mindfulness-based intervention delivered to a general medical team improves staff attention. Good clinical practice includes self-awareness and self-reflection. In order to navigate the unpredictability and challenges of working in healthcare, taking a regular team pause gives staff an opportunity to reduce intense cognitive loads and allows space to emotionally regulate,” she added.

The second mindfulness session will be led by Sneza Filiposki, one of our Northern Health employees.

Sneza is a social worker, with a personal passion for mindful meditation that focuses on breath, body, emotions, thoughts and compassion. Some of the topics that Sneza will be covering during these sessions include mindfulness of breath, body scan meditation, self-compassion, accessing peace and ease, affectionate breathing and spacious awareness practice, just to name a few.

Stephen Whittaker, Wellbeing Lead, explained this is a great opportunity for all our staff to attend.

“We know fatigue and heavy emotions are being felt across our community. We acknowledge the unique challenge of being healthcare workers, and time is a luxury, so both Jo and Sneza’s sessions will only require 30 minutes of your day, to pause, and to reset. We encourage all staff to please take advantage of these tools – they, like us, are here to help,” he added.

The Wellbeing team will also be sharing specific wellbeing advice every Monday – with a new theme every week. The ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’ framework will include advice on how to connect, how to be active, how to keep learning, stay aware and help others.

Please see here for the weekly timetable of the ‘Collective Pause’ mindfulness sessions.