I was able to take part in a "speech bubbles" workshop, where creativity was used as a form of relaxing. I found it very useful, even though I am probably the least artistic person in existence (better stick to science). The idea was to create a speech bubble and then decorate it however you wish, be it a quote, scene, picture or just random shapes. Unsurprisingly mine ended up being very sport orientated. Before this workshop I never thought of using creativity as a way to express emotions and relax but it is surprisingly effective.
The group "survivor arts" who created this workshop are also running an exhibition on Sunday 7th September and are showcasing artwork as well as running workshops, including music, poetry and drama. Check out the website here: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/social-policy/departments/applied-social-studies/social-work/survivor-arts.aspx and here http://www.survivorsartfoundation.org/
I was also able to have my blood pressure checked and found out it was normal/low, again not surprising but still good to know. I happened to meet another boy who is on my University course. Small world!!
I met the NHS team that deal with mental health issues and counselling and learnt about the principles of CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-more in a later post). It also shows how much support there is available for mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, agoraphobia, schizophrenia and many others. http://www.bsmhft.nhs.uk/our-services/birmingham-healthy-minds/
Finally I saw a machine that measures gait and helps to rehabilitate people after they have lost motor function due to a stroke or similar. The example here was how to make a cup of tea/ Although it still needs refining it is highly impressive how far technology has come.
I'm so thankful I was able to go along and have a look round and what was on offer today.
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