1 October 2009

For Immediate Release

Learning How to ‘Do’ Wellbeing

5th – 11th October is New Zealand Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW). This comes at a time when many are still suffering stress and anxiety as a result of the economic climate. The public have the opportunity to experience FREE 30 minute individual NLP WELLBEING SESSIONS as part of MHAW. These sessions are being offered during the week of 5-10 Oct in Whangarei, Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Whakatane, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown. Free workshops are also being offered in four main centres. Details at www.nzanlp.org.nz.

The theme of MHAW this year is ‘winning ways to wellbeing’ and NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) helps people understand how to ‘do’ wellbeing. Speaking at the Winning Ways to Wellbeing Conference last month (held by the Mental Health Foundation), NZANLP representative Karen Ross said “Wellbeing is not something we have or don’t have, it’s something we do. If you think about it, you couldn’t hold wellbeing in your hand, could you? And the same goes for confidence, anxiety, depression or self esteem. They’re not something you have, they’re something you do, or not do. NLP is the science behind understanding how we do these things.”

NLP provides tools for people to understand their thinking and behaviour, which can then be used to make rapid and useful changes in their lives. Stress is a common barrier to wellbeing in these challenging times. NLP enables individuals to overcome stress patterns, as well as issues such as low motivation, depression, anxiety, poor sleep, lack of self confidence and phobias. When people are able to change unhelpful patterns they can more easily do wellbeing through more positive thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

“The concept of total wellness recognizes that our every thought, word, and behavior affects our greater health and well-being. And we, in turn, are affected not only emotionally but also physically and spiritually.” Greg Anderson, Cancer Survivor, The 22 Non-Negotiable Laws of Wellness.

Wellbeing is important to the entire community, not just those suffering from more severe mental health issues. The Mental Health Foundation is the organiser of the week, which has been held annually in New Zealand since 1993. It is endorsed by the World Federation for Mental Health and will be marked in over 150 countries.

ENDS