Brushing teeth, taking a bath and maybe hitting the gym – we do a bunch of things for self-care without blinking an eye. But seldom do we pause and dive deep into other aspects of our well-being. This Mental Health Day, One Future Collective organized a self-care workshop to start conversations around different branches of holistic well-being.
The participants walked into the beautiful Wework space wondering about what would a workshop around self-care entail. They all settled in and dissolved in the crowd with a bonding-cum-icebreaker activity which helped participants to know at least a few members from the entire cohort.
The second activity entailed a full-fledged discussion about seven different aspects of well-being. The participants were again divided into groups of two and each group was given a different aspect. They then had to discuss and write down what these different well-being aspects mean to them. Once they were done charting out, the conversations began and these meaningful conversations were stirred deep by our facilitator, Nishma. It allowed for us to see the links between all aspects of well-being, and people sharing personal statements and anecdotes allowed for a personal touch to be added to the activity.
Different aspects of well-being discussed:
- Sexual
- Mental
- Relational
- Emotional
- Spiritual
- Economic
- Physical
After in-depth conversations and a quick coffee break, the participants shared positive affirmations anonymously with each other. The activity surprised them with positive affirmations which many of them admitted would have not said to themselves otherwise. This activity based on a community care theme was a good unwinding segment for everyone.
The spirit of self-care was truly brought out in the workshop when a mental health professional shared that she had taken out the time exclusively to attend this self-care workshop for herself, instead of hosting another workshop for others. Many others also found themselves expressing their personal conflicts and making us truly believe in the power of safe spaces and support groups. The last activity made the audience reflect on their own self-dialogue.
Self-Care and Suicide Prevention
The theme of World Mental Health Day 2019 was suicide prevention. Every 40 seconds, someone loses their life to suicide, so the call to action for this year was to take 40 sections of action. Self-care is an important aspect in mental health and mental well-being. If a loved one, or a stranger, has shared their thoughts of suicide with you, it can be overwhelming. Even if you are able to support that individual, you may also be going through something, or the experience could also take a toll on you, because often, supporting someone is not a one time thing. Self-care allows us to look after ourselves, so we can then be a vital support system to those in need to the best of our ability. Tips such as mindfulness/meditation, crafts and hobbies, spending time with loved ones, reading and journalling all count as ways to look after yourself, and in-depth discussions around self-care techniques and strategies were discussed at our event.
Komal Patil is a One Future Fellow and Harshil Shah is a Research Associate at One Future Collective.
Featured image source: CareersPortal