A different approach to address wellbeing
I’ve been reflecting on all that’s been said this World Mental Health Day and how much our lives have changed since the pandemic began. Comments from, for example, Beyond Blue CEO Georgie Harman who, in a LinkedIn post, wrote the past few years have “underscored the importance of human connection”.
In recent years, I have shifted my purpose; you might recall I had the idea to start Imagination Session® in lockdowns when I escaped into my imagination for adventure, to get away from that solitary setting. There, I met extraordinary people, went to exotic locations, enjoyed a journey, all in my mind. And returned to that locked-down world refreshed, better able to cope with whatever came next, often times, with a smile.
That experience, of finding a path to touch joy and happiness despite all those challenges, the obstacles we all faced, made me want to share imagination with others. And that’s how Imagination Session® began, to share the joy.
But I also craved human connection so it evolved into an exercise in collective imagination, in groups (suitable for team building) where I facilitate an imaginative journey. I have only a sketch of an idea about how a story might unfold because I don’t shape it, you do. Using your imagination, you decide what happens next.
As the pandemic runs its course and we reinvent and re-imagine our lives, it might also be time to re-imagine how we address wellbeing.
The tried-and-tested measures are incredibly valuable, they should continue. But it might also be timely to test something different like Imagination Session, to see if it can help you build those important human connections, help you to touch laughter, freedom, joy. All the while, remembering expanding your capacity to imagine is also about developing a cognitive fitness. We exercise our whole brain when we imagine, to see our world differently.
I also love the bonding that happens in an Imagination Session and refer again to Harman’s LinkedIn post, “Feeling part of a community can help people feel less alone and foster the sense of belonging and safety we need to thrive.”
Congratulations Beyond Blue on your revamped online community forums, yet another important initiative. And also, recognition for the World Health Organisation’s efforts to establish guidelines on mental health at work that, among other suggestions, includes the building of an inclusive and supportive work environment. And I commend the bravery of those who, by sharing their stories, ensure discussions about mental health and wellbeing are now openly discussed in various forums.
So many of us are trying to make a difference in this unfortunately, growing area, with the WHO finding COVID-19 triggered a minimum 25 per cent rise in anxiety and depression.
I would love to chat with you about how Imagination Session can make a meaningful contribution for you or your workplace; you can connect with me via DM or email at dawn@imaginationsession.com
