As many more of us venture out to our favourite hangouts, the team at Yas Island is on hand to ease any anxieties you might have during these uncertain times. One of them is Khadija Al Ameri.
As the Wellness Ambassador, she believes that your leisure time is an opportunity to reconnect with your loved ones while also improving your mental wellbeing. Below she talks us through her role why now more than ever it’s important to invest in personal wellness.
What was your favourite subject at school?
Growing up, my favourite subject at school was History.
What was your first job?
My first job was an Events Planner, where I have handled projects promoting Abu Dhabi as a destination, including World Skills Abu Dhabi.
Talk us through your role as a Yas’ Wellness Ambassador.
The Yas Wellness Program was launched to reassure guests it is safe to visit Yas Island responsibly and provide visitors with information about the health and safety measures in place. I am part of a great team of 34 health and safety leaders whose role is to make sure that guests feel safe and secure when they visit Yas Island and that they enjoy their time spent with their loved ones at our attractions. This includes assisting guests with any questions or concerns they may have about the safety measures in place on Yas Island through email, phone, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. With the many changes and uncertainties brought about by COVID-19, I love that my role as a Yas Wellness Ambassador is to reassure guests and help grant them peace-of-mind.
What does wellness mean to you?
Wellness to me means safety, well-being and peace-of-mind. I think that my job as a Yas Wellness Ambassador has greatly influenced my perception of what ‘wellness’ is because I know how important it is to our daily lives. The impact of COVID-19 and the subsequent socialising and travel restrictions has highlighted the importance of community, connectivity and shared experiences on our mental wellbeing. Leisure and family time plays a big part in this and I am so proud to be able to help people return to what they love after a difficult period and in a safe and responsible manner.
How have you emotionally navigated through these uncertain times?
Personally, doing my best to stay up-to-date with the health and safety guidelines set by the authorities has helped me eliminate a lot of stress that could stem from not knowing what to do or expect from the new life routine we are encountering. I think this pandemic has allowed us all to slow down a bit and reflect on the small things in life. It has also helped us to become closer to our loved ones, as we all go through this situation together. Spending time with my family, and connecting with those who I don’t see in person more often than usual, has helped me emotionally navigate through these uncertain times.
Do you believe we all should be working on our personal wellness?
I believe we all need to take the responsibility of caring about our own wellness, and the wellness of our loved ones. It’s very important to educate ourselves on how mental and physical wellness goes beyond affecting ourselves only, but also the people around us who we interact with on a daily bases.
What advice do you have for anyone looking to follow in the same footsteps?
My advice would be to do what you love and do it well. My role as a Yas Wellness Ambassador came from working in the Yas Concierge team and my love of working with people. When dealing with the public it is noticeable when you are genuine with your help and it is appreciated much more when you go above and beyond.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
“Not everyone is going to agree with you, but you have to follow your heart and do what is best for you because you will be the one who has to live with the choices that you make.”
Coming from a society that is strongly family-oriented, our culture has raised us to be selfless and giving. While these are beautiful traits, that build strong family and friendship bonds, it makes it easy for us to unconsciously choose to live our lives by always choosing the norm, and whatever we see is safe to face the society with, whether that’s is with regards to what we study, what job roles we take, or what hobbies we practice.
I believe that it’s important for us to think about what we love or makes us passionate, and not be afraid to explore these options until we find what truly makes us happy, without worrying about failing because it’s an option that has never been done before by the people around us or feeling discouraged because we think about what people would say about our choices.
And what is the worst?
At some point of my life, I was in an environment that made me extremely unhappy, and whilst I was debating whether or not I should walk away from it, I received a piece of advice from someone who said: “Convince yourself to just live with it, that’s just how life is, everyone is going through the same thing. Otherwise, you will end up never finding anything better”
That advice is something that I do not agree with at all because I believe that it’s not worth wasting your life spending your time on things that drain your energy and do not bring you happiness in return.
What has been the biggest challenge you had to overcome?
Accepting the difficulties and failures encountered through the process of achieving my big goals.
