Remembering Jill Dibling

Jill Dibling in 2017 with her artwork

Derek Turner writes:

It was with a deep sense of sadness that I learnt recently that Jill had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Three days ago, I learnt that she had passed away. My sense of sadness deepened with the fact that I would be unable to celebrate Jill’s life at The Pales Meeting House in Llandegley on Saturday 14th December 2019. It was typical of Jill that she did not want visitors, she would manage her illness, and her final days, in her own way with the support of ‘her girls’.

Jill was a pioneer in modern thinking about mental health. She not only had her own lived experience but she had ‘lived expertise’ as well. By lived expertise I mean that she learnt valuable skills from her own overcoming of the challenges she faced. It was her ability to use this expertise to the benefit of other people that makes her stand out. 

Jill helped in the founding of Mid Powys Mind and later became Chair. She was equally involved in Powys Mental Health Alliance. It was in this later participation that I had most to do with Jill. The Alliance was run entirely by people with lived experience but it was Jill who was behind the radical approach to service provision that drew on her own expertise. Jill had a quiet tenacity that more often than not won the day when others might be sceptical about what could be achieved by people who were so often dismissed as mere ‘service users’.

Jill (right) with Pat Atkinson of Powys Mental Health Alliance in 2009

It would however be wrong to remember Jill just in terms of mental health services. She was a committed artist whose work has been described as experimental. She passionately believed in the benefits for some people in the creative value of art in mental health and wellbeing. Jill would sing with the Peace Choir at the Pales Meeting House, but, if asked, Jill would probably see her role as a mother to her girls as her most important contribution.

There was a positive energy from Jill that gave us all hope. She will be missed in by all those who knew her, and her contribution to mental health services in Llandrindod, Powys and Wales, should not be forgotten.

Jill (far right) at the launch of the Powys "Yellow Book" of mental health information in 2000

Freda Lacey writes:

Jill was always someone who was open to developing and growing her knowledge. She was very involved in the lottery-funded DIY Futures project and was a firm proponent of the abilities of people to be very much co-creators of their own mental health care and treating people as experts in their own care.

I knew Jill in the capacity of my working with her in Participation, her patience and care of working with others and her openness to listening to other people’s views and her encouragement of people speaking up and asking for what they wanted. She was always supportive of me and I felt her deep care… She’d always have time for a coffee and would, in my early days, offer me guidance or knowledge of a situation or history/story that was invariably really important and valuable to know.

Jill with colleagues from Powys Mental Health Alliance in 2010

Jill undertook some Open University courses that I supported her on and certainly our discussions about her essays and her dedicated focus on learning inspired me, she was always wanting to improve her knowledge and continue to grow and learn.

Jill was a skilled professional volunteer contributing outstanding knowledge and guidance to mental health services in Powys, particularly her support of individuals coming together as peers. She was recently awarded a life achievement award by Mid Powys Mind which was very well deserved. 

I will miss her, her quiet support and the way she would invite sharing. I will miss her steadfastness and extraordinary lived experience, her gentleness and yet her solid convictions on what was right and what was needed. Her loss in respect of mental health services in Mid Powys will be keenly felt.

Letting go – a poem by Jill Dibling 

Jill at the grand opening of the Wellness & Recovery Learning
Centre on Felindre Ward, Bronllys Hospital, in 2014.

The creeper went west
With the wind from virginia.
The tall trees went south
With the wind from the north.
The gardens went wild as
The weeds became stronger -
They thrived and they seeded
And then they took hold
Of the lawns and the beds
Where the roses were growing.

Then all became clear as
Their strength was revealed.
The moss covered stones and
The fungi grew bold
On the wood of the roof and
The door and the sills.
The pools formed and swirled and
Spawned life of their own.

Then at last we let go of
The home that had bound us.
The breath of the earth and
The light could surround us
And free us to enter
That world that had found us.


Derek Turner worked for many years as a Mental Health Development Worker at Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations.

Freda Lacey is the Mental Health Partnership Manager, Powys Teaching Health Board, and previously the Senior Officer Health & Wellbeing at PAVO.

Christmas is upon us! Let's spread the love

by Jackie Newey & Jen Hawkins

There are lots of reasons why someone might be faced with the prospect of spending Christmas Day on their own. Some people may choose this option - which is absolutely fine. Others may have lost a loved one - a husband, wife or long-term partner, or parent, during the course of the year, and be dreading their first ever Christmas alone. Other people of any age may work a long way away from close family and friends and not be in a position to travel and spend time with them.

