Pull Yourself Out of the Covid Bog - Scott River

PULL YOURSELF OUT OF THE COVID BOG!

Are you overworked, understaffed, and tired?

Are you struggling to find some "you time"?

Do you feel alone in your struggles?

Are you struggling to bounce back after the pandemic and find a new normal?

It's time to turn the negative Covid impact into an exciting positive outlook!

Empower yourself to bring back positivity and efficiency into your life.

Prepare for new connections and relationships.

Learn the tell tale signs of ill mental health.

Structure your life so you take that holiday!CAN

PRESENTATION BY LAURISSA KNOWLES FOLLOWED BY FREE SAUSAGE SIZZLE

MORE ABOUT OPEN THE GATE & PULLING YOURSELF OUT OF THE COVID BOG

Open the Gate is a grass roots initiative that aims to increase the provision, promotion, and prevention in mental health support for rural, farming communities in Scott River, Nannup, Karridale and Augusta. Farming families and families living in rural towns experience a range of difficulties and stressors and are significantly impacted by isolation. Rural Australians in general experience more health inequities in comparison to the general population. There is an identified risk and vulnerability for farming families and rural families for psychological distress and suicide. The risk factors being faced are not only psychological, but environmental, geographical, cultural, and social where there is poor access to mental health services. Research is showing that the development and implementation of programs supporting the farming population have been a strong preventative strategy and effective in engaging farming families.

Open the Gate brings you the next instalment of Mental Health Awareness Presentations – Pulling Yourself Out of the Covid Bog!

· Are you over worked, understaffed, and tired?

· Are you struggling to find time in your day, week, month, or even year, to find some “you” or family time?

· Are you worried about your friend or a family member who is struggling through, which has been an intense mentally and physically challenging period, through Covid and the continuous demanding aftereffects of the pandemic to the rural and country areas?

· Do you feel alone in your struggles? Isolated? Overwhelmed? Helpless?

· Some challenges/stressors you may be facing…

o Ageing

o Increased demands in mechanics and technology

o Increased climate uncertainty and unpredictability

o Fluctuating global market and economy

· How do you bring positivity and progress back into your personal, family or work life? How do you justify that holiday when the world has just begun to get back to a new normal? A new normal that you need to learn and educate others on?

This presentation by Laurissa Knowles CMC B.A (Psych.Theol.), Dip.Ed, P.M.A.C.A. 4838, M.C.A.WA A6237, WACOT ​.) includes these topics:

· How you can empower yourself to bring back positivity and efficiency into your life and your workplace.

· How you can have that holiday and structure your work/family balance and not feel guilty about it.

· Preparation and enablement for new connections and relationships.

· Education about the tell-tale signs of ill mental health and how to strengthen yourself and your surrounding community.

YOU WILL TAKE HOME THESE STRATEGIES…

o One of the keys protective and preventative factors for farmer’s mental health and suicide is increasing mateship! More connection, means more support, means more mateship, means less loneliness.

o Challenge the stereotypes and stigma around talking about mental health, crying and suicide. Normalise the experiences of hardship!

o Where possible with time, finding time for small but regular physical activities (indoor or outdoor) can significantly help with stress management, regulating anxiety and your nervous system.