Q&A with Jess Young

1. Would you say you pay attention to your Wellness? (Please elaborate)

I try to. I am a bit prone to busyness and productivity, but am working on this. I try to eat mostly healthy. I try to be mindful throughout my day, starting with exercise like surfing or running or bike riding. I also do a bit of meditation and spend time on gratitude.

Throughout my work day, as I get busy or find myself having an emotional reaction, I try to breathe deeply and give myself some distance from whatever it is (which is usually a relatively small issue). I also try to connect to the people around me in a meaningful way because that also helps me to feel well at work. At home, I try to spend time with my son and my husband without distraction such as a phone! I listen to podcasts that inspire me. I also write in a journal. 

2. What is your experience of how your wellness at work translates into how you do your job?

I think cultivating wellness at work has enabled me to better temper my reactions to the things that go on around me and maintain perspective about them. It’s also really helped me to not take things so personally and to have more compassion for my colleagues.

3. Do you think you can tell when your teammates are well (or unwell)? How does this affect the service you deliver as a team? How does it affect your enjoyment of your shift?

I think I’m pretty aware of the energy around me. I can usually tell if my colleagues are stressed or down or frustrated. I do try to check in with them if this is the case. I much prefer to work around positivity, so if there are a lot of colleagues in one day who are down, it can affect my mood and get me feeling similar. I definitely gain energy from others – be it negative or positive. 

4. Can you give us one idea of something you have done at work (or would like to do) to promote staff wellness in any way?

I have led some mindful meditations at work, led some journaling, and participated in most things that have been on offer eg. reiki. I find the journaling with mindful listening is a really nice way to connect more deeply with a colleague quite quickly and it can immediately increase connection and compassion for them. I find almost any activity is worthy of the time invested when it is done as a team, has a little bit of fun, and creates connection through a reminder of our own individual humanity. I think these activities create stronger and resilient long-term relationships with people at work, which better enables those relationships to navigate work stress and disagreements that naturally occur in a work environment.