Arty-Folks

"Your boundaries are not walls.
They are the price of admission for being in your life."

This is a very confident statement about why and where boundaries need to be set - to keep ourselves safe, and for our sanity.

It is your choice who you let into your life.
So choose wisely!

And don't rush in! Give them time to show that they're worthy of your love, care, and attention. 😍

"Loyalty given to the wrong people is not a virtue,
it's a very expensive mistake!"

No idea who first came up with this statement but it's a pretty good one! We've all bent over backwards for the wrong people and suffered for it as a result.

Here's a really good little exercise for you:
From this bank holiday week-end try being loyal to your own self
which means
👉 checking in with how you are feeling and being honest with yourself and also with others
👉 identify what exactly you want to do right here right now and do not make it dependent on others!
👉 say no to doubts that ni**le away at your confidence and self-esteem because you're not being selfish - you are on your way to becoming your own best friend 🥂

Does this surprise you?

A recent survey by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy showed that around 60% of women over 50 struggle with their mental health.

Contributing factors include anxiety, sleep issues, bereavement, loneliness, and glaringly obvious - the menopause.
Sadly 90% of women surveyed had not sought any help.

"What should I ask for help for? The crazy shenanigans that I have experienced in my life that have left me heart broken? That I am seen as a full-time carer to my grown up children and to my elderly parents? That I'm pretty invisible at work and that I'm being taken for granted everywhere I look?

There is no pill that will melt it all away and I'm not prepared to spend the last days of my life feeling dulled by meds. So I grin and bear it!

But I have joined lots of classes and groups where I can meet people who understand and are in the same boat. It's the best medicine in town!"

If you would like to join Arty-Folks next 3-week course visit:
https://arty-folks.org.uk/events/art-for-mental-health-270526

There seems to be a specific term for everything!
Have you heard of 'soft socialising' ?

It's what all social-creative groups do, like knit&natter, art groups, walk groups, board games... It's being with a group of people and enjoying an activity together while gently talking about this and that without any pressure to 'make' conversations or small talk.

These everyday conversations help us develop relationships and friendships over time and have shown to support well-being and reduce social fatigue.

Soft socialising about building connections that don't require constant engagement; it just happens naturally when we're together.

Well, that's what we at Arty-Folks have been doing since day one!
We just called it 'being creative with like-minded people'.

Guess 'soft socialising' is a lot shorter, but it sounds a clinical, no?

We've got a couple of spaces on the 3-week Art for Mental Health course starting this coming Wednesday 27th May, 1pm-3pm

If you live in the CV postcode area and you're struggling with motivation, anxiety, to take positive steps even though you really want to - then this course is for you!

Book your space and we will then call you to talk you through details
https://arty-folks.org.uk/events/art-for-mental-health-270526

No, you don't need to be good at drawing!
All you need is an open mind to learn new skills and we will show you step by step how to achieve a great result 😀

The course is free with materials provided.

"The thought suddenly crossed my mind that I could fail all subjects and then my life would be over. And everyone would be talking about my spectacular failure on social media where it's gonna sit for ever."

How could we ever forget the pressures of sitting exams! The pressures our next generations are under is enormous believing that their grades decide their future.

Looking back on those school experiences many many moons ago we can say that no result will ever define your worth as a person.

Unfortunately our young ones don't know that!
So you must tell them - every day!

To every young person sitting exams we are saying be proud of yourself that you showed up, that you’re doing your best, and that you’ve kept going even when it’s felt overwhelming. 💙

Remember that you've got a life ahead of you which is far bigger than exams. Keep going. Stay strong. You've got this!

Have you got use for a very sturdy table that can be folded?

These Cov.Uni exam tables were amazing useful during Covid!
But now we've got a stash of them and we'd loath to seem them disappear in landfill

If' you'd like to pick one up free please email us [email protected]

We have started very slowly to clear things out at Eaton House as yes, we need to be out by the end of June.

Do you have time Wednesday 20th May 11am-12pm to meet us online and get creative with us?

It's all free and you only need very basic art materials you will have at home, and a cuppa of course!

"I felt so relaxed after the workshop and long into the evening."

Book your place here:
https://arty-folks.org.uk/events/come-connect-200526

Are you the one who always looks capable, reliable, and resilient?

Are you the one who arrives early and leaves late, but somehow others still feel like you're not doing enough?

You might also the one who is silently drowning in an exhaustion so profound that no amount of sleep is restful enough.

This might just be the time to value your own self as equal to others and take a step back before it's too late! There is a natural cut off point after which your body will simply go on strike!

Once you've reached burnout it's a very, very, very slow and arduous way back up.

In our latest project we're exploring our tendency to polarised or
black-or-white thinking, particularly when we're angry or disappointed.

We all had lots of examples to share:
"This is rubbish. I am useless. This always happens to me.
I can't handle it. I never feel at ease."

Judgements like these do not allow us to see that there are time when things actually do go our way, that despite everything that we are experiencing we are still here to fight another day.

In this black/white collage you can see life bringing good and bad to us, but the good is being filtered out and only the bad is being absorbed. Not surprising it's called 'cognitive distortion', and it's causing us huge amounts of depression and anxiety.

It's a great piece of visual storytelling, don't you think?

From a clean and tidy workshop space
to spectacularly messy in just a couple of hours.

And that's only the 1st session in our 3-week Art for Mental Health course 🤣

If you would like to experience what Arty-Folks is all about
you can us online or in-person this month

Online - Come Connect 1hour workshop 20th May
https://arty-folks.org.uk/events/come-connect-200526

or

In-person - Art for Mental Health 3week course starting 27th May
https://arty-folks.org.uk/events/art-for-mental-health-270526

free, and designed specifically for people 16+ in Coventry & Warwickshire who are struggling with their mental health

give it a go!