The Australian Federation of Travel Agents today shared results from the Resilient Mind Program, revealing significant improvements in the mental wellbeing and resilience of members who completed both the initial and final survey following the completion of the Program.
The Resilient Mind Program was funded by AFTA, and an anonymous sponsor from the sector, to equip members with scientifically proven skills to optimise their health and mental wellbeing in the face of the ongoing personal and professional challenges posed by COVID-19.
The program features a combination of resilience education, workouts, mindset tools and tools for forming habits, and resulted in a 350% improvement in the number of people with high mental wellbeing and a 150% improvement in the number of people who now report having high resilience, according to validated questionnaires.
Low levels of mental wellbeing or likely mental health issues were experienced by 49% of agents who took the survey before completing the Program. This dropped to just 9% following the completion of the Program.
Throughout September, more than 1,350 travel agents and travel industry employees from airlines, cruise lines, tour operator businesses and wholesalers watched over 6,250 educational videos, performed more than 10,500 workouts and logged 135,000 healthy habits in the Resilient Mind App.
Some of the most popular rituals completed by members were alcohol free days (9,480), cold showers (6,676) and digital detox (6,552).
Bek Ortega from team Solo Connections proved to be the most resilient AFTA member in terms of points earned in the App, with Sarah Szubanski from team Platinum Travel Corp and Lorraine Henderson from team Lockdown Legends ranking 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Team Solo Connections ranked first, followed by Platinum Travel Corp and Mystic.
With an overwhelming number of members requesting continued access to the Resilient Mind App, Paul Taylor, Director of the Mind Body Brain Performance Institute, has responded by offering a complimentary 12 month extension for all existing users.
Any members with questions or in need of mentoring are invited to please email info@mindbodybrain.com.au for assistance.
Paul Taylor, Director Mind Body Brain Performance Institute:
“The changes in mental wellbeing and resilience were amazing. Those with low mental wellbeing or a likely mental health issue dropped from 49% down to 9% and there were big changes in both resilience and those with high mental wellbeing. This is what can happen when people engage in a program with both physical and psychological elements, and support each other along the journey.”
“Academic literature tells us that our resilience levels are difficult to change – yet AFTA members have clearly demonstrated tremendous engagement levels within the App and reaped the rewards. With thousands of in App interactions and nudges, the travel agent community clearly understands the importance of teamwork.”
“I’m delighted to continue providing free access to the Resilient Mind App for AFTA members, and support for any of you who wish to reach out. I encourage all of you to continue nudging eachother to provide much needed encouragement towards personal goals in the days, weeks and months ahead.”
Darren Rudd, AFTA CEO:
“Last week the Australian health minister, Greg Hunt, spoke in Canberra about a surge in the number of people contacting mental health services in 2020. He said 2020 could be the most difficult year Australians have faced since the second world war, and for our members it definitely is the toughest time on record.”
“I’m pleased to see the program has made a big difference in improving the wellbeing and resilience of hundreds of AFTA members, but I’m conscious that uncertainty continues to pose challenges. I sincerely thank Paul Taylor for making the Resilient Mind Program available to our members over the next 12 months.”
“I invite AFTA members to continue using these scientifically based resources as we work towards our common goal of securing the future of our industry.”
