Mental Health Awareness Week – Weekend

The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is Kindness. Kindness and our mental health are deeply connected and kindness can be an antidote to isolation and create a sense of belonging. We’re sharing Kindness sessions and stories each day this week. Here’s our session for over the weekend for you to enjoy because #KindnesssMatters.

Baking for Wellbeing

Baking is good for your mental health, studies show how baking can have huge benefits for our mental health leaving you feeling calmer and happier afterwards, and some people even reported having more energy.

This article from Happiful Magazine talks about the benefits of baking for your mental health.

Happiful Magazine – Baking is good for you 

Be Kind to Yourself Chocolate Cake

One of our Wellbeing Coordinators, Alison has created an indulgent chocolate cake recipe and for Mental Health Awareness Week she has called it her “be kind to yourself” chocolate cake.

She’s created two videos – mixing the cake mix and then decorating and the end result looks beautiful!

Mixing the Cake

Decorating the Cake

Have you been baking?

If you’ve been baking during lockdown we’d love to see photos of your baking creations! You can email us at [email protected] or if you’re on social media please post your photo and tag us in!

Author: Paula Hall
Posted on: 22nd May 2020

Mental Health Awareness Week – Kindness Collection

Kindness Collection

Throughout Mental Health Awareness Week we’ve been reading so many stories of kindness within our communities. We’ve been touched by the messages that have been shared by colleagues, services users and friends about acts of kindness or tips on self-care. We’ve created a collection of the stories which we hope you enjoy reading through… 

Author: Paula Hall
Posted on: 22nd May 2020

Mental Health Awareness Week – Day 5

The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is Kindness. Kindness and our mental health are deeply connected and kindness can be an antidote to isolation and create a sense of belonging. We’re sharing Kindness sessions and stories each day this week. Be sure to pop back every day to enjoy another session of self-care because #KindnesssMatters

Take some time out for yourself today and relax, it’s important to look after yourself especially during these difficult times.

Our Yoga Teacher, Sarah has shared a 5-minute breathing exercise which will help you feel grounded and relaxed. 

Enjoy a relaxation session

Our partnership agency Recovery Republic (where Rochdale and Disitrict Mind offer one to one appointments and wellbeing sessions for residents of Heywood) have kindly shared their relaxation sessions from Julie Kelly.

If you experience mental health difficulties and would like to know more about what services Recovery Republic offer contact Alice Astley 07766140904.

Do you enjoy yoga and relaxation?

Due to the lockdown rules, our yoga and relaxation classes cannot meet face to face at the moment. If you have enjoyed the above videos and would like to join the classes once they are back up and running please complete our online referral form and one of our Wellbeing Coordinators will be in touch.

In the meantime, you can also look on Julie Kelly’s YouTube page for some more relaxation videos.

Self Referral

Author: Paula Hall
Posted on: 22nd May 2020

Mental Health Awareness Week – Day 4

The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is Kindness. Kindness and our mental health are deeply connected and kindness can be an antidote to isolation and create a sense of belonging. We’re sharing Kindness sessions and stories each day this week. Be sure to pop back every day to enjoy another session of self-care because #KindnesssMatters

Writing for wellbeing

Journalling is a great way to express how you are feeling and process your emotions. There are lots of other ways you can use words to express yourself too. Take a look at the below ideas, which one might you try today?

Create a Happiness Jar

When feeling down it can be easy to forget the good and better times. Times when you’ve succeeded in something; happy times spent with others; things that make you smile; things you’ve done to help

someone else. So remember them.

Each day, spend some time writing them down. Remember the things you have enjoyed; the things that felt like a job well done; the things that helped you feel close to someone else. After a few days, you’ll have a list of things that you can look back on.

Remember, what we think about affects how we feel. Focus on the good things and feel happier for it.

You could collect all of these and keep them in your own happiness jar to open up every now and again and help you feel good.

Writing Stories and Poems

Writing is a great way to express how you are feeling and improve your wellbeing. We have been sent some great pieces of writing that are truly inspirational, please click on the image to read their words.

Writing Music

Jake talks about his life through his music. Life’s turbulences including his experiences of mental health. Jake describes how hard it is to talk about his thoughts and feelings instead he expresses himself through his music.

Interesting fact… the voice in ‘anxiety’ that says “you ok daddy” is actually his son. Jake has adapted and shared the following 3 tracks with Rochdale & District Mind for World Mental Health Week. Thank you Jake!

