Mental wellbeing taking a hit during Delta? Take the test

Mental wellbeing taking a hit during Delta? Put yourself to the test

Sir John Kirwan’s Mentemia platform launches Am I Doing Enough? quiz

Kiwis can check in on how they are coping during the Delta outbreak with a new quiz developed by mental wellbeing platform Mentemia.

The Am I Doing Enough? Quiz, on the platform founded by Sir John Kirwan, asks the user a series of questions based around six elements of mental wellbeing which include “Chill”, “Move” and “Celebrate”.

It then emails a personalised report assessing how the person is doing, along with ideas they can use to support them to handle stress and feel happier.

Health Psychology Expert, Dr Fiona Crichton, who was part of the development team, says the Delta lockdown has increased people’s anxiety and the quiz is a simple way to give people reassurance during a stressful time.

“We wanted to provide people with a way to assess how they are coping at a time when people are feeling an added level of stress.

“The quiz does this and then provides recommendations on small things they can include in their daily routine to support their wellbeing. The other thing is that it demystifies mental wellbeing into something tangible and simple to add to your day.”

The free Am I Doing Enough? quiz is available to all New Zealanders at www.mentemia.com/quiz/am-i-doing-enough.

Crichton believes the last 18 months has seen people take their mental wellbeing more seriously.

She says the quiz is also designed to analyse what wellbeing activity a person already has in place and what they can do to improve it.

“Science tells us that some simple, small actions everyday can help us handle stress better and feel happier.

“The quiz, which takes around two to three minutes, is very action oriented. It assesses where a person’s level of wellbeing activity is at right now, what things they do in their day that are helping them feel happier, and what else they might be able to do.”

The personalised report offers recommendations and tips based on Mentemia’s six pillars of mental wellbeing made up of:

• Chill – Calm the body and mind
• Do – Keep learning. Create
• Connect – Build relationships. Stay in touch
• Move – Stay active
• Celebrate – Find the positive. Find the fun
• Enjoy – Look forward to things

The actions connected to these pillars include everything from breathing exercises, painting and dance, through to the importance of exercising self-care, being kind to yourself and doing things you love.

Crichton says the six pillars are action oriented and designed to help people stress less and build their resilience.

“It’s about encouraging people to do small things and actions during the day that means they are better prepared to look after themselves during a stressful time and times of heightened anxiety.”

Kirwan acknowledges it’s a really challenging time for everyone currently and that it’s perfectly normal to not be feeling OK.

“But taking that next step, to implement a few simple changes to enhance your mental wellbeing every day, is what really counts.

“The quiz is a really quick way for you to understand where you are at, put a few plans in place and look after yourself every day.”

About Mentemia

The Mentemia workplace wellbeing platform was created by rugby legend and long-time mental health advocate Sir John Kirwan, tech entrepreneur Adam Clark, and an expert team of medical advisors.

The platform drives a collective responsibility to mental wellbeing in the workplace, embedding mental wellbeing into the day to day rhythms of the companies they work with, offering events and programs for leaders, and their app for employees to get personalised inspiration and self-help for inside and outside of work.

By baking mental wellbeing into the day to day workplace, they help organisations operate better, leaders lead better, and individuals in the team live and work better.

In a recent impact survey to active users of the Mentemia app:

• 88% feel they have learnt new tools and techniques to look after their wellbeing
• 83% feel better able to manage their stress levels
• 68% state the Mentemia app has helped their mental wellbeing to a moderate, large or very large extent.
• 37% feel they are sleeping better

A specially adapted public version of the Mentemia app was released in April 2020 to help all New Zealanders (supported by Westpac NZ, Kiwibank and Ministry of Health) & Australians (supported by AIA Vitality) with their wellbeing through the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been downloaded over 130,000 times and has featured as the Apple app of the day across ANZ.

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