Headspace Bundaberg have taken to art as a creative outlet and to reconnect in the lead-up to headspace Day on 21 October.
Headspace day is a national day of support for the mental health and wellbeing of all young Australians.
That support is even more important this year with the impacts of COVID-19 and the resulting disconnection from study and work, financial stress and social isolation challenging the mental health and wellbeing of many young people.
To address this in the community, Headspace Bundaberg have used art as a form of therapy.
Community and youth engagement officer at Headspace Bundaberg, Cristel Simmonds, said art enables people to express emotions without words, process complex feelings and find relief from anxiety and depression.
“Art is a wonderful way to explore personal expression,” she said.
“Art is a great way to experience mindfulness as we focus on what we are working on rather than the worries of the day.”
There have been four art workshops held for young people aged 12-25 in Bundaberg leading up to the exhibition on Wednesday, October 21, between 4 and 6pm.
“Our art workshops gave young people an opportunity to reconnect and do something they really enjoyed.
“We were extremely excited to bring in three esteemed local artists to help us explore creative talents and help us hold an exhibition,” said Cristel.
As the National Youth Mental Health Foundation, headspace has collaborated with 115 centres around Australia to highlight the importance of looking after ourselves, one step at a time.
During mental health month (October), headspace Bundaberg is encouraging everyone to join and celebrate headspace Day and share the small steps we can take every day to improve our mental health.
“We can all take small steps each day to support our mental wellness,” said headspace Bundaberg centre manager Dean Hyland.
“Each of us, young or old, can focus on self-care.”
