When was the last time you really took notice of your surroundings? Whether it’s natural beauty or some unique and interesting detail that usually goes unnoticed? So often we go through life and we forget to be aware of the world around us.
For this wellbeing workshop I helped participants get in touch with their inner child so as to begin the new year by savouring each and every precious moment of life. I began by sharing my life story and the work I’ve done in psychoanalysis, Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy, C.B.T., E.M.D.R, hypnotherapy and aromatherapy. After offering my insights and advice to participants, they in turn told their own stories and began to work towards positive change and emotional wellness. Everyone drew an image that represented their identity and discussed these with the group.Then, to get our bodies in tune with the newfound openness and flexibility of our minds, we performed theatrical mirroring exercises, folk dancing as well as a full-on aerobic workout.
Healthful snacks were provided.Just say no to cupcakes!A selection of self-help literature was available for browsing.My drawing shows me stradled between New York and London while awaiting the UK Border Agency's decision on my residency application.This participant depicted himself as calm and clearly defined on the outside while inside he is full of insecure emotions.This participant "came up against a brick wall" when asked to represent himself, but after a while a tree began to sprout up and make itself visible.This drawing depicted a key moment in the participant's life when he came out to his parents while they were driving in the fast lane.This participant said he spends too much time on the internet and is overprone to glibly applying computer metaphors to his state of mind.This woman felt overwhelmed by her competing interests and talents and was struggling to find direction and balance.This woman was hungover.We did an exercise where we each wrote down 3 achievements or talents, 3 things we are bad at and 1 or 2 things we are average at. This is to disprove negative self-rating; as human beings we are much too complex to be given a single overall rating.
