The Mental Wellness Initiative’s White Paper is important work.
I have the privilege of personally knowing a few of the folks who sit on the Initiative. One I am honoured to call a friend is the Chair, Professor Gerry Bodeker. Over the past year or so, whenever I met up with Gerry, he would share snippets of the great work they were doing. This is important work. Those words keep coming up again and again. Resonating so deeply that there could be no doubt of the personal commitment Professor Bodeker had to this White Paper and the impact it would make.
Mental Wellness – Pathways, Evidence and Horizons is the title of the White Paper. And guess what, it kinda does exactly what it says on the tin. As Gerry explained to me when we sat down for a chat earlier in the week, there are many pathways to the top of the mountain. Indeed, that’s the metaphor he uses to introduce the White Paper. Achieving Mental Wellness is like a journey to the top of the mountain. Drawing on a Chinese proverb, the Paper suggests, “There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but the view is always the same”.
Mental Wellness Begins in Womb – and Before
The White Paper opens with an exploration of the ground breaking work done by Sergio Pecorelli MD, PhD on The First 1000 Days. Evidence is now undeniable that these early days of human life are critical in determining our long term mental health and wellbeing. In following chapters, the impact of Neuroplasticity, Nutrition, Inflammation and Pathogens are then discussed. Some chapters are authored by Professor Bodeker himself, others by respected experts in their field. All chapters are complete with multiple footnotes and references to the research and evidence to back them up. So, yes, that ticks the Evidence box.
There are chapters on Rest (including Sleep, Meditation and Massage), Aroma, Environment, Movement, and even Laughter. Yes. Laughter. There is real evidence to suggest that all of these things can have a direct impact on our Mental Wellness. As there is for Music, Art, Writing, Spirituality and Faith.
Before we move on from Laughter, I bet you didn’t know there was a Laughter University? Mock it at your peril. Laughter Therapy is a serious thing – kind of. At least, there is some serious research and evidence to suggest that it can help people suffering from mental stress and anxiety. Again, it’s all here in the Mental Wellness Initiative’s White Paper.
Mental Wellness in the Spas – and Beyond
Part 2 of the White Paper offers some guidelines for the Spa and Wellness Industry on Mental Wellness. There’s a chapter on Mental Wellness in Workplace and an important chapter too on Ethics and Mental Wellness.
In short, it’s not short. It’s 122 pages packed full of information of possible Pathways, Evidence and the Horizons of Mental Wellness. Just like it said on the tin!
At a time when we’ll soon be talking about wellness trends for 2019, spare a thought for Mental Wellness. As I mentioned some time back in Spa Trends vs Spa Fads, Mental Wellness is one of those that goes beyond just the Spa and Wellness Industry. It is an issue that effects and impacts us all to some degree. In fact, many of us probably aren’t aware of just how much those around us are being impacted every day. And even ourselves.
As Professor Gerry Bodeker says, this is important work.
More Important Work
If you want to listen to my interview with Professor Gerry Bodeker and learn a bit more about the man behind the Mental Wellness Initiative, you can do so HERE.
If you want to watch the good Professor on stage at the 2018 Global Wellness Summit in Cesena, Italy earlier this year, you can do that THERE.
And if you want to get your FREE copy of the Global Wellness Institute, Mental Wellness Initiative White Paper – Mental Wellness : Pathways, Evidence and Horizons (and you absolutely should!), it’s available right HERE.
