VETgirl October 2024 Beat e-Magazine

QUARTERLY BEAT / OCTOBER 2024

· Cultivating community. Social support is required for humans to achieve and maintain wellbeing. We are not wired for isolation! Social support is not limited to close ties (family, trusted others, best friends), though. It’s also about the loose ties: the colleague with whom we don’t have a lot in common, but who helps us find the last tongue depressor in the cabinet when we’re desperate to each our lunch; the neighbor down the road who helps us rescue the kitten in the culvert; the person who pulls over to the side of the road to give us a hand with that flat tire. People don’t need to be “close” to be of support. · Resourcing and professional help. Because at some point, we all find that our “DIY” approaches to wellbeing

aren’t cutting the mustard. When our best efforts to create/restore wellbeing just aren’t working, it’s time to leverage professionals whose training and skills are going to most efficiently and effectively get us back on track. Don’t know where to start? Checking with your primary care provider is always a good first step. For more guidance, or even a confidential and free self- assessment, see mhanational.org/get-help. Wellbeing is not something we can purchase (oh, if it was only that easy)! It is something we must create for ourselves, day in and day out.

AUTHENTIC WELLBEING: IT’S [NOT] WHAT’S TRENDING

JEANNINE MOGA MA, MSW, LCSW In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education article, VETgirl’s Chief Happiness Officer, Jeannine Moga , MA, MSW, LCSW, clinical social worker, discusses what authentic wellbeing actually is, and how each of us can create it for ourselves.

· Multi-factorial. Wellbeing is influenced by both nature and nurture, genetics and environment, social support and opportunity. Not all of us have the same access to wellbeing-promoting systems, services, and supports. · Changeable. This is the best news of all. Wellbeing changes over time, and we can all actively work to improve our individual -- and collective -- wellbeing. Building on that last point, each of us can employ evidence-based strategies to improve and sustain our wellbeing, regardless of the stressors and barriers we face. Among these are: · Cultivating “both… and” thinking. Things are hard, and also good. There is both tragedy and beauty in the world. Humans can be both horrible and kind. · Focusing on micro decisions instead of grand proclamations and resolutions. While eating a healthy diet is always on my list of to-dos, I’m not going to cut all the sugar out of my diet (because that is unrealistic, and also, CHOCOLATE). What I can do, though, is focus on making a balanced choice (e.g. picking up a handful of almonds when I need a boost, particularly if I’ve already consumed a handful of jellybeans earlier in the day). Every new moment is a chance to choose wellbeing. Micro-decisions are a great strategy to counterbalance all-or-nothing thinking, which is often more problematic than helpful. I can choose anew in each moment. Going for a five-minute walk instead of continuing to start at my computer? That’s a win, in my book.

Wellness has become a trendy topic, both within the veterinary industry and on a broader scale. Products that promise to deliver physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing can be found around every corner, and a few minutes on social media will inevitably lead to an influencer with an answer to my every need. Indeed, wellness is big business! But aside from something I can put on auto-ship, how can I create a sense of authentic and sustainable wellbeing for myself? And how do I get to a place of feeling balanced and generally well if it’s not through consuming goods/services (this is what TikTok would have me believe), reducing my stress (good luck with that), or just hoping that things will get easier with time (hmmm… this hasn’t worked so far)? We can start by defining it. Wellbeing may seem straightforward, but it’s a rather complex concept that can be defined in myriad ways. What scientists agree on, though, is that wellbeing is: · Multi-dimensional and holistic. Wellbeing is how we function, how we feel, and how we evaluate our lives. It also encompasses multiple dimensions that represent the whole person (such as our bodies, minds, emotions, social lives, finances, and occupational capacity to engage, be challenged, and grow). · Unique to each individual. One person’s flourishing is another person’s floundering. What knocks me to my knees might not impact someone else in the same way. Acknowledging this doesn’t diminish anyone’s experience. What it does, though, is help us to see that wellbeing in uniquely created and expressed.

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