New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern opens up about mental health, shares her stress busters

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern recently opened up about her mental health struggles and shared her de-stress hacks. She made the revelations while speaking at an interview with John Kirwan, a former All Black and Mental Health advocate. In the interview, she also spoke about the struggle of leaving her two-year-old daughter every morning to go to work.

Ardern, who recently secured a second term as the country’s prime minister says she was "clawing her way" into the Christmas. Answering if she found leadership lonely, she said a firm "No", adding that she prefers a collaborative style. The New Zealand PM said that being around people made her happy.

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The 40-year-old also talked about her mental health issues and shared her coping strategies, which include prioritising good sleep and good food. She also revealed that she also enjoyed watching bad crime shows to "quieten" her mind and unplug. Ardern said she was lucky that she had no trouble sleeping as she was "exhausted from work."

She revealed that she suffers from imposter syndrome, which is a unique psychological pattern wherein an individual doubts their skills, talents or accomplishments. However, she admitted having tried to turn her self-doubt into "something more positive".

"Some of the people I admire the most have that self-consciousness and that slight gnawing lack of confidence, I think there is a bit of Kiwi in there too – it’s a little bit in our nature," said Jacinda Ardern .

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Inoculation in New Zealand 

Earlier, in what Arden dubbed as the country’s "largest-ever immunization programme", the New Zealand government announced securing 750,000 COVID-19 vaccine jabs from Pfizer, 5 million from Janssen,3.8 million from Oxford/AstraZeneca and 5.36 million from Novavax. New Zealand, which was one of the first countries in the world to declare itself free of the COVID-19 infection, has not authorised a vaccine as of now. 

Talking about the mass inoculation, Ardern said New Zealand would have to wait till the second quarter of the next year to get the vaccines. However, once the process starts healthcare workers and border officials would be prioritised. She also revealed that vaccines would be free of cost for every resident in the country.

Read: Jacinda Ardern Announces Free COVID-19 Vaccination Plan For New Zealand

Read: NZ Leader Jacinda Ardern Raises Concerns Over China’s Graphic Tweet