Welcome to December 2023
Summer: And the living is easy!
During October we enjoyed:
Seniors Festival Event: Tour of Werribee Park Mansion with refreshments. Although the weather was cold and wet the event was enjoyed by members of the community and the group.
Carers Week Event: Morning Tea at On the Bay Cafe, Wyndham Harbour. It was a warm, sunny day with a lovely view of the Harbour. An event for carers to come together with millions of reasons to care and celebrate. Heather Marcus, Councillor, Wyndham City
Council joined us in this celebration. Thanks Wyndham City Council and Carers Victoria.
Morning tea to wrap up the Carers Program at Central Park Community Centre in Hoppers Crossing:
What a delight to snack and connect with others who understand the joys and challenges of caring for loved ones, with laughter arts and crafts and a sense of mindfulness.
Thanks Wyndham Community & Education Centre.
End of Year Lunch: Celebrating the festive season. Enjoyed Morning Melodies starring Horizon followed by a scrumptious lunch at the Altona Sports Club.
Respite Activities:
Every Tuesday of the month –
1st Tuesday: Pathways for Carers Walk/Brunch (Will recommence in February 2024)
2nd “ MIND Brunch, Notorious Cafe, Werribee
3rd “ Carers Vic Walk/Brunch (Will recommence in February 2024)
Meet 9.30am Wedge St Piazza Werribee
4th “ Watton Group Meeting at Central Park Community Center
(Will recommence in February 2024)
Remembering the lovely Mena
A tribute and donation has been made to the Lung Foundation on behalf of the Group. Mena was a fun-loving and kind person.
RIP Mena
New Mental Health & Wellbeing Commission
The establishment of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission represents a significant milestone in reforming Victoria’s public mental health system, as Victoria works
towards a more inclusive, connected, and supportive system for
consumers, carers and families.
Commissioner – Jacqueline Gibson
Jacqueline Gibson as a Commissioner of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission brings her lived experience as a family member, carer or supporter of someone experiencing mental illness or psychological distress to her role. With experience in
governance, regulation, advocacy, community development, and human rights, she has been a board member on a variety of national and state bodies, including organisations in the community and not-for-profit sectors. Jacqueline also has extensive advisory and consumer representation experience in the mental health sector through work with Tandem, Black Dog Institute, Independent Mental Health Advocacy, and the
Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council. An advocate of justice and service quality in the mental health, housing, and disability sectors, Jacqueline has lived experience
of mental health challenges in association with homelessness. Jacqueline also has an in-depth understanding of systems, processes, and policy, and is passionate about creating the best outcomes for people living with mental illness and those close
to them.
Any enquiries email [email protected]
How to bring more laughter into your life
Laughter is your birthright, a natural part of life that is innate and inborn. Infants begin smiling during the first weeks of life and laugh out loud within months of being born. Even if you did not
grow up in a household where laughter was a common sound, you can learn to laugh at any stage of life. Begin by setting aside special times to seek out humor and laughter, as you might with exercising, and build from there. Eventually, you’ll want to incorporate humor and laughter into the fabric of your life, finding it naturally in everything.
Here are some ways to start:
Smile
Smiling is the beginning of laughter, and like laughter, it’s contagious. When you look at someone or see something even mildly pleasing, practice smiling. Instead of looking down at your phone, look up and smile at people you pass in the street, the person serving you a morning coffee, or the co-workers you share an elevator with. Notice the effect on others.
Count your blessings
Literally make a list. The simple act of considering the positive aspects of your life will distance you from negative thoughts that block humor and laughter. When you’re in a state of sadness, you have further to travel to reach humor and laughter.
Listen: Gratitude in Difficult Times
When you hear laughter, move toward it. Sometimes humor and laughter are private, a shared joke among a small group, but usually not. More often, people are very happy to share something funny because it gives them an opportunity to laugh again and feed off the humor you find in it. When you hear laughter, seek it out and ask, “What’s funny?”
Spend time with fun, playful people
These are people who laugh easily–both at themselves and at life’s absurdities–and who routinely find humor in everyday events. Their playful point of view and laughter are contagious. Even if you don’t consider yourself a lighthearted, humorous person, you can still seek out people who like to laugh and make others laugh. Every comedian appreciates an audience.
Bring humor into conversations: Ask people, “What’s the funniest thing that happened to you today? This week? In your life?”
Simulated laughter
So, what if you really can’t “find the funny?” Believe it or not, it’s possible to laugh without experiencing a funny event—and simulated laughter can be just as beneficial as the real thing. It can even make exercise more fun and productive. A Georgia State University study found that incorporating bouts of simulated laughter into an exercise program helped improve older adults’ mental health as well as their aerobic endurance. Plus, hearing others laugh, even for no apparent reason, can often trigger genuine laughter. To add simulated laughter into your own life, search for laugh yoga or laugh therapy groups. Or you can start simply by laughing at other people’s jokes, even if you don’t find them funny. Both you and the other person will feel good, it will draw you closer together, and who knows, it may even lead to some spontaneous laughter.
THAT’S ALL FOR NOW FOLKS!
