Weekly Wellbeing

Same old, same old

Recently, for myself and I am sure several others, there have been lots of days that have felt the same. Days when we are stuck inside with the same people. We may be tired of doing the same activities and feeling drained from our same routine. Sometimes routine and consistency is a good thing, especially after life has been so unpredictable this past year. But sometimes being stuck inside doing the same thing day after day can become taxing. The daily routine can begin to feel yucky and being indoors around the same few people can impact your mood and relationships.

Meaningful Conversations

One thing we can do, that will improve our day greatly, is have a significant conversation with someone in our house. You probably talk to most of the people in your house pretty regularly, but are you having a significant or meaningful conversation? How do you know? How do you even have a significant conversation in the first place?

Below are some ideas for how one might spark a significant conversation:

Ask a catchy ice-breaker question (E.g. If you could have dinner with anyone from history, who would you have dinner with?)
Ask a question connected to the other person’s personal history or personality (eg: When was this photo taken? or What was a hobby you had when you were young?)
Connect emotionally. Vulnerability may be difficult, but most of the time it pays off.
Share a laugh. A while back Julie wrote an article about the benefits of laughter. Laughter is powerful. Relating to others over a good laugh is indisputably powerful. (If you need to find something to laugh about look up “laughter yoga”.)
Share a cry. A few weeks ago, I wrote an article about the benefits of crying. Tears are healing and good for you. Families that cry together are more likely to grow closer together.
Listen deeply. Growing up I used to hear the phrase “we have two ears and one mouth because we are meant to listen twice as much as we are meant to speak”. I have always really appreciated that phrase. There are so many benefits of listening deeply, and it is such an important skill to have for countless reasons.

A significant conversation can do a lot to strengthen relationships, develop social intelligence, and improve emotional wellbeing. If none of those reasons for having a significant conversation are good enough, then consider having one just to add something new and interesting to your day.

References:

Thibodeaux, W. (2019, February 18). Deep Meaningful Conversations Always Have these 8 Things: Working these elements into your interactions makes them infinitely more memorable. Inc. Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/wanda-thibodeaux/deep-meaningful-conversations-always-have-these-8-things.html

Winbolt, B. (2018, August 5). The Benefits of Being a Great Listener. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.barrywinbolt.com/becoming-a-great-listener/

Maroondah Community Connection Survey

Here is a Link to this Maroondah City Council survey the Victoria Police have developed. This survey closes Sunday 31st of August.

This is an “opportunity for residents within the local community to advise police about any safety concerns, safety improvement ideas, and trust and confidence in local police. The survey is designed to give residents a greater voice in Victoria Police’s ongoing efforts in creating a safer Victoria”.

https://engage.vic.gov.au/victoria-police-community-connection-project/victoria-police-maroondah

Cheyenne Mason – Student Wellbeing Officer