Wellbeing Magic

Our Erewash Wellbeing Taster Sessions are underway. We are now two sessions in and the thing that has really stayed with me after both, is the wellbeing magic that seems to have been sprinkled upon us all by the end of each session.

We arrive a bit frazzled and unsettled from whatever the day or world has thrown at us, but leave calm, connected and content.

But no wild magic spell has been cast, this has been conjured up purely from a group of people taking the time to pause, slow down, connect and care for one another. We sit together, whether that be around the cosy table at Our Crafty Place or under the giant nurturing trees in Erewash Museum Gardens. And as we sit, hands busy creating, cutting, sticking, designing, imagining; the conversations flow. Our nervous systems relax, our breath slows and our dopamine levels rise as we laugh together, listen to each other and inspire one another with wellbeing ideas. Thoughts of kitchen discos before bed, gardening tips and motivations to finally start reading that book or ring that friend.

Connection and community are at the heart of these tasters. Within each taster a micro community is formed, as sessions are co-facilitated by me (Beth Sheldon – Creative In Place Erewash) alongside a number of wonderful humans who live and work in Erewash, who are all already doing brilliant creative health focused work on their doorsteps. Add into that mix the wonderful mental health team from Erewash Primary Care network who have also been popping along to lead a little destress exercise to each session (whether that be a muscle relaxation exercise – great done before bed, or a meditation to connect us with nature). Each week feels like as a community we are collectively adding new creative ideas and exercises to each other’s wellbeing tool kits as we build together week on week.

Underlying each session is the core belief that we all know what we need to stay well, if we just take the time to slow down, reconnect with ourselves and listen to our own wisdom.

And maybe that is what the feel good magic is right there…that by the end of the session, by simply being together collectively, focusing on wellbeing, we all give ourselves permission to stop and to listen to our own inner wisdom of what we need.

These free wellbeing taster sessions took place on Mondays throughout June and July from 11am – 1pm and were co-facilitated by Beth alongside Garden Designer Susy Smith, Viv Smith and team from Our Crafty Place, Gemma Gwen Armes from Ilkon Gallery & Susie Lambert from Walks 4 Wellbeing /Better Ways For Better Days and members of the Mental health team from Erewash Primary Care Network.