During the pandemic, the most resonating word or phrase on everyone’s mind was probably well-being. How do we regenerate the well-being of residents, employees, our families and ourselves? But what is well-being?
It is being able to experience health, happiness and prosperity. It is about having good mental health, life satisfaction and a sense of meaning or purpose and being able to manage stress. In simple words, it is being able to feel well and positive – a status we all aspire to and work for unknowingly, irrespective of who and how old we are. As a consequence of the pandemic, most of these feelings have somehow been shattered, for one reason or another.
The fear of the virus impacting our health has made our lives much more stressful. Being around people fills us with stress, so we tend to isolate ourselves and have practically nothing to look forward to. The pandemic has taken a bigger toll on our residents because they were separated from their loved ones in the most difficult of times. Therefore, it is extremely important to restore their holistic well-being, targeting not only the physical aspect but also the social and emotional perspectives.
Well-being gives people identity and that is why restoring the well-being of our residents is taken so much to heart at CareMalta. Each resident has their identity and at CareMalta we respect this. With each passing day, we try to enhance it by providing the resources required so that each person shines in their own way.
Well-being is important to CareMalta because it means that our residents are healthy and happy. It means that they are feeling well and at peace with their inner emotions. We want our residents to live their lives in a peaceful and joyful environment, whereby those around them respect them for who they are.
From a personal perspective, running helps me take good care of my well-being, not only physically but also mentally and emotionally. It helps me to release stress, and to think what I believe is the best way forward before taking any decision, both personally and professionally. Sports has helped me grow stronger and face tough situations and decisions in life. It is precisely during a tough moment that you realise how much sports helps us grow in our lives.
With all its ups and downs, sports is a reflection of life. It has taught me that we need to find a balance in every circumstance, in every situation. I have learnt to feel grateful when things are going well and to accept that life is not so bad when things aren’t going in the direction I want them to.
In both instances, we need to do our best to overcome the challenges we are faced with and to improve ourselves. We can achieve this by staying humble and working hard. The rest will sort itself out for the better. This way of thinking boosts my well-being and mental health, knowing that tomorrow I will be better than today. This is what sports has taught me over the years and which I would like to pass on to everyone I meet.
History is showing us that it is not easy at all to come out of this pandemic. We all have to do our part, each and every one of us. We are like a chain, and we are as strong as our weakest link. If we let our guard down, this virus has no mercy and punishes us immediately. It is fatal, especially to our beloved residents. Therefore, while we all look forward to coming out of this pandemic, we must keep in mind that it is not over yet. This virus is and will be around us for the foreseeable future. So we need to learn to live in a new normality, adapting accordingly.
Just like sports, we need to keep working hard together to get out of this situation. We need to be positive, so that positive things happen. Nothing comes easy. If you want to see the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain. The rainbow is just round the corner wanting to shine.
