06/10/2025
To kick start the beginning of Mental Health Awareness Week, we have have been provided with some helpful teachings that you can use to take care of yourself in ways you may not have thought about before 🖤🤍❤️
Connect/Me Whakawhanaunga
How will you connect with others today?
Connect refers to making social connections, or whakawhanaungatanga. A sense of feeling connected, loved or belonging with others is strongly associated with better wellbeing and other health outcomes through providing a sense of meaning, safety, support and purpose. Nurturing relationships with friends, whānau and work colleagues helps to enhance the benefits of connection and promote a deeper sense of unity and collective wellbeing.
Here are some of the ways you can connect with others today:
Gather your friends for a cozy night of games, good vibes, and shared laughter.
Fire up the barbeque, invite your friends and whānau around, and catch up while watching the game.
Is there someone that you haven’t spoken to in a while? Why not send a message, have a kōrero, or arrange a catch up in person.
At the end of the day, ask a friend, your whānau or hoamahi what the best thing about their day was and listen with interest when they respond.
Organise a potluck dinner, barbeque or shared lunch with your whānau, friends or hoamahi. Bring your favourite dish and connect over some delicious kai.
Social connection is the ngākau/heart of our wellbeing. It weaves us together, making us feel seen, heard, and understood. When we nurture meaningful connections with others, we uplift our own wellbeing.
