From the Wellness Centre
Older Persons Mental First Aid Training – registrations closing in 10 days
When: Sundays, 15 and 22 October, 10.00am – 4.15pm.
Where: GSG – a specific venue tba according to numbers.
Why: OPMHFA Training will teach you how to assist a person aged 65+ who may be experiencing a mental health problem or mental health crisis until appropriate professional help is received or the crisis resolves, using a practical, evidence based Action Plan. Ageing is inevitable!
Cost: Nil as Palmerston and GSG are sponsoring this inaugural event.
How do I Register: Email sheryl.moncur@gsg.wa.edu.au or phone 9844 0344.
I would love you to join me in my first delivery of this training. Please see the flyers for further information.
Conversations about NSSI (Non-Suicidal Self-Injury)
When: Friday 3 November 9.00am – 1.00pm
Where: Albany Public Library
Cost: Nil as sponsors are GSG and Palmerston
How do I Register: Email sheryl.moncur@gsg.wa.edu.au or phone 9844 0344. Numbers will be capped at 16.
See flyers for more information.
Awe Hunting – A Family Holiday and Lifestyle Pastime
I recently enjoyed watching Australian Story Awe Hunters, narrated by Julia Baird (regular host of The Drum) who also wrote the stunning book Phosphorescence which was published in 2020. That book was described as a beautiful, intimate and inspiring investigation into how we can find and nurture within ourselves that essential quality of internal happiness - the 'light within' that Julia Baird calls “phosphorescence”. Enchantment by Katherine May, published in March this year (and referenced by me in an Anchor article around that time) also investigates the profound and transformative value of the intentional search for meaning in nature and the quotidian.
'Awe hunting' can bring magic, presence and mindfulness into your day. It is free, it is fun, and with little effort, it is effective. The idea is that you experience your day a little differently – by being a smidge extra present and a little more curious, by cultivating a willingness to be surprised, by being a tad more open-minded, by suspending your disbelief, by noticing those glimmers and relishing those sensations that might stop you in your tracks for a moment and make you gasp with delight and wonder… the possibilities are astonishingly endless. And your neurochemistry and immune system will love you for it.
Families that share such captivating transcendental experiences together, might even deepen their connections and enhance their mental health.
In the last 24 hours, I’ve been awestruck by the following…
- A dew spangled cobweb strung on the chook pen.
- The curious crackle of galahs atop said chook pen (waiting for the shop to open😊).
- A stunning cluster of intoxicatingly scented and pendulous lilac wisteria.
- The unguarded spontaneous shiny toothed smile from a Year Eight passerby - true balm for the soul.
- The luscious, velvety texture of my Labradorable Chester’s ebony snout as we booped goodbye.
- The reassuring kick I get out of noticing the Southern Cross and then realising we’re actually in the Milky Way.
- Sitting in Mrs Henderson’s beautiful garden, laughing with her, and being thrilled and delighted as she greets and feeds her visiting ducks and birds.
Awe hunting can be habit forming – I must confess. This practice can gradually become a joyful antidote to triggers, by helping to regulate our sympathetic nervous system. Deb Dana, an American therapist who specialises in treating complex trauma coined the term 'glimmers' in her 2018 book Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation. Indeed, Dana describes glimmers as the opposite of triggers. We know that while triggers are cues of danger that can activate our fight/flight stress response, Dana says that “glimmers are tiny moments of peace and joy in everyday life that bring us back to safety and connection, regulating our nervous systems in the process."
Awe hunting/glimmer noticing “are micro-moments that signal to our system that we’re safe”, claims Tamara Cavenett, a clinical psychologist and former president of the Australian Psychological Society.
So – happy awe hunting and glimmer gathering during the holidays dear GSG community.
I’m going to wonder/wander for a while now…
Ms Sheryl Moncur | School Counsellor & Teacher