SDG Spotlight: #3 Good Health and Wellbeing

This week we are putting Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #3 under the spotlight. There’s been a lot of focus on wellbeing lately with Mental Health Awareness Week, World Mental Health Day, World Suicide Prevention Day and so on, however, ensuring good health and wellbeing is something that requires a 365 days of the year approach. Looking after ourselves and looking after others is so important but it can be something that we find hard to do and/or prioritise. This week we take a look at what SDG #3 is all about, why it is important for the rural sector, and leave you with a way you can prioritise your health and wellbeing this week that may just help you to prioritise it more going forward.

SDG #3 - What's it all about?

SDG #3 seeks to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages. We’ve all heard the saying ‘health is true wealth’ and this goal looks to prioritise generating better health outcomes for all people around the world.

Targets under this goal relate to areas such as:

  • Reducing maternal mortality rates
  • Reducing mortality rate of non-commuicable diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer or chronic respiratory disease, through prevention and treatment
  • Promoting mental health and wellbeing. Reducing suicide mortality rates
  • Preventing and treating substance abuse
  • Universal access to sexual health and reproductive health care services
  • Reducing deaths and illnesses related to hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution, and contamination
It’s really clear from these targets that there is a large focus on trying to reduce the impacts of areas that we can control or at least have more influence on generating positive outcomes. Irrespective of where we live in the world, developed or developing country, there is still so much work needed to generate the best chance at positive health outcomes for all.

Why is SDG #3 important for people in rural areas?

Rural life brings many opportunities, however, it also brings many challenges when it comes to health and wellbeing. SDG #3 is crucial for the rural sector as while our industry is built on producing product, the cornerstone of the sector is its people. If we don’t have thriving people, we won’t have a thriving sector. The reliance on the Food and Fibre sector for close to 81% of NZ’s export earnings from goods further adds pressure to those in the sector. This makes it really important that we are able to ensure that those in our agricultural and rural communities are able to thrive, be well supported, and have equitable access to healthcare and services to help with the challenges life throws us.

Rural Health New Zealand identified some key snapshots for the state of rural health such as :

Loneliness and isolation were found to be the two key factors that have negative impacts on mental and physical health of people who live in rural areas in New Zealand. However, in contrast, community, social support and cohesion were found to be the key factors to promote positive impacts. This is a really interesting insight that shows that the level of connection and support for people in rural areas can be something that either results in positive or negative impacts on health and wellbeing.

The state of rural health and the key factors that can either lead to negative or positive health outcomes for rural people further highlights the importance of ensuring that we prioritise continually pursuing good health and wellbeing for ourselves, those around us and our communities.

How could you prioritise SDG #3 this week?

There are so many awesome people and initiatives focusing on rural health and wellbeing. Choosing a resource or person to highlight is quite a challenge, however the Invest in Your Wellbeing Bank Account activity by Farmstrong is one we can never go past. 

Farmstrong is a wellbeing initiative that was founded by the Mental Health Foundation and FMG with a mission to improve the wellbeing of people working in farming and growing. They encourage people to live well so that they can farm well, and they also provide events and a huge range of resources to support rural people to support their own wellbeing.

Many of us have heard of the phrase ‘fill up your cup’ when it comes to wellbeing and looking after ourselves. The Farmstrong ‘Invest in Your Wellbeing Bank Account’ activity works off a similar premise. It’s a great activity for anybody to undertake, irrespective of their background.

The full resource can be found at https://farmstrong.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Wellbeing-bank-account-handout.pdf

 

The Wellbeing Bank Account works like any other bank account in that you have investments and withdrawals.

  • Investments to your wellbeing can include things like playing sport, getting off farm, reading a book, getting in the garden and so much more. When you do these things they are a direct investment in your wellbeing.
  • In contrast, withdrawals are the things that can have a negative impact on your wellbeing such as having too much to do, battling shit weather, financial pressure and so on.
We are able to gain dividends through investing and this is no different with your wellbeing bank account. By making a list of your investments and your withdrawals, you are able to get a clearer picture of what has positive and negative impacts on your wellbeing. While you may think you know what your investments and withdrawals are, getting it out on paper can be a really great way to ensure that you have got a clear view of what helps and what doesn’t. It also provides a great reference point of something to refer to for what may help when you’re not feeling so flash. Not all of the withdrawals will be factors that are in your control or they may be parts of life that just have to be done regardless. By finding balance with ensuring you’re prioritising those things that are investments in your wellbeing it is possible to work towards making sure these withdrawals don’t take as big of a toll on your overall wellbeing.
 
What are the investments you can make that support your wellbeing? 
 
How can you ensure that these are prioritised in your life?
 
Looking after ourselves isn’t a fully solitary act and it’s important that we don’t treat it that way all the time. Who is someone you think could benefit from taking some time to assess their wellbeing bank account? It might be a partner, a friend, a colleague – anyone! There’s real value in having some accountability to undertake the activity but also to let each other know what the investments and withdrawals are that have the greatest impact on you. Talking about these provides a way for you to check in on each other and spark a chat around whether they’re doing things that make them feel better and/or checking in when you know that the withdrawals might be having a big impact.

 

 

Supporting our wellbeing is important but it is also important to recognise that someone can do all the ‘right’ things and still struggle with health and wellbeing. That’s okay! It’s really important that we can support people in rural communities who have these challenges too.

If you or someone you know needs support, there are many places to contact such as:

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