Sadly, however, it is much more likely that it will be older people who face Christmas alone. Some older people may not see anyone, or even have a phone call on Christmas Day, never mind receive a gift or join in a shared meal. A new Age UK report published on 3 December 2019 estimates that more than 200,000 older people in the UK will spend Christmas alone this year. Those who have recently been widowed struggle the most. The poignancy of this situation is brilliantly illustrated in a short video called "Stella" from Reengage UK (formerly Contact the Elderly).

Joanna Lumley, Age UK Ambassador, says: "Loneliness is one of the most disabling and dispiriting situations that thousands must face this and every year. Even pulling a Christmas cracker needs someone at the other end...and think of all the other moments when a kind hand, a warm voice, and understanding presence would be of even greater benefit to a lonely troubled person.”

Prompted by attending the Powys Bereavement Project launch earlier this month (planned to coincide with the first ever National Grief Awareness Week), Jen decided to try and find out if there were any events or lunches organised by groups in Powys for people to attend if they were by themselves on Christmas Day. Early on in her investigations she was pleasantly surprised by the number and spread of activities across the county. Some of the organisations are even offering to organise transport where needed.

Before long we were both absolutely overwhelmed by the sheer generosity of individuals linked to voluntary groups, churches and even private organisations, who are working tirelessly to ensure people in their communities do not have to face Christmas alone. Indeed most of the lunches / events are free to attend and run on donations and good old community Christmas spirit!

One church in Newtown provides meals for up to one hundred people each year who are elderly or vulnerable and on their own at Christmas. Working with a local sandwich shop, who donate their time and the main course of the meal, a delicious Christmas dinner is prepared, taking into consideration different dietary and lifestyle requirements. Volunteers at the church gather on Christmas morning to organise the food parcels to be delivered to the local residents. 

As well as a Christmas dinner each person receives a newspaper, a dessert and a small gift. It’s not just a flying visit just to drop off either. There is a true sense of Christmas spirit with volunteers staying to chat and keep people company for up to half an hour. Many volunteers have been delivering parcels for several years, visiting the same people each year to build relationships, foster friendships and maintain a sense of continuity and connection. Places have been filled for this year but if you know of someone who would benefit next year please get in touch and we can refer you to the relevant organisations.

Powys really wears its heart on its sleeve when it comes to caring for people in the community at Christmas. What was heartwarming and poignant to discover is that support at Christmas isn’t just localised in one area of Powys. Support and care is provided right across the county from a Christmas meal in Llanfyllin organised by local people and business, to hot drinks and mince pies at the village hall in Presteigne, to board games, bacon butties and hot chocolate at the Greek Restaurant in Brecon with Credu - Connecting Carers. The range of support and provision is varied and heartfelt. 

Other Christmas Day lunches and events are listed on our website events calendar. Some are now fully booked, but others still offer places, or are more informal spaces, where people can meet up with others on Christmas Day. Enjoy a chat, a drink (non-alcoholic or not), listen to music, laugh together (or not!) at some of those dreadful Christmas cracker jokes, and eat a Christmas dinner (roast turkey, or not!) together.

In the end Christmas Day is just one day of the year. What about the other 364 (or in 2020, which is a Leap Year, 365) days? Powys Befrienders is a PAVO project helping to improve the independence of people aged 50 and over in the county by encouraging thriving social networks. This can have huge knock on benefits, not only in people feeling happier in themselves and enjoying life more, but in their ability to remain in their own homes for longer.

Isolation and loneliness can be big issues, especially in a large rural county like Powys. But there is support out there, whether at Christmas or any other time of the year. And the main message we took away from this small piece of work is that generally people in Powys don’t need to spend Christmas Day alone if they don’t want to!

With seasons greetings to all our readers, and hoping that your Christmas is as busy or as quiet as you would really wish.

If you need support over the Christmas period, however, for whatever reason, then take a look at our website page with details of organisations that can help.

There is also an excellent blog post, with tips on how to survive Christmas, on local mental health charity Ponthafren Association’s website - Beat the Christmas Blues.

