“I had been in meetings all morning and was going to pull out as it was another thing to do but this was like sunshine and exactly what I needed”
This is something I hear a lot, we are too busy to attend the session on wellbeing, that the session adds to the long list of things to do, there is never a time where we will get everyone there – but it is so much more than a task or a tick box.
It was wonderful to travel to work with Wodonga Council to facilitate three workshops with the team, each being slightly different as the experiences and connection of the group lead the direction of the conversation.
The key part of my interactive sessions is the interaction, engagement and using the experiences of the group to highlight the information – it is certainly not a sit and listen scenario, we create share and develop together and the most important part is the people and making it real for them.
Yes we covered stress management, looking at how your know how you are with reminders of strategies but what I loved most was the connection. There were people from different teams that had never met in their daily roles and they go to know each other as well as having some insight into the human elements in life.
The things that are more than a information sharing:
The big sentimental ahhhs when someone revealed that they are about to be a parent for the first time,
The knowing nods and acknowledgement of those who are in the trenches juggling young children, work and community involvement.
The serendipity that two people sat in the same place that we named ‘wisdom chair’ (in different sessions) as they openly shared that they are coming to an end of their career with so much to share and pass on
The care and presence filled the room when someone revealed their social anxiety and how drained the battery gets from peopling and that they need space at lunch time
The laughter and banter that happened between colleagues that spoke about how much they loved spending their days together
The list goes on.
It is a huge reminder that we are people first, and that wellbeing is so much more than a job description – the people filled me up, I loved hearing about the incredible things happening in the district, experiencing the social enterprise cafe and the wonderful hospitality.
Thank you Jillian Gough for hosting me, it was a great trip and next time i promise that I won’t be sore from PT and will be able to pick up the 100 ping ping balls myself!
Sentimental ahhhs
