WELLBEING SERIES: THE GREEN ZONE

Introduction 

In the previous 2 blogs, I introduced the concept of zones related to your wellbeing. The state of your wellbeing is a reflection of how much stress is in your life, how intense it is, how long it has been there, without relief and what you do to relieve your stress. In this blog, I am going to start looking at the Green Zone. This is the Zone where you can say, “I am feeling good and have space in my day to pause and relax.”,  through to, “I am feeling busy but doing well. I probably need to factor in a break.” At the end of this blog, I hope you have an understanding of the Green Zone, which may help you then understand how far outside of this zone you are. 

What are Zones and why do they matter? 

Before I dive into the details about the Green Zone, I should explain a little more about what I mean by zones. 

Zones aren’t rigid boxes. I like to imagine the colour spectrum that you may remember from primary school science. The colours sit on a continuum with red at one end and violet at the other. I have used grey as a bottom point because it lends itself to being representative of feeling like there is no colour or energy in your day. Your state of wellbeing, like your position on the continuum, is in a constant state of flux, influenced by the countless life experiences we all have. At times, you might feel calm and balanced (low to mid green), at others restless and revved up (upper green/yellow/orange) and sometimes flat or drained (low blue to grey). These shifts are normal, and everyone will experience all zones at some point in their life. However, the key to supporting your wellbeing positively is to recognise your current state and understand the factors that have contributed to it. It is important to recognise when you start to feel stuck or overwhelmed, or if you experience a helpless and hopeless feeling.  Whether you recognise if you are stuck or not is very much up to you and what you have learned in your life so far. Using zones provides a language to help you understand the level of stress in your life and its impact on you and those around you. 

By paying attention to zones, you will start to see patterns that are both helpful and unhelpful for your wellbeing. Once you can see them, you can choose how to respond.  

The Green Zone Is Like Your Garden

 If your wellbeing were a garden, the middle of your Green Zone would be the time when it is growing, balanced, and full of life. That doesn’t mean every plant is perfect and impervious to the various changes in the weather. Rather it means that you are checking on it regularly and tending to the plants that need extra care in order to grow in a healthy way. Some days, your garden may look lush and vibrant; other days, you might notice a few dry leaves or weeds creeping in. That is normal and on those occasions you may need to spend some extra time doing some extra weeding and watering. Like a garden, your wellbeing needs attention, small adjustments, and time to rest and recover after storms.

Take a moment to imagine yourself in a garden. It might be your own, or one you’ve visited before. Picture yourself standing in the middle, looking around. Notice the colour green everywhere — in the trees, the grass, and the leaves of plants growing close together. See how the green isn’t just one shade but a whole spectrum, shifting from deep teal through emerald and forest green, then lightening toward lime. Your emotions are much the same. They aren’t fixed; they move and change with the shifting contexts of your life.

Now notice the shapes and textures around you. See the tall things and broad things, delicate stems and sturdy trunks. Take a deep breath in and notice how clean and crisp the air is and how easily it fills your lungs. Now exhale deeply. Listen to the different bird sounds as they move from tree to tree. See bees hovering over flowers that gift them pollen. Notice the soft, fragrant perfume that moves past you and catches your attention.

Look down to the base of the plants and scan for any weeds, which are those small irritations or habits that, left unchecked, can take root and compete with other plants for energy and nourishment. Ask yourself, “Do the plants look healthy?” Maybe they need some water, a little pruning, or some shade from the hot sun. It is these small acts of noticing and making little changes that keep your garden healthy.

This is what being in your Green Zone feels like. It’s not about perfection; it’s about gentle, regular attention. This means feeling alert but calm, feeling active but not overextended. You can nurture yourself and others without feeling depleted. When your garden is in balance, it becomes a place where things can grow, including your creativity, your capacity for connection, your ability for patience, and feeling joy.

The Green Zone is where you want to spend most of your time. Think of it as the “doing okay” zone. This is a place where you feel steady, capable, and ready to respond to life as it comes. Green is more than just balance. It’s also the best place for building your capacity. When you are here, you can be reflective and flexible. You can listen to what someone is saying to you without being crowded by your own “mind chatter” or distractions. You will be more able to sit with another person’s different point of view without letting your emotions rise up, pushing you out of the Green Zone and into Orange or Red, where you are less likely to tolerate anything different or more. The Green Zone is where you absorb, learn, understand, and grow.

When you’re in the Green Zone, you feel grounded. This means you can think clearly, stay connected, and respond with flexibility to whatever life brings. Being in Green isn’t about staying perfectly calm or balanced all the time. It’s a living, shifting state that changes with what’s happening around you and inside you. Your Green zone is personal and can feel and look different to someone else. It is the place where your mind feels steady, your breath feels easy, and things don’t feel quite so heavy or alarming. The key is to understand what that steadiness feels like for you and notice when you start to drift away from it.

Green Is a Range, Not a Fixed Point. 

To demonstrate the movement of your emotions in and out of the green zone, I have written a short scenario for each of the three illustrations. The scenarios I use are designed to give you an idea of the situations that may be occurring around you and your ability to notice and respond to them in a flexible manner. The point is to understand how you feel in your body and learn what makes it better or worse. Scenario 1. Staying within the Green Zone 

You wake up after a good sleep, your alarm giving you the time for a brisk 20-minute walk, followed by 20 deep squats and a coffee before the day starts. You are feeling good. You have energy. You remember the work presentation you have next week and remind yourself to set aside some prep time today. Your workday is going well until you receive a phone call from Josh’s school, saying he fell off the gym equipment and has broken his arm. Your heart starts pumping, and you feel a slight panic, but you call your partner, who can get away from work and deal with the emergency. You feel a bit better but remain worried. Your son has a fracture and does need a cast and sling. You feel relieved that it wasn’t worse. You have spoken with work and have the next day off while he recovers. Your parents are nearby and happy to help. You feel a bit better. That evening, you prepare to do your regular 10-minute meditation before sleep. 

Scenario 2 – Rising stress – Moving Out of the Green Zone

You had a great weekend away with friends. You feel positive about most things, but then a worry comes into view. Josh has missed quite a lot of school recently. His arm didn’t mend properly and ultimately needed an operation and pinning. It is his dominant hand, so he hasn’t been able to write with it. More importantly, he has not been able to play sports, and he loves all sports – especially basketball. You feel worried as you think about all the things he is missing out on. He wasn’t invited to one of his supposed friends’ parties last week, either. That doesn’t seem fair at all. You caught up with friends the other day for lunch and a bit too much wine, but it was so much fun and such a relief from the worry. You are not sleeping so well at the moment. Your partner is away for work, again. You would love some time away. The house is a mess. Tomorrow. Just then, your son comes into the room and says he doesn’t want to go to school tomorrow. He feels sick! 

Scenario 3 – Outside the Green Zone: High energy, Overthinking, Overdoing

You had another bad sleep. You probably should have a night off from the wine. Josh has not been to school for nearly 2 weeks. You don’t understand what is going on. He won’t come out of his room, and he is gaming at all hours of the night. The mornings are such a battle. In the end, you just let him stay home because you hate the fight. Your partner says you are being too soft. Well, maybe he could stay home and do your week for once. Your elderly father was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, so now your mum isn’t coping either. You have a meeting at school next week. What are they going to say? You need to take Josh to the GP, but he won’t even go to that appointment. You have taken time off work, but it isn’t fair. Your job is important too. You feel so tired some days. You can’t remember the last time you exercised properly. You don’t even bother setting your alarm. Why bother? 

Scenario 4 – Exhausted: Outside the Green Zone (Low or No Energy) 

You are sick again. It feels like you just got over a cold last week, and now you are coughing constantly. You feel exhausted 

all the time. Your body feels like lead. You barely go out socially, and you are maximising your ‘work from home days’. The effort to put on a ‘face’ for other people is too much. Your partner is worried about you. “Go and see the GP.” Yes, yes, you probably should. Josh is mostly home. You haven’t spoken to the school in a while. It is too hard. You pick up your phone and see 987 unread emails. Probably all junk. You put your phone down and close your eyes for a little bit longer. You will go and see the GP. 

Final Thoughts 

As you read through these scenarios, what did you notice in yourself? You may want to pause and reflect on your day, week, month, or even year, and see which scenario feels most familiar to you right now. 

There’s nothing wrong with moving in and out of any of these experiences. Life is colourful and challenging on many levels. What matters most is staying flexible, so you don’t get stuck in scenario 2 or 4. Scenario 3 can be a quick elevator ride down to number 4, so noticing it early helps.  

Like a garden, your wellbeing thrives on awareness and gentle, consistent care. Small pauses — moments to breathe, reflect, and reset — are the sunlight and water that keep it alive. These small, deliberate choices help you return to the Green Zone, where balance, resilience, and connection can grow.

Katrina Gow

Katrina is a compassionate and skilled counsellor dedicated to fostering mental health and resilience. In 2025, she will contribute her expertise as an advisor to a Deakin University project addressing school attendance issues, helping develop strategies for improving educational outcomes. Additionally, Katrina is part of the Victorian Parents Council team and writes insightful blogs for the VPC, offering support and guidance to parents navigating challenges in education and parenting. Through her work, she strives to create positive change in both individual lives and broader community settings