Eating disorders' services review in Wales

by guest author Helen Missen

Powys resident Helen Missen, a passionate advocate and voice in Wales for change in mental health services, particularly those provided to people experiencing eating disorders, has been closely involved on the panel for the recent Welsh Government Eating Disorders’ Review. She tells us more about it. 

Eating disorders continue to have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric diagnosis, across the world. They are often thought of as difficult to treat, though with early intervention, evidence shows a good chance of recovery. 

In Wales, and especially Powys, early intervention with specialist provision is still underwhelming. After my daughter became ill with Anorexia nervosa in 2009, I realised there was an urgent need for change. As well as a petition to the Welsh Government, I started to learn as much as I could about eating disorders and services, in Powys, Wales, the UK, and internationally.

When you, or a loved one, has something as complex as an eating disorder, the frustration of constantly going to somewhere like Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), or adult services, where a couple of days of training does not make the staff experts, is demoralising.

It’s a bit like taking someone with a heart attack constantly to the GP and them saying – "I’ve read that in the book, I know this is what you’re supposed to do, but I don’t have any of the skills to do it."

Generally, a referral to the specialist is the norm in physical health. In mental health, a couple of training sessions deems a clinical provider a specialist. That, for parents and carers, and those with a diagnosis, is very frustrating. As well as dangerous.

The 2009 Framework for Eating Disorders was established by the Welsh Government on behalf of services. It was deemed at that time, that there was too little specialist input for eating disorders in adult services. CAMHS were, and are still thought to have enough generic help, something that does need to be changed.

Mental health eating disorder services are tiered from Level 1 - GP / school nurse / health visitor, to Level 4 - inpatient services. As a result of the framework four specialist adult eating disorder teams were set up at tier 3 level across Wales – one in the North and three in South Wales. Powys is covered by both the North and South teams at the moment. £1 million pounds recurring was given to those four teams, which obviously isn’t a great amount.

The four teams are run by psychologists and specialist trained nurses, with a couple of psychiatrists overseeing CAMHS but not necessarily in adult services. Clearly still underfunded, and with too few specialist staff at tiers 1 & 2, the strain on staff and patients continues.

My involvement for change began when I submitted a petition in 2010. The petition called for equal funding for CAMHS provision as there was for adult services.

It is well known that eating disorders generally start in the teenage years, around puberty. Although increasingly they are being diagnosed earlier and occasionally they may not present until later in life.

That petition is still running.

Unfortunately, services in Powys are very similar to how they were 10 years ago when the petition was first submitted, which is very frustrating for me. I have worked very closely with the eating disorder groups across Wales, and sit on Boards nationally and internationally. It grieves me that Powys hasn’t moved on in that time.

However, things are changing! 

In 2016 Public Health Wales was commissioned to do a refresh of the 2009 framework. Out of that came the recommendation that there should be a review of the Eating Disorder Framework.

“There now needs to be another major reconfiguration to move to align the service with the new emphasis on working seamlessly across agencies across Wales in the interests of promoting wellbeing and emphasising timely and effective early intervention. This is also to align with recommendations and directives in the NICE (National Institute for Health & Care) guidelines for eating disorders (2017), the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 as well as multiple documents emanating from the Welsh Government in related arenas." 

The refresh came from Vaughan Gething, Minister for Health & Social Services, who commissioned Professor Jacinta Tan to do the review on behalf of the government. Professor Tan is a child and adolescent psychiatrist as well as an academic. She has a great heart for the children and families who suffer with eating disorder.

I was invited to be on the core team selected by Professor Tan, to help her gather information from the public. 

Unusually, for this type of large piece of government work, Professor Tan decided that to hear from the public first would provide the most important underpinning for the review. By holding four public workshops across Wales, one at each 'corner' of Wales, with a team of lay people who were representative of service users and carers facilitating the days, she was breaking new ground in the pure sense of providing the voice of the people.

The question Jacinta posed each day was: "what would be your ideal service?" which for any carer or person with an illness to be asked was quite monumental; a game changer in a way. Following the question, Professor Tan stood back and the day was run by the core team, with no input from clinicians. Never were the groups led in what to say... it was complete freedom. There were horror stories, and good stories.

Those workshops attracted carers, patients, people with lived experience, and a men’s group to hear partners’/ husbands’ / brothers’ perspectives. It was fascinating to listen to and be involved in.

At last people were given a voice.

