Become a “state of wellbeing”: a challenge for Queensland

Queensland Mental Health Commissioner Ivan Frkovic and wellbeing expert Tony Coggins of mental health group Implemental aim to get 10,000 Queenslanders to sign up for the free online wellbeing program.

Launched during Queensland Mental Health Week, Frkovic said the campaign was timed to counter the ongoing mental health effects of the pandemic.

“We want to give Queenslanders the tools for lifelong wellbeing and resilience, and make Queensland the State of wellbeing,” Frkovic said. “Positive mental wellbeing has multiple benefits for people of all ages, such as helping to manage stress, cope with life’s inevitable challenges, feel more content, and get the most out of life.”

Coggins said the Wheel of Wellbeing program outlined a range of positive activities to enrich mental health based on six building blocks of wellbeing—Body, Mind, Spirit, People, Place and Planet.

“The science-based WoW Six-Week Challenge program is fun and easy to complete,” Coggins said, “It helps people identify some simple actions that practised every day can boost wellbeing”.

“When we make small wellbeing activities part of our daily routine, we feel better and often see results pretty quickly,” he said. “Anyone and everyone can do the program—and the beauty is, it can be done online at your own pace, in your own home, right across Queensland,” he added.

Mentally Healthy City Townsville project manager Brendon Marty said the project commissioned Implemental to create the WoW Six-Week Challenge online course for the Townsville community.

“We are delighted to share it with the rest of Queensland as a free resource,” Marty said. “WoW has been a fantastic tool to grow community wellbeing and there is a flourishing network of people, community groups and organisations continuing to spread the message. We’ve seen the clear benefits of wellbeing, especially during recovery from the 2019 flood crisis.”

Frkovic said the new initiative complements the State’s Dear mind campaign and supports the Commission’s plan to grow Queensland’s wellbeing capacity using the Wheel of Wellbeing.

“We’ve created an army of over 1000 people trained to use WoW spread out in communities and organisations across Queensland, with another 60 to start training this year,” Frkovic said.

“Wellbeing is a team sport as much as an individual pursuit and joining as a group creates built-in champions that also fuel wellbeing. Most of all, wellbeing is about nourishing your enjoyment of life, and that’s a sport Queenslanders can whole-heartedly get behind,” he said

Frkovic encouraged Queenslanders to sign up for the Six-Week Challenge either as individuals or groups of friends, family and workmates.