Yes a cutting board can change the world -lessons in self-care.

As a supervisor, a clinical manager for a charity and a social worker in Aotearoa I would have to be living under a rock somewhere to not be aware that things are tough for a LOT of people right now.

Services are being cut, funding has dried up, the cost of living has soared and there’s lots of talk that we’re heading for a recession.

This has brought on a sense of helplessness, uncertainty and severe anxiety for people across the country. The lack of financial stability has led to people wondering how they are going to pay their mortgages, buy groceries, manage their bills and just basically….exist.

It also has led to those workers who would normally challenge unfair systems or policies to feel like they have a target on their backs if they speak out. In a time where advocacy is needed most, people are afraid to be singled out, and this is a very valid fear.

All this fear, sense of powerlessness and anxiety takes a toll though. Our cups are feeling a whole lot of empty and the well feels like it’s running dry. Self-care seems like a luxury, but this is when it is an absolute necessity and creativity with your self-care is essential.

This is where Sam's story comes in - because sometimes the best lessons about resilience come from the most unexpected places.

Sam is lovely. Sam is a marine engineer and he fixes everything to do with ports, boats and manufacturing. Sam is one of a handful of people in the country that can do what he does. Sam also worked for a company that just made him redundant with only one weeks notice, though they knew months ago. He’d just bought a truck to house the tools he needed to do his job.

Sam is a big guy that looks and sounds very tough. He also has dimples and a mischievous little boy sense of humour. Being unsure of where his next paycheck was coming from and how long his meager savings might last had him freaking out and decimated his self-esteem. After all, he’s great at what he does, but still got axed when others less experienced and skilled kept theirs. This led to “was it the way I interacted?”, “was it a wage saving thing?”, “was it that they didn’t like me?”.

But Sam is like a perpetual cork. He bobs along and might get submerged at times, but he pops up again soon enough and usually has a different spin on things when he does. He dusted off his cv and sent them out throughout the country and waited for call backs. There were some nibbles, but other places are hurting too. Not enough work for a full time employee. So Sam decided to create a job and work as a specialist consultant - there’s no security there but at least it might keep money coming in.

But Sam was also realising that he had other skills and tools in his kete. As a hobby he works with leather and sometimes wood and figured that if he was going to be off, then doing something that made him feel good and took his mind off what was happening might be helpful. It helped him focus his anxiety into something more manageable and kept him busy and not stuck in negative thought cycles.

He decided to try and make one of those cutting boards that you see on Pinterest with a variety of different woods laminated together. You know the ones. They form patterns and look like a piece of artwork that should probably never see a carving knife for fear of ruining it. He’d never done one before but despite being outside his comfort zone, he learned, felt inspired and thought he could probably figure it out…. he is after all, an engineer.

There are no guarantees in life. Job security that our parents enjoyed is a thing of the past. Pandemic “shrinkflation” (smaller product sizes and bigger price tags), cost of living increases, and changing global policies - they are the new norm, and we have to find ways to deal with them. We may not be able to change any of these things (although don’t sell yourself short), but what we can change is how we react to them.

I’m not saying to stick your head in the sand and don’t think about them at all, but put them into perspective. Things might be tougher or more uncertain, but others are still the same and bring joy. Your kids, sunrises and sunsets, music and art, the mahi you do that helps people. Find your space that helps you feel accomplished, find a space that maybe helps you stretch yourself or find a space that allows you to just put down the load for a bit and just…be.

Sam's cutting board project taught him (and me) something profound: when the big picture feels chaotic and uncertain, sometimes the answer isn't to think bigger - it's to think smaller. To focus on what's directly in front of you, what's in your hands, what you can shape and create.

That cutting board he made? It's not just a kitchen tool. It's proof that he can still build something beautiful, even when everything else feels like it's falling apart. It's a daily reminder that his hands are capable, his mind is creative, and his worth isn't determined by someone else's budget cuts.

So yes, a cutting board can change the world - or at least your corner of it. Not because of its grand impact, but because of its quiet insistence that you still have power. The power to create, to learn, to find joy in small things, and to remember that even in uncertain times, you are more resilient than you know.

What's your cutting board? What small, meaningful thing can you pour yourself into when the world feels too big to handle? Because sometimes the most radical act of self-care isn't a spa day or a vacation - it's simply refusing to let circumstances rob you of your ability to create something that matters to you.