By the end, all four workshops illicited very much the same pattern of what they wanted. The themes that ran throughout were: there are things that are really working well and amazing people doing the work, however, there are not enough specialists and very little specialist early intervention.

The underlying principles which people wanted:

1. Early detection and intervention. Helping people, like teachers and parents, to identify people who might have an eating disorder to have access to support and help.
2. Inclusivity. Never turn people away. Anyone in distress who thinks they are, or a loved one who might have an eating disorder, deserves a response.
3. To be person-centred. To have prompt expert help for those who might have eating disorders. Giving people what they need and trying as far as possible to deliver it to them where they are. To provide person-centred and holistic care for the person and the whole family.
4. Relationship based.
5. Recovery focussed.
6. Trauma informed.

There were 22 recommendations made by Jacinta which the government has taken on board. The entire 300 page paper has been sanctioned.

What does this mean for Powys?

The Health Secretary then wrote a letter to all the health boards in Wales, of which Powys Teaching Health Board is one, citing four recommendations to be upheld. Each health board had to give their strategies on how they will enforce the changes he requires:

1. Consider the review, provide feedback and identify where key incremental changes could be made to ensure that longer term service planning can align with the ambition of the review.
2. Work towards achieving the National Institute for Health & Care (NICE) standards for eating disorders within two years.
3. Develop plans to achieve a four week waiting time across adult and child services recommended in the review within two years.
4. Reconfigure services towards earlier intervention.

These submissions had to be on Mr Gething's desk by 8 November 2019.

One of the recommendations from the Health Minister is that the borders between health boards are to be grey areas. As it stands, there is too much financial segregation between health boards. If one health board has a service that may or would benefit patients in another health board, it is not necessarily shared across the invisible (to the public) borders. Therefore, the current system is not not bringing the best care to all members of the public.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in North Wales, for example, has an early intervention team (SPEED) created specifically for children and adolescents. It is a multi-disciplinary team that assesses and then treats people with very early stages of an eating disorder in that area. This approach ensures substantial financial savings for a health board, and years of suffering could be avoided for the person with a potential eating disorder.

The CAMHS team in Aneurin Bevan University Health Board in south east Wales is also setting up a new SPEED team.

Under the current system in Powys, children are not referred to this vitally important specialist team early enough in the onset of the illnesses. 

I would encourage the CAMHS representatives in Powys to dial into the SPEED teams quickly. To start working without borders.

Early intervention gets people out of an illness, and into recovery, avoiding the entrenched state which can then last a lifetime. It is known that with eating disorders there is always time for recovery.

I know personally, and also from hundreds of people across the world, that to ask for and demand the specialists, to not be frightened to question the system, does bring about better treatment and best practice.

It works both ways!

Don’t be too proud to ask for help from expert sources outside Powys, be you a clinician, carer, or someone living with an eating disorder. Until my daughter got sick I had very little understanding of eating disorders. As with many diagnoses: until you’ve lived it you don’t understand how life changing it can be.

I have become an expert by experience. Though, for all of the experience I now have on both sides of the proverbial table, I do wish I had never come across eating disorders.

Would I do it all again? Without a shadow of a doubt. Changing a system takes time.

A small stone makes a large ripple. 

Further help

F.E.A.S.T is a national organisation providing help and support to parents, carers and significant others in the lives of people who have eating disorders.

BEAT is the UK’s eating disorder charity.

Anorexia and bulimia care is a national UK eating disorder charity.

Repping on the Carers’ Steering Group in Powys – as a young carer

Emily and her Mum

Emily Bleakley is a young carer and also a young carers’ rep on the new Carers’ Steering Group in Powys. The first steering group meeting was convened in November 2018 as part of the Powys Health & Care Strategy overseen by the Powys Regional Partnership Board.

A year on and it seemed like a good time to find out more about how the steering group is developing and working, so we caught up with Emily to find out more.

To start off could you give us a little background about your own caring role?

I started to call myself a young carer when I was 14 years old. Over the past two years my caring role has been quite varied. I used to be the primary carer for my mum who died last year from terminal bladder cancer. At the same time, I cared for my younger brother who has autism. However, since my mum's death, I now help my brother to process his grief whilst also helping around the house.

Who has provided support to you during your time as a carer?

At the beginning of my caring journey, I didn't really want to accept help as I thought what I was doing was normal. However, after having a conversation with some of my teachers at school, I decided to talk to an outreach worker from Credu Connecting Carers as I wanted to meet carers with similar experiences to me. Since that initial meeting two years ago, I have continued to work closely with Credu and I really value the support I receive from them.

Why did you decide to take up the opportunity as a rep on the Carers' Steering Group?

I really value advocacy opportunities to give my views on carer-related issues in Powys. When the email came through asking whether I'd like to take up the position, naturally I jumped at the opportunity to represent the voices of Powys' young carers.

What was the main reason for setting up the steering group and what are the main objectives now?

In my opinion, the reason for setting up the Carers' Steering Group was to share experience about the support available for carers in Powys and to ensure its future. Our main objective is to discuss the priorities within carers' support as well as to represent the carers of Powys in a way that allows support to target individual carers' needs. 

Emily with her brother & her Mum

How often does the group meet and who else is involved? 

The group meets three times a year at a minimum. However, there are occasions when an extraordinary meeting is necessary. This is always accommodated well to allow representatives time to look over any paperwork or prepare any presentations.

There are representatives from Credu Connecting Carers, Hafal Crossroads, Children's Services, Health Services, Education Services and Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations.

What are the key issues for carers in Powys at the moment, and for young carers in particular?

Raising awareness and respite are the most common issues that keep coming up. Raising awareness is an issue that is raised by nearly every young carer I have spoken to. This is mainly because we all want to get our voices heard and make a difference in matters that impact upon our futures.

What have been the steering group's main areas of progress so far?

I would say that the steering group's main area of progress would be our consultations with the members of the caring communities that we represent. We then go on to include their feedback in our findings on how we can aim to continue providing support for carers in an effective way, whilst also contemplating any necessary improvements and how best to implement them.

What are the main challenges for you of your role on the steering group?

I am yet to come across any challenges within my role on the steering group. This is predominately because the other members are able to clear up any of the terms I don't understand in any of the documents or presentations I come across.

Tell us about some of the most rewarding work you have done so far with the steering group

One of the most rewarding parts of our work is to raise awareness of the need for carers' voices to be heard on a wider scale. We do this by consulting with people we know as well as through events we organise and attend as part of the steering group. Knowing that support for carers in Powys will continue to grow is undoubtedly the most rewarding outcome for us all.

When you are not busy with your various caring and educational responsibilities, how do you enjoy spending your time?

I enjoy attending events to raise awareness of issues such as educational support for young and young adult carers to make sure that I get a say in my future as well as to raise issues on behalf of my peers.

I am also doing a charity skydive on the 8th February next year that I am busy fundraising for. I am doing this to raise funds for Credu Connecting Carers and Cancer Research. This is something that I have always wanted to do in memory of my mum.

Many thanks to Emily for telling us about her experiences on the Carers’ Steering Group. If you would like to find out more information about the steering group then please get in touch with Credu Connecting Carers by ringing 01597 823 800 or emailing info@credu.cymru

The Big Data and Mental Health Survey

by Professor Ann John and Amanda Marchant 

Professor Ann John and Amanda Marchant work at Swansea University on research projects looking at childhood and adolescent mental health, self-harm and suicide prevention. As a team they want their research to help improve mental health support for people. We find out more about their latest survey.

Here at the Adolescent Mental Health Data Platform (ADP) and Self-Harm Research UK (SHARE UK), we are running a survey to learn more about how future research can answer the questions that matter to you. This will help to shape our research and to help us push for the right changes to mental health support and care. 

Professor Ann John

Transforming young people’s mental health research

The ADP represents a ‘step change’ in youth mental health research by bringing billions of pieces of data together anonymously and securely in one place. This includes health, social, education and information from individual research studies all brought together. This is a unique resource bringing together researchers from across the world making it easier and faster to deliver results.

ADP research will be used to improve young people’s mental health care

Professor Ann John, the lead of the ADP, joined forces with other youth mental health researchers in Cardiff University (Professors Collishaw, Rice, Thapar, Moore and Murphy) to lead the ‘Big Data’ theme in the recently funded Wolfson Centre for Young People’s Mental Health (Cardiff and Swansea Universities). This is an exciting new development and this survey will help inform the ‘big data’ work - please get involved.

Your views matter

The ADP is a powerful resource for young people’s mental health research. But the data is just one part of the story. We are also bringing together the voices of young people through our Be Heard page and work with the MQ Young Peoples' Advisory Group. 