You can listen to more of Jake Ellis on his soundcloud (Warning Explicit Lyrics) 

Jake’s soundcloud

Writing Riddles

Our Wellbeing Coordinator, Shagufta runs the Women’s Wellbeing Support group. They are unable to meet face to face at the moment so they have created a Whatsapp group to stay connected. Shagufta has shared the riddles they have been posting!

1. What has to be broken before you can use it?

2. What has a head and a tail but no body?

3. What goes up but never comes down?

4. What can you break even if you never pick it up or touch it?

5. What has 88 keys but can’t open a single door?

Scroll down for the answers…

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1. Answer: Egg

2. Answer: Coin

3. Answer: Your Age

4. Answer: A promise

5. Answer: A Piano

How did you get on? Maybe you could have a go at writing some riddles yourself?

Author: Paula Hall
Posted on: 21st May 2020

Mental Health Awareness Week – Day 3

The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is Kindness. Kindness and our mental health are deeply connected and kindness can be an antidote to isolation and create a sense of belonging.

We’re sharing Kindness sessions and stories each day this week. Be sure to pop back every day to enjoy another session of self-care because #KindnesssMatters

Acts of Kindness

Doing something for someone else can help us to feel good too. Do a small act of kindness for someone else, every day, and you’ll feel even better than they do. What’s more, you’ll feel better straight away. It doesn’t have to be a big thing, you can get a lift in your mood by helping someone with their work, cooking a meal or spending time with someone who needs the company.

One of our Counsellors, Sam has shared some ideas she had for kindness acts:

• Make something that reminds or inspires you about someone. 
• Walk someone’s dog if they are unable to get out.
• Write someone a compliment.
• Do a bit of gardening for a neighbour. 
• Keep someone company. (while social distancing)
• Make someone a gift. 

There are lots more acts of kindness ideas on the below link to help with inspiration

Acts of Kindness

Giving through Fundraising

We’re always amazed by the kindness that is shown by our fundraisers and we appreciate every single one.

Our current fundraiser, Joe is just over half-way to running his total of 100 miles over May to raise money for Rochdale and District Mind. You can read more about his story and help him achieve his target here…

Joe’s 100 miles in May

Join in on the ‘Together in One Voice’

There’s a mass doorstep sing-a-long happening – and the whole of Greater Manchester is invited.

On Thursday 28th May, 7.30pm, Greater Manchester will fill the streets with music as local residents and famous faces come ‘Together in One Voice’ for a mass sing-a-long from their doorsteps and windows.

The event is being delivered by Social Enterprise and not-for-profits and will help profile the great work of the Voluntary, Community, Social Enterprose (VCSE) sector across Greater Manchester. This unique and ambitious event will be live-streamed for audiences as it happens and then shared with the nation in full on Sunday 31st May. 

The online rehearsals to learn the songs and harmonies started from Friday 15th May and you can nominate your street to be filmed too!

Read the MEN article about the event for more information:

MEN NEWSPAPER

Author: Paula Hall
Posted on: 20th May 2020

Mental Health Awareness Week – Day 2

The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is Kindness. Kindness and our mental health are deeply connected and kindness can be an antidote to isolation and create a sense of belonging. We’re sharing Kindness sessions and stories each day this week. Be sure to pop back every day to enjoy another session of self-care because #KindnesssMatters

Art for Wellbeing

Why not have a go at creating your own piece of art? You could pick a theme, draw your mood or just let yourself go and see what comes out! Art is a great way to express how you are feeling and improve your wellbeing.

Our Art Volunteer, Myra will be on our Social Café Zoom meeting this Friday 22nd May 2020 between 1 and 1:30pm talking about how art can help with wellbeing and giving our creative tips, everyone is welcome to join us! If you have created some art you could share this with the group!

Looking at other people’s creations in the Zoom Social Café where some people have been kind in sharing creations that they have produced during lock down inspired me to get creative again myself.  What better way to be kind to myself in concentrating on my creativity.

You can read more about our Social Cafés and how to join them here

More about our social cafes

Art Gallery

In the run-up to Mental Health Awareness Week our service users and local Rochdale residents have sent us their amazing pieces of art, each with a wonderfully unique style. We’ve loved watching these pop up in our inboxes! Take a look, you may feel inspired to create something yourself…

Click here to view the Gallery

Living alone, the days tend to merge together. Creating and painting take my mind to a happy place away from voices, worries and uncertain feelings.

