Here we are again, man this comes around quickly doesn’t it?! Andy the DM here again, firstly I want to say how heartening it’s been to see so many Fromies who have been vaccinated, grateful to be vaccinated and are feeling fighting fit. With the announcement of yet another vaccine last week things are looking positively hopeful, the road out of this is, I dare say, beginning to appear.
But it will only appear if we all embrace this and hand over a little faith to the scientists and experts who have dedicated their lives to this field. These vaccines are the result of a never before seen, unprecedented collaborative scientific effort. Teams have been working around the clock sharing information with each other with the backing of big government money from all over the world. How lucky we are to live in such a technologically advanced age where mind blowing amounts of crucial information can be sent to almost anywhere in the world instantly. A testament to how much we can achieve together with a little synergy and a common aim. GET IT IN MY ARM!
Moving on from our older residents now and putting the spotlight on our young and hopeful Fromites!
Starting February 1st running through to the 7th is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, it’s so important that we try and imbue into the next generations the importance of frank and honest dialogue surrounding mental health issues.
Being able to understand and articulate our feelings when we aren’t in the best of head spaces is so important, I’d even go as far as to say effective and honest introspection should be valued and encouraged as an essential life skill in our culture and this should start at a young age.
‘Place2Be’ is the children’s mental health charity that is behind the campaign and says: “Expressing yourself is about finding ways to share feelings, thoughts, or ideas, through creativity. This could be through art, music, writing and poetry, dance and drama, photography and film, and doing activities that make you feel good.”. So, let’s encourage our youth (and adults) to explore new and inventive ways to express themselves, and the creative ways that we can share our feelings, our thoughts, and our ideas.
When I was younger (and to this day) wrestling with the energy and unpredictability of ADHD, I channelled all my energy both positive and negative into drumming. The mental and physical nature of it was the perfect catharsis, any negativity or angst was converted into something positive and productive. I’ve since been blessed with many opportunities to play my music all over the world, with heroes and the best bandmates, converting these energies into something others find their own comfort in. We all have an immense potential to harness how we feel and express it in positive individualistic ways that benefit our communities and maybe even the world, but we have to be honest with ourselves and having these tools ingrained at an early age to be in touch with ourselves will only inform our healthiest coping mechanisms, interactions with friends, family and ultimately our whole lives.
One more thing I would like to shout from the rooftops is the vulnerability is a sign of strength not weakness!