Young people make a big difference in helping us to push for the right kinds of changes. This can be changes to healthcare, support and service provision. Our goal is to improve and potentially save lives. Your views and opinions steer our research to make sure we are answering the right questions in the right way. 

The Big Data and Mental Health Research Survey

Data is created all the time. Every time we buy something online, post something on Instagram or visit a GP, are just a few examples. All of this data has the potential to be anonymised and brought together to be used for research. But which data should be used? What kind of research should it be used for? Who should have access to it? How much do you know about how data is anonymised and protected?

Getting answers to questions like these is the purpose of The Big Data and Mental Health Research Survey  We want to know more about your feelings on the use of your data for research. This includes feelings about healthcare information and personal information such as social media posts. We want to know more about how you feel about this data being used, who should have access to it, and how it should be looked after. 

Amanda Marchant

The survey is open to young people aged 16 - 24 and takes around 10 - 15 minutes with a combination of multiple choice and free text answers. You are free to tell us as much or as little as you like. If you don’t want to answer a question, you can just leave it blank. 

The survey will run until the 31st January 2020 and we want to hear from as many people as possible:

The Big Data & Mental Health Survey.

 

Find out more about this important research at Cardiff and Swansea Universities by following the project on social media:

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

Stress Awareness Week 2019

This week is International Stress Awareness Week which is organised by the International Stress Management Association (ISMA).

Stress is defined by the Mental Health Foundation as “the degree to which you feel overwhelmed or unable to cope as a result of pressures that are unmanageable”.

The theme of Stress Awareness Week this year is Resilience, so we decided to ask a few PAVO colleagues what stress looks like to them (be that work-related or personal stress) and the strategies they use to bounce back from a period of stress.

How do you know you are stressed?

• I start organising things and get really “stressy” busy. I tidy in a manic fashion.
• I can’t sleep at night for ruminating. My mind wanders back to the stress. I can’t enjoy any leisure time.
• I start to talk quickly, my speech really speeds up.
• I get anxious. My heartbeat is faster. I’m sometimes short of breath. And my stomach plays up something chronic. At work I’m completely unfocused and rush from one task to another.
• I don’t sleep and I usually find it very easy to sleep.
• I eat more. And some of the stuff that’s not good for me like cake. And I drink more.
• I go into manic mode first and then my sleep’s disturbed. My skin can erupt and I get snappy.
• I can’t think straight. I can’t prioritise.
• I get irritable and snappy.
• I get impatient with people and / or things because I need to get on and deal with whatever’s causing me stress.

What helps you deal with stress?

• Keeping busy. I get more stressed if I overthink things. If I distract myself with busyness I can process things in a more rational fashion.
• I make lists. I can transfer the stress from my head to the paper and it’s parked. I do it for work and home.
• I like to go for a walk by the sea, listen to the waves and feel the sea breeze. I love it.
• I’m mindful that I need to take time out. An alarm bell will ring and I know I need to get out of the stressful situation and deal with it or I know it’s a slippery slope.
• I have a “happiness box” to look through when I’m feeling down. It contains little items that make you happy. It could be anything. A picture of your family. Something in your favourite colour. A poem. A magazine. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it’s very personal to you.
• I like my guided meditation app. It really helps me sleep - it clears your mind.
• Offloading. You should never go home from work with the worries of the day. 99% of the time that gets rid of any stress before I go home.
• Simply looking out of the window for a moment or popping out for a walk in the beautiful Dolerw Park.
• Being outside. Walking. Exercise. Healthy eating. Time to myself. Essential oils. And saying no.
• Cutting off from what I’m doing and distracting myself with something non work-related for a few minutes.
• Time out. Having a rant and then I’m fine after that.
• Exercise. Fresh air. Dogs.
• I make a decision to get up at 6am and into my routine of yoga and meditation followed by breakfast. I also make my lunch which means I’m not skipping meals or snacking. And I feel more in balance before I even get into work.

Look local

There are many sources of support if you are feeling stressed, and here in Powys you can look locally to find some of them.

Invest in Your Health is a free NHS course delivered over 5 sessions which is designed to provide practical tools and techniques to improve your quality of life and wellbeing. It is a modular course, so once you have completed the first one, Building Better Health, you can choose up to four more, such as Mindfulness, Focusing on the Positive and Follow up & Solution finding. The courses take place at venues around Powys or the sessions can be done via Skype.

Brecon and District Mind is running free Mindfulness taster sessions on 7 & 28 November. “It can be easy to rush through life without stopping to notice much. Paying more attention to the present moment – to your own thoughts and feelings, and to the world around you – can improve your mental wellbeing”.

Open Minds is a new Mid & North Powys group meeting in Llandrindod Wells on the 1st and 3rd Mondays for people experiencing stress, depression or anxiety. Socialising is combined with tips and exercises.

Ponthafren Association in North Powys runs regular Stress Management courses. To find out more and sign up to the next course you can ring 01686 621586.

These are just a few examples of courses and activities running in Powys this Autumn and Winter. To find out more check out the Powys Mental Health website events calendar.

Singing has long been recognised as a way of reducing stress. You can find out about local singing groups and choirs on infoengine, the online services directory for Powys.

Surfing online for stress solutions

There are literally thousands of websites / organisations / services out there with ideas to help you deal with your stress. Some of our favourites:

The Mental Health Foundation’s Stress page - in 2018 Stress was the main theme of Mental Health Awareness Week.

ACAS has a useful page on workplace stress with documents you can download.

The Woodland Trust has a page on the benefits of exercising in nature which can help ease stress.

The National Trust has a beginner’s guide to forest bathing - research shows that two hours of mindful exploration in a forest could lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels.

Read on our blog the Top 10 Tips for Workforce Wellness - the theme of National Stress Awareness Day in 2016.

And if you have any good tips to share with our readers about how to deal with stress, let us know in the comments’ box below.

Wellbeing - our PAVO staff day

Earlier this month the Health & Wellbeing team at PAVO organised a Staff Wellbeing day for colleagues in the organisation. In Britain, most of us don’t tend to cultivate our minds in the same way we give to our bodies. We agreed it was important to give space to colleagues to consider their wellbeing and how they might look after it.

There are various definitions of “wellbeing,” from that promoted by the World Health Organisation to the Buddhist definition of Tibetan monk Matthieu Ricard:

"Wellbeing is not just a pleasurable sensation, it is a deep sense of serenity and fulfillment. 

 A state that actually pervades and underlies all emotional states 

and all the joys and sorrows that can come one’s way."

The day, which took place at an amazing venue - the Mid Wales Arts Centre in Caersws - was totally dedicated to experiencing activities that might impact on people’s wellbeing. No presentations. No policies. No papers. Instead people could choose from the range of activities on offer, or they could just enjoy being in an inspiring place. 

Freda Lacey, Senior Officer Health & Wellbeing, introduced the day

So I’m just going to give you a little bit of context around “wellbeing” and what that means. I think you all had the email about the Five Ways to Wellbeing – this has been promoted for many years across Wales and beyond. If I was to ask you to shout out those five ways to wellbeing to wake you up a little bit:

1. Exercise (Be Active).
2. Keep Learning.
3. Connect.
4. Be Creative & Give.
5. Taking Notice.

Mindfulness could be another, but I can see someone counting! That’s more than five! There are probably many others. In fact, in doing some of the research for today you can just get lost on the web in the amount of information about wellbeing. There are the Twelve Pillars. The Four Constituents. But it was really interesting to delve into that.

So those five key themes are what underpin lots of information around wellbeing.

It’s been a real team effort today – that sense of coming together around a theme and / or something that really means something to the team. I think it’s what unites us. In terms of PAVO, as well, it unites us in terms of our work. We hear about the wellbeing of people and organisations. There isn’t one organisation that isn’t about wellbeing on some level.

Even from providing freshly made smoothies this morning it was all about – how can we set people off in the right way in terms of really feeling that sense of wellbeing – even about what you’re taking into your body. Even the food today has been really mindfully considered in terms of local ingredients, where it’s come from, how it’s been put together. The venue has also been carefully considered in terms of what that brings for us, and hopefully it allows us to be creative and indulgent, just to be in this beautiful space.

I just wanted to talk a little bit about the day. We have had some colleagues feel a little bit uncomfortable about today. We can all put our hands up and say we are uncomfortable about some things when we head into areas we haven’t explored before or experienced before. And one of the things about today was to move away from the theory of wellbeing, ie: the words, to being more able to experience an activity and / or activities and what that looks like.

Again, we all have ways of enabling or working with our wellbeing. Today was just to give you a flavour of what could be and what different activities could augment or give you a sense of wellbeing. And most of these activities have an evidence base behind them. So they are known to lead to wellbeing. Walking, for example, or, indeed, meditation. 

And something I explored earlier this summer with Academi Wales was the concept of moving into your ‘negative capability’. If you look up the words ‘negative capability’ it’s actually been around for quite a long time, it was the poet Keats who came up with it. He talked about exploring the edges of where your comfort levels are or what you think are the things you should be good at. And what he was talking about was moving into that negative capability, about understanding perhaps those areas where you might explore which might give you a sense of capability or, indeed, wellbeing that you might not think would give you that.

And so part of today was also about exploring that, about offering new opportunities such as Laughter Yoga. How many people here today have experienced Laughter Yoga before? Okay, a couple. Even I had a particular viewpoint of Laughter Yoga which turned out not to be the case! Because I said, “we’re not going to do that are we?” And then the team said, “No, no, it’s not like that at all!” 

So I think it’s just about really exploring that edge of where your comfort level is, to risk maybe today, in terms of doing things you wouldn’t ordinarily do. And it’s also really about looking after yourself. So if there’s something you’re doing, or you’re indulging in something, and you really feel uncomfortable, and you don’t want to do it… Let’s say in meditation I’m asking you to close your eyes or to be silent and you don’t want to do it – you don’t have to do it. This is not about forcing you to do something that you really don’t want to do.

And if you’re in an activity where you think – argh, I just cannot get into this, this is not what I want to be doing – don’t do it. Just leave or sit and be observant. Be mindful if you’re sitting on the outside what that might feel like to the group, but it’s not about forcing you to do something you don’t want to. It’s really about your wellbeing and your responsibility, your ability to respond to that yourself. 

I was speaking to S earlier, something that came up about that sense of moving into something you’re uncomfortable with. When we were talking about the day S said – “Oh, I’d like to do ALL of those things, apart from meditation. It’s not really for me.” So I laughed and I said, “oh, that’s interesting because I’m actually leading the meditation.” And she said to me, “Well, if you can be quiet for that long…!” 

And I think it’s really important to add that S said that she doesn’t feel that it’s the right thing to do this morning because she’s had a family upset and she’s really looking after herself in that way because she feels that being in that environment – maybe being quiet, closing your eyes or whatever might come up – is not what is comfortable for her today and I really honour that – that you’ve looked after yourself in that way. And that you’re vulnerable and saying that I’m not in that good space today. Again it’s really about saying if that’s the place you’re in then that’s OK.

OK, so the aim for the team today is that you have fun! And that you explore different things that you’ve maybe not indulged in before. That you in essence flourish. That there’s a sense of wellbeing when you walk out this afternoon. So we’re hopeful that that is going to be the case. 

Feedback following the activities:

• I really enjoyed it.
• I loved doing the Dabble with Art. It was a new thing to try.
• The singing, that was fab. Really good. I didn’t expect that to be so professional! We just sounded good from the start!
• It’s discovering those hidden talents of colleagues. We’ve just come out of a jamming session and again just aware of colleagues’ talent.
• I think the whole day, the venue itself is really interesting and thought-provoking – just a pleasant place to wander round and kind of absorb things. And first time Tai-Chier – loved it. Fab.
• I think that jamming session was fantastic. I didn’t realise we had so many musicians in PAVO. Loved it.
• I’ve had a really nice day spending time with my colleagues in a different context – not working.
• It’s actually been nice seeing colleagues that you don’t normally see, and speaking to people you don’t normally speak to on a regular basis.
• There was one session that was definitely out of my comfort zone – that was Dabble with Art – and I deliberately went for it. And Sue was brilliant, and even I came out of that session having both enjoyed it and benefited from it.
• Seeing people with smiles on their faces – quite often we’re all quite serious at work. I know we all smile from time to time! But people have been generous with their smiling. 

Going forward

Freda rounded off the day by suggesting how colleagues could link with community organisations to pursue activities they may have enjoyed:

We’ve experienced quite a lot of different things today and the opportunity is there to use our Community Connectors to connect ourselves with our local communities for those of us who would like to go forward and maybe take opportunities to do classes / activities, whether it’s pottery or Tai Chi, meditation, or anything really.

If you have any thoughts about wellbeing, and how to encourage it to flourish, let us know in the comments’ box below.