Send us your Art!

If you’d like to share your artistic creations we’d love to see them, you can email them in to [email protected] or if you’re on social media you could post a photo of them and tag us in to make sure we see them. Please use #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek and #KindnessMatters to help spread the importance of looking after your mental health.

I live in a busy household, working from home and homeschooling 2 children.  At the end of the day I take time for myself and colour.  It keeps me calm and re charges my batteries ready for the next day head.

Enjoying creating Art?

If you are enjoying creating art you can join our Art 4 Wellbeing Group that meets each week. We are not meeting face to face at the moment due to social distancing rules but our groups are still sending their pieces of art over on email. You can join by filling in our online self-referral form.

Author: Paula Hall
Posted on: 19th May 2020

Mental Health Awareness Week – Day 1

The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is Kindness. Kindness and our mental health are deeply connected and kindness can be an antidote to isolation and create a sense of belonging.

We have created ‘Kindness Sessions’ and we will be posting these on our website each day this week. These sessions will support the positive impact of kindness through self-care which can help boost our self-esteem and wellbeing. 

One act of kindness leads to many more. We have been remembering acts of kindness that have touched, inspired or encouraged us to do something kind ourselves. We will share our ‘Kindness Stories’ on social media and encourage our community to be brave and share their own story using #KindnessMatters and #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek. Please follow us and join in the conversation, this could be kindness you have received or given, or how you are kind to yourself through self-care tips, we’d love to hear them all.

Be sure to pop back every day to enjoy another session of self-care because #KindnesssMatters

Mindful Walking Exercise

Exercise is good for you. So good that when we do it, our body sends happy chemicals to our brains to make us feel good. However we don’t need to go to a gym to get exercise, and during the current lockdown we can’t go.

If you are able to go out for a walk today you could try this mindful walking exercise.

• As you are walking use your senses to become aware of your surroundings and absorb the sights, smells of what’s around you.
• Feel the connection of your body to the ground on each step, notice how your arms feel by your sides, how they are swinging or if they are still.
• Find a walking rhythm that suits your body and your balance and enjoy the experience.
• You can notice your breathing pattern, maybe it changes as you walk up a hill or as you take a deep breath to smell a flower.
• Notice any emotions or feelings you are experiencing and let them be. If your mind is feeling busy let your thoughts arise and return your focus to the sensations you are feeling and the colours that surround you.
• Look around you at the shapes of the buildings or the beautiful colours of nature.

I’ve discovered a new world on my doorstep, a place I’d never noticed before, it’s full of trees, flowers and birds.

Share photos from your walk

We’d love to see the photos you take on your walks and share them on this page, you can email them in to [email protected] or if you’re on social media you could post your photos (please tag us in to make sure we see them). You can use #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek and #KindnessMatters to help spread the importance of looking after your mental health.

Diane has been exploring her local area and has sent in some lovely photos which she has titled ‘Rochdale in Lockdown’. Thank you Diane for sending your beautiful photos in. Please click on each photo to view them larger.

Enjoying your walks?

If you enjoy your walks you can join in on the Walking Minds group. It is not active at the moment due to social distancing rules but once it is safe for them to gather again you would be welcome to join the group.

Please contact Lee Marshall, our walking volunteer and he’d be happy to let you know what the plans are for the future on [email protected]

Author: Paula Hall
Posted on: 18th May 2020

Art 4 Wellbeing Gallery May

Take a look at the fantastic work produced at home throughout May

Although our groups cannot meet face to face at the moment our service users and local Rochdale residents have been creating some wonderful artwork at home.

If you would like to join our Art 4 Wellbeing Group please get in touch, we welcome newcomers to the group.

Thank you Rochdale Mind for letting me take part in this virtual gallery it is something very special to me and I know others will benefit from it too.

Click on the below images to see the art in more detail.

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Winter Sea At Tel Aviv By Steve Bewick

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Under The Sea By Holly

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The Visitor By Derek Patton

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The Future Is Green By Steve Bewick

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Reading Woman By Buli Corby

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Positive Thinking By Elena

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Port Isaac By Buli Corby

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Owl Therapy By Owen

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New World By Holly

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Manchester By Diane

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Lockdown Through My Eyes By Holly

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Light By Holly

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Lady In Red In The Bedroom By Steve Bewick

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Jade Mevans Thrush

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Jade Mevans Robin

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Jade Mevans Robin In Flight

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Jade Mevans Robin Drawn With Left Hand

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Jade Mevans Robin 3

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Jade Mevans Robin 2

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Jade Mevans Bullfinch

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Jade Mevans Bluetit

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Jade Mevans Bluetit In Flight

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GOLDHILL By Buli Corby

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Face Of Ballerina By Buli Corby

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By Derek Patton 4

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By Derek Patton 3

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By Derek Patton 2

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By Derek Patton 1

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Butterfly By Buli Corby

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Beyond The Universe By Mark

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Beyond The Universe By Mark 5

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Beyond The Universe By Mark 4

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Beyond The Universe By Mark 3

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Beyond The Universe By Mark 2

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A Message To My Grandparents Miss You By Elena

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Chet Baker & Red Trumpet By Steve Bewick

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Lock Down Face By Ella Brown

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Lockdown Art By Zoe

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Fishquins By Myra Moncaster

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Fishquins By Myra Moncaster 2

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Art Therapy Colouring By Angela

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By Keeley

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Art Therapy Colouring By Angela 2

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Art Therapy Colouring By Angela 3

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Art Therapy Colouring By Angela 4

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Art Therapy Colouring By Angela 5

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Art Therapy Colouring By Angela 6

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Art Therapy Colouring By Angela 7

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Art Therapy Colouring By Angela 8

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Art Therapy Colouring By Angela 9

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Art Therapy Colouring By Angela 10

Author: Paula Hall
Posted on: 16th May 2020

Kindness for Mental Health Awareness Week 2020

Mental Health Awareness Week

Mental Health Awareness Week (18-24 May) focuses on the power and potential of kindness. Protecting our mental health is going to be central to us coping with and recovering from the coronavirus pandemic – with the psychological and social impacts likely to outlast the physical symptoms of the virus.  

Mark Rowland the Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation talks about why kindness is the theme for mental health awareness week 2020 – and why it could be the most important week they’ve ever run…
“Last week, I waited in a socially distanced queue outside the supermarket as the rain started to fall.”

“One of the staff noticed we were getting wet. He scurried away to find a pile of umbrellas, carefully disinfected the handles and passed them out with a smile. To my surprise, my eyes started to well up. At a time when I felt alone, I suddenly felt connected.”

“If I asked you the last time you gave or experienced kindness, you would tell me stories of when you felt moved, protected, held, seen, loved.” 

Why kindness?  

Kindness has been chosen because of its singular ability to unlock our shared humanity. Kindness strengthens relationships, develops community and deepens solidarity. It is a cornerstone of our individual and collective mental health. Wisdom from every culture across history recognises that kindness is something that all human beings need to experience and practise to be fully alive.  

Celebrate kindness

But we also want to shine a light on the ways that kindness is already flowering at this time. We have seen it in the dancing eyes of 100-year-old Captain Tom Moore as he walked his garden to raise money for the NHS and in the mutual aid groups responding to local needs. We want that kindness to spread further in every community in the UK. 

Finally, we want to use the week to explore the sort of society we would like to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.

How you can join in

Kindness Stories

We are asking our colleagues to tell us about a ‘Kindness Story’ that has touched, inspired or encouraged them to do something kind themselves. We will share our stories on social media and encourage our community to be brave and share their own story using #KindnessMatters and #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek.

Online Kindness Sessions

We are planning a selection of online sessions on our website throughout the week, look out for updates on social media. These sessions will support the positive impact of kindness through self-care which can help boost our self-esteem and wellbeing. Kindness and our mental health are deeply connected and kindness can be an antidote to isolation and create a sense of belonging.

Involving our Service Users

We don’t want our service users that aren’t online to miss out. We’ll be contacting our service users asking them if they would like to share a Kindness Story with us. We will collate all the Kindness Stories and send them out in a printed booklet for our service users to read at home.

We’re looking forward to sharing some lovely Kindness Stories. Please follow and share our stories throughout the week on social media and our website and don’t forget to tag us in too!

#KindnessMatters #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek

Author: Paula Hall
Posted on: 11th May 2020