Mental Health Awareness Week this year is taking place 10th – 16th May. This year the theme is Nature. Nature was chosen because the ‘evidence is clear that access to nature is crucial for our mental health and millions of people re-discovered that during lockdowns this year’.
Over the course of Mental health awareness week, we will share with you how the Watch Project incorporates the ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’ – 5 key actions which have a positive effect on your mental health – and how connecting with nature during this last year has been so important for us all!
Day One – Connect
Connection is about relating to one another and feeling understood. It’s also about developing connections that support and enrich your daily life. So, whether it be talking to friends, family, neighbours, colleagues, or fellow peers, it is vital for our wellbeing that we connect with others.
This last year has been a challenge for us all and we have had to as a project find alternative ways of keeping the connections we hold dear going. We have embraced technology and set up a members Facebook page so we can relay information, but also share what has been going on for us individually. From planting veggies in the garden, enjoying nature on our countryside walks, sharing poems and artwork, it has been a fantastic platform to connect with each other.
Before Lockdown, the word ‘zoom’ used to evoke images of a rocket blasting off! We now fondly know ‘zoom’ as a video conferencing platform that we use to keep Watch staff and members connected. We use it for learning, courses, fun, and chance to catch up on how our week has been.
As a community interest company, it is so important for us to stay connected with our fellow organisations to name a few:-
– Well Wessex’s latest project has been in partnership with Dom Chambers from Somer Valley Trust and funded by Somerset Community Foundation (www.somersetcf.org.uk). The aim of the project was to train volunteers and staff to develop podcasts promoting mental health and wellbeing, the latest episode can be found here
Open Mental Health
