Givey’s Post

It is no secret that Compassionate Cuppa and Drop The Mask Productions are closely connected. We are both Community Interest Companies (CICs) and have collaborated on community projects. 💪 While we have these things in common, we also share very similar if not the same values in the social impact we are trying to create for good. Compassionate Cuppa's mission