Creating and Wellbeing

Water, in all it's forms - a beautiful river, a calm lake or the even listening to the sound of crashing waves on an ocean is where my happy place is. Just looking at this image gives me a sense of peace.

When life gets a bit chaotic, or you're feeling overwhelmed for whatever reason, where is your happy place, or what is it you like to do to regain your inner calm?

From 21st May I will be running Wellbeing Wednesday's over at Brook Arts Hub, Shottery.

In the sessions I will introduce some mindful arts and crafts suitable for everyone. A small charge is necessary unfortunately, but I have kept the price persession as low as I can to help cover costs of supplies and materials. Hopefully this will make it affordable to as many people as possible.

Why wellbeing sessions?

I've written about this in the past but it's always worth repeating because we live in such a fast paced world where everything needs to be done yesterday. We fill our diaries and To Do lists up, setting ourselves unacheivable targets because somewhere at the back of our minds we feel that unless we're busy, all of the time, we're not doing enough. On top of that we all have those things we call 'life' that add to our load - kids playing up, another meeting to attend, the car breaking down - the list goes on.

Is it any wonder at times we feel inadequate, not good enough or simply worn out with all the pressures and expectations society and, if we're brutally honest, we too, put on ourselves. And because we're always so busy, we put our own health and wellbeing on the backburner until we 'just get this or that sorted out'. Eventually, in fact inevitably, we break in one way or another.

I was amazed when I started my artistic journey how much better I would feel some days just having space to do something creative. I would lose myself in whatever it was only for half an hour sometimes, but it made all the difference to the rest of my day.

I became aware that there was something in this, and over time it has proved to be the case. The link between a creative activity having a positive impact on our mental health and overall wellbeing has become more widely recognised by health and other professionals across the world. It is good for us to pursue such activities, and it's okay to put some time aside for ourselves to do this. I could post so many examples but here's just one snippet from BUPA UK.

Several studies have shown that creative hobbies, such as art, writing and

music, can reduce and even prevent stress. You may find that, after a

stressful day, enjoying a hobby can help you de-stress and even give you an energy boost. Being creative may also reduce feelings of anxiety and

depression, and can help us express or manage our emotions in a positive

and productive way. Especially when those feelings are difficult to put into

words. BUPA UK

I hadn't intended this post to be so long but I'm quite passionate about exploring anything that can help us protect our mental health and overall wellbeing. I hear of so many who suffer in silence or feel quite lonely and they don't need to be. If these sessions help provide some much needed headspace for an hour or two in a calm environment that is warm, friendly and welcoming then I for one will leave happier that day.

Feel free to share an experience of your own if you're happy to, or let me know what you think in the comments, I'd love to hear from you.