It’s Mental Health Awareness Week, an annual week-long event providing an opportunity for the public to talk about all aspects of mental health, and start conversations about the things in our daily lives that can affect it. With the coronavirus pandemic taking a huge toll on our mental health and wellbeing, it is more important than ever before to break down stigma and speak openly about how we feel.
At the Maya Centre, we’re renewing our commitment to providing a safe space for women on the margins who have experienced mental health issues, ensuring they have access to inclusive and accessible counselling that will set them on a path to recovery and resilience.
It’s clear that we all need to step up the fight for mental health, whether we’re sparking conversations on social media and holding virtual fundraisers, or lobbying our policy-makers for properly funded mental health services. Every action, no matter how big or small, helps to move the conversation forward; and as we emerge from the pandemic, these actions will prove vital in shaping a kinder society and improving our collective mental health.
One of the most thoughtful ways to show someone that we care, especially in times of physical separation, is by sending a handwritten note. Research has shown that receiving letters can boost recipients’ mental health and act as a form of social support, even if you can’t be with a loved one in person. What’s more, the act of letter writing itself is a mindful activity, which is great for our wellbeing.
That’s why this Mental Health Awareness Week, we’re encouraging our supporters to put pen to paper with our new limited edition art cards, designed and created by our talented art therapist Joanna Sellam.
Featuring four beautiful portraits, the A5 designs are based on original artworks in oil, pastel and acrylic, and are blank inside for your own personal message. Priced at £11.99, all proceeds from the campaign will be donated directly to the Maya Centre to enable us to provide long-term counselling for women with limited resources in Islington.
The art therapy group is a safe and supportive space in which women can come together and be creative, explore issues and share thoughts and feelings in both a verbal and non-verbal way. Through the use of art, Joanna helps women to express their feelings and address emotional issues which may be confusing and distressing and that are often very difficult to talk about. For more information, please click here.