Our recent Mentoring Breakfast was led by the inspiring Mansata Kurang, founder of VR Revival. After emigrating to the UK from Gambia, Mansata became fascinated with immersive virtual reality technology and saw the potential of its use within the mental health awareness space.
Three years ago she founded VR Revival, a health technology start-up helping underrepresented adults tackle mental health issues through the power of storytelling, psychology and virtual reality. Using a combination of self-compassion tools Mansata is on a mission to protect the vulnerable against mental health issues.
During the session Mansata focused the importance of maintaining your own inner balance in order to better serve others.
Thank you for an insightful session Mansata!
The disruption to normal life over the last 11 months has brought to light the mental health issues many people are struggling with. In a world with an everchanging business landscape and home life, there has never been a more crucial time to ensure you are taking care of yourself.
The Wellness Quotient by Oprah Winfrey is a measure of balance and imbalance across a number of wellness pillars that are integral to our everyday lives.
By better understanding our own individual areas of imbalance we can focus on accountability and in turn ‘step up’ and become more effective business leaders.
To test your Wellness Quotient, consider the following statements (1-4) and rank yourself regarding how you currently react to the individual statements in each wellness pillar:
- Not me at all
- Sometimes me
- Often that is me
- That is me
Wellness Pillar 1 - EMOTIONS
- I recognise what’s in my control and what isn't
- I manage stress in a healthy way without overeating, overdrinking, smoking or other toxic behaviours
- I have time to decompress
- I cope with difficult feelings rather than avoiding them
- I try to be aware of how others feel
Wellness Pillar 2 - LEARNING
- I seek out activities which challenge my mind
- I am often curious to discover more about topics, things and people
- I like to share my knowledge as a way of helping others
- I value my mistakes for what they can teach me
- When I discover new information, I am open to it changing my mind
Wellness Pillar 3 - WORK
- I believe my work makes a meaningful contribution to the world
- I care about the work I do, and I try to do it as well as I can
- Work is about more than just about money for me
- The type of work I do is in line with my values
- Work is an opportunity for me to practice what I’m good at
Wellness Pillar 4 - NUTRITION
- I make a concerted effort to eat a balanced diet
- I remember to stay hydrated
- I eat lots of fruit and vegetables
- I avoid pre-packaged foods
- I eat moderately sized portions of food
Wellness Pillar 5 - MOVEMENT
- I opt to walk or take the stairs when I can
- I exercise 2.5 hours or more per week
- I am open to new types of exercise
- I sit for hours but I make sure I get up every 30 mins
- I usually wake up in the morning feeling rested
Wellness Pillar 6 - PURPOSE
- I feel like I’m part of something larger than myself
- I know what matters most to me
- The things I do line up with what I value the most
- I make life choices that are fulfilling to myself
- I look forward to each new day
Wellness Pillar 7 - RELATIONSHIPS
- I am comfortable in my relationships and my community
- I spend time with people who bring out the best in me
- I don’t take out my frustrations on other people
- I’m not ruled by my need to please others
- I avoid isolating myself
To calculate your Wellness Quotient simply add up the scores for wellness pillar section and circle the three pillars with the lowest scores.
These are your areas of imbalances. Are they what you expected?
While the Wellness Quotient can be used as a starting point to dive deeper and explore the reasoning for the areas of imbalance within yourself and your wider team, here are Mansata’s top ten strategies for being able to improve your mental health and build yourself a compassionate space.
Top 10 self-care strategies
- We’re all used to the world of Teams and Zoom but consider how other interactions and relationships can be facilitated using technology. Sometimes a simple phone call will do.
- It's so important to lead by example in order to inspire others
- Structure your day into work and family time to ensure you switch off and maintain a routine
- Limit your news and media consumption and check for facts rather than theories
- Engage in activities that improve your mental, physical and spiritual health such as walking, meditating or dancing
- It’s so important to listen to your body; keep hydrated, take regular breaks and only eat when you’re hungry
- Practice mindfulness mediation and prayer to be present in the moment
- Reach out to those struggling, especially frontline workers and show your support
- Make the most of the downtime we have! It’s a perfect opportunity to learn a new skill
- Communicate regularly with your team, family and friends in a meaningful way
Published: 19 February 2021