SELF-MASTERYTO ACHIEVE TRUE WELLBEING

Live the Six Essential Elements

he essence of true wellbeing lies in the quality

of the relationships we have with ourselves,

our bodies, mind, soul and others.

Wellbeing is so much more than just the physical. Wellbeing

also involves social, emotional and psychological aspects.

It is the quality that we live in every moment, in every day.

It is our interactions, our choices, our commitments, our

expression. It is the quality of our being.

Wellbeing starts from within and is dependent on our

connection to self and to something larger than ourselves. True

wellbeing brings emotional stability and an openness to others.

The following information regarding the Six Essential Elements

of wellbeing form the basis of The Buttery Private program.

Participants in The Buttery Private Program, working with qualified

facilitators, explore how to create sustainable wellbeing.

All participants are encouraged to achieve wellbeing by

developing a true sense of connection to self.

Participants can apply this sense of connection to their

daily interactions with others: with intimate partners,

family members, friends, work colleagues and

everyone they meet.

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Research shows that healthy andsupportive relationships can reducestress and improve your overallhealth and sense of well-being.However, all relationships are notequally supportive. Building anetwork of supportive friends, oreven learning to trust one anotherperson can be vital to our wellbeing.

Different people will move in andout of our lives at different times,are we okay with this ebb and flowor hold onto relationships that nolonger serve us or are abusive insome way? Do you feel safe andtrust people in your life to not onlysupport you but challenge you withdifferent views? Learning to beopen and let people in despite ourfears of rejection and hurt buildsemotional and social wellbeing.

Building social and emotionalwellbeing is about how you areable to hold yourself in relationshipto others, and the quality of mutualsupport and respect that is withinyour interactions with others. If youvalue and respect yourself and hold

others as equals rather than threats orcompetition, we are more likely to havemeaningful and supportive relationships.The wider our social network, (e.g. havingmeaningful relationships across differentareas of life) the more supportive andsocial resources we have to deal withconflict or life stressors and challenges.

It takes some work, but cultivating acircle of truly supportive friendships canmake a huge difference in how youhandle stress and life.

It's important to make time to nurtureyour relationship with yourself and othersand have fun with friends and colleagues.This may require you to prioritisefriendships and cultivate better timemanagement, so you can show up ontime, remember important events, helpfriends when they're in need, andgenerally be more respectful and decentin your interactions.

When they're talking, are you missingsome of what they say because you'rewaiting for them to stop talking so you cansay what you want to say next? Stop, andreally listen to them.

SOCIALstrong and loving relationships with family, friends, colleagues

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It’s all about connection:The Buttery Private runs on the same model asThe Buttery's Residential Therapeutic Community (TC).The Buttery Private is for people who may have non-critical mental health issues such as anxiety,depression, burnout or early stage substance misuse.The Buttery, on the other hand, is a long-term rehabprogram for adults dependent on drugs, alcohol orboth. It pioneered the community therapeutic modelin Australia over 40 years ago. The evidence-basedmodel is effective because it uses the community ofresidents itself as the main vehicle for promotingpersonal change through self-help and mutualsupport. The Buttery TC is committed to assistingchemically dependent people realise a sense of self-worth. he program helps people nurture the livingTskills many take for granted and helps them take theirplace in society.

CAREERwork that you enjoy and gives you a sense of purpose

At some point in time everybodyhas a job they don’t feel like goingto or which is a source of stress.

In the short-term, you mayexperience pressure to meet adeadline or to fulfil a challengingobligation. But when work stressbecomes chronic, it can beoverwhelming — and harmful toboth physical and emotional health

Increasingly, workplace stress anda lack of wellbeing is reflected inrising levels of workplaceabsenteeism, presenteeism,bullying/ harassment and stress-related leave in the workplace. In2012, mental stress cost Australianbusiness more than $12 billion .1

For the individual experiencingworkplace stress, they canexperience loss of employment andfinancial security, social connectionand health issues. Equallydevastating, their wellbeing can beaffected with issues such as anxiety,depression, relationship difficulties,gambling, pornography and othercompulsive behaviours, abuse ofalcohol and drugs, and loneliness.

1. Dollard, M., & Owen, M. (2013). Mental illness at work in Australia. Results from the Australian Workplace Barometer Project. Final Report. Monash University: Melbourne.

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In today's digital world, it's easyto feel pressure to be available 24hours a day. It’s important that youestablish some work-lifeboundaries. That might meanmaking a rule not to check emailfrom home in the evening, or notanswering the phone during dinner.

Your employer may also havestress management resourcesavailable through an employeeassistance program (EAP), includingonline information, availablecounselling and referral to mentalhealth professionals, if needed. Ifyou continue to feel overwhelmedby work stress, you may want to talkto a psychologist, who can help youbetter manage stress and changeunhealthy behaviour.

Taking a holiday with your well-deserved

annual leave is something to look forward

to but how long-lasting are the benefits

once you return to those stress triggers?

Four-week residential programs like The

Buttery Private may look like a holiday –

set in an idyllic subtropical setting with

chef-prepared meals – however, wellbeing

treatment programs are designed to act

as a circuit breaker to prevent you

returning to the same habits and coping

mechanisms holding you back.

It’s important to take time to recharge.

FINANCIALfinancial security and experiential purchases bringmore of a sense of wellbeing than material purchases

The say money doesn't buy youyhappiness. However, according toThe Australian Psychology Society'slongitudinal , 52% of Australiansstudyreported financial issues as the maincause of their stress.

While no one can wave a magicwand and pay off your mortgage orfill your car with petrol, reprioritisingwhat you spend on non-essentialscan go a long way to reducingstressful debt. But one thing youcan do improve your wellbeing,say experts, is to curb your spendingon stuff and instead spend moneyon 'experiences'.

Recent research from San FranciscoState University found that peoplewho spent money on experiencesrather than material items werehappier and felt the money wasbetter spent.

So, look at what you invest yourhard earn money in, perhaps take aclass in a new skill or a holiday where

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you connect with others or nature thatprovides a more meaningful experience.

The other thing to do is to face yourfinancial fears. Are you the kind ofperson who can't bear to look at theircredit card statement and generallyhas a hard time keeping their head outof the sand regrading money matters?

Rather than avoiding our financialsituation improve wellbeing by facingthe facts and engage a financialcounsellor to get real about things.

A sense of community is a feelingthat members have of belonging, afeeling that members matter to oneanother and to the group, and ashared faith that members' needswill be met through theircommitment to be together.

Having a community goal orproject that is bigger than just you,particularly one that connects youwith others, can greatly contributeto overall wellbeing.

A longitudinal Harvard overstudyalmost 80 years has proven thatembracing community helps us livelonger. The study showed that ourrelationships and how happy we arein our relationships has a powerfulinfluence on our health. Taking careof your body is important buttending to your relationships isa form of self-care too.

One way to forge communityconnection is to volunteer for acommunity project. Volunteeringhas been shown to decrease mortalityand to improve self-rated health,mental health, life satisfaction, socialinteraction, healthy behaviours andcoping ability.

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Spending time volunteeringcreates bonds with fellow volunteers,organizations hosting volunteers, andthe beneficiaries. The social bondscreated during volunteering contributedirectly to feelings of belonging.

According to fromresearchUniversity of Minnesota, volunteeringalso creates social capital which leadsto more interaction, engagement, andtrust with the people that youvolunteer with.

A long line of empirical research,including one study of over 2,000people, has shown that acts ofaltruism—giving to friends andstrangers alike—decrease stress andstrongly contribute to enhancedmental health.

COMMUNITYengagement with people and projects in your community

PHYSICALWELLBEINGgood health, abundant energy and vitality

We can't just think our wayinto mental wellbeing. There ismounting evidence to suggestthat exercise and diet have amassive role to play.

Exercise is a great way to notonly nurture the body and keepit healthy but to develop a mind-body approach to wellbeing.Being able to connect with ourbodies whilst exercising andlisten to what it is communicatingincreases our ability to be presentand builds confidence.

Many people with the issuesaddressed at The Buttery Privatefind it difficult to be “present” or“in the moment.” Some have hadthe experience of “acting out”or using food and substances tochange the way they feel. Theymay have low self-esteem andbody image issues and may belooking outside themselves to fixthis situation.

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Studies have shown that gentleexercise such as yoga increases thelevels of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain.This is significant because people whoare suffering from stress, anxiety,depression, and substance abuse areall found to have low levels of GABA

Exercise and movement alsocultivate bodily awareness in a kind,nurturing way. With it comescompassion for oneself and overtime a new ability to deal withstressful situations, leading topositive, lasting change.

Regular exercise can helpbreak addiction patterns andself-defeating behaviours.Combined with othertreatments such as massage,bodywork and nutrition,meditation and counselling,exercise and movement can bea powerful agent for change.

A good diet underpins wellbeingand numerous international studieshave found that people whose dietsare tohealthier are less likelyexperience depression

Good nutrition is at the centreof The Buttery Private program.Whenever possible, our chefuses locally sourced, seasonal,organic wholefoods.

We recognise that many peoplein the program may have neglectedtheir nutritional needs.

Many, due to a too-busy lifestylemay have relied too heavily on

processed food. Other factors whichmay give rise to poor nutrition couldinclude substance abuse, anxiety ordepression. Some people may eat inresponse to emotional needs ratherthan hunger.

A stay at The Buttery Private is agood opportunity to regeneratethrough good nutrition, rest andgentle exercise.

By following an improved diet,participants will experience anincrease in energy. Improvednutrition will help build and repairorgan tissue and strengthen theimmune system. Because peoplein recovery from burn out orsubstance misuse often havedamaged vital organs, goodnutrition provides the nutritionalbuilding blocks they need tobegin restoring damaged tissue.

Nutrition also plays an importantrole in mood. Research suggeststhat emotional regulation – notexperiencing pronounced “highs”and “lows” – can be promotedby eating a balanced diet ofpredominantly wholefoods.

The consumption of certainfoods has been tied toincreased production of keyneurotransmitters like serotonin,which enhances mood.

You are what you eat.

The relationship with ourselves

Although most people can improvein one or more of the above areas inthe short term (e.g. by dieting orexercising) it often cannot besustained. This is because many ofus are trapped in improving ourfunction or external circumstanceswithout a connection to an innersense of being that is self-caring,nurturing and inter-dependent.Meditation and mindfulnesspractices are a good way to improveour relationship with ourselves.

MeditationNumerous studies show thatmeditation has physical, mentaland spiritual benefits. Meditationcan go hand- in-hand withachieving sustainable wellbeingand mental wellness.

Through meditation people beginto feel a deeper sense of relaxation.They are refreshed and energised.Meditation leads to reduced bloodpressure and an increase inserotonin. This will improve one’smood and has been proven toreduce anxiety levels and help

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SELFgain focus and peace of mind.

On a spiritual level, meditationdevelops a greater awarenessand can increase open-mindedness and creativity.

A main objective of the programis to equip participants with skillsand techniques to achieve lastingwellbeing. Encouraging meditationpractice is part of this.

MindfulnessMindfulness is more than just arecent buzzword. Practisingmindfulness training helps identify,live with and reduce difficult,painful feelings, thoughts andsensations. It enhances wellbeing.

These can be things likerecurring feelings of inadequacy,anger or fear or impulses such asthe need to gamble, drinkunhealthily or take illicit drugs.

Mindfulness training has itsorigins in ancient Buddhistmeditation practices. Since the1970s, many Buddhist meditationtechniques have been embracedby Western psychology.

Psychologist and mindfulness meditation teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn has defined mindfulness in this way: “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.”

Research on the neural perspective of how mindfulness meditation works suggests that it exerts its effects in components of attention regulation, body awareness, emotional regulation and change in perspective of self.

People who practise mindfulness can develop a sense of mastery over their thoughts and feelings. They learn to be able to have some agency over them. It is a self-empowering process.

Some of the benefits for participants in The Buttery Private who learn to practise mindfulness techniques include:

being “in the now” and notbeing side tracked by unhelpfulthoughts or impulses;

mastering the non-judgementalobservation of external andinternal stimuli as they comeinto play and exert an (oftenunwelcome) influence.

Participants in The Buttery Private

program can achieve measurable

results from working in a group or

in a one-on-one setting with highly

experienced counsellors who are well-

versed in mindfulness training and

other proven psychological techniques.

learning how to focus one’sattention on the task at handrather than having a wanderingmind and not doing any onetask well;

This checklist may help you take stock of areas of your life to focus on

in order to gain mastery over your wellbeing.

I have someone I can talk to about my feelings

I have good friends I can trust

I sleep well most of the time

I eat healthily most of the time

Do I contribute to n a community project or cause?

I do some physical activity regularly

I make time for the things I enjoy

I do things to help other people

I feel I achieve things

I know how to relax

I know what affects my moods

I am kind to myself about who I am

I look after myself during difficult times

Did you tick no for several of these questions?

While the first step towards wellbeing begins with you, no one is an island. Youwill need to draw on other supports in order to achieve your wellbeing goals.

There are many options out there, including counselling services, life coaches andwellness and health treatment centres, the Buttery Private offers an intensiveholistic residential program based on evidence base psychological approaches.

Checklist

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www.butteryprivate.org.au

The Buttery Private program hasbeen specifically designed toaddress all of the aboveelements of wellbeing.

In a calm, secure place,participants can address issueswhich may compromise theirquality of life. These issues, if leftunaddressed could result overtime in deeper, more debilitatingproblems. It is based on TheButtery’s very successful mentalhealth and substance misusetreatment programs which fordecades have been helpingpeople achieve proven results.

As part of a detailed assessmentprocess, you will work with yourcounsellor to develop a customised

Why choose The Buttery Private?program to address yourown individual needs.

Following an online and phoneassessment prior to attending,participants undertake a four-weekresidential program. This is followedby a structured follow-up.

The program is designed to beaffordable and delivers excellent valuefor money without compromisingthe quality of outcomes.

Because each program istailored to individual needs,special attention is given todeveloping an outcomes plan.

If you have an enquiry about

The Buttery Private, please

phone 1300 851 695.

DISCLAIMER

All information in this booklet was created for general informational purposes only. The content

is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Always seek the advice of your GP or other qualified health provider or allied health

professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

www.butteryprivate.org.au

1300 851 695enquiries@butteryprivate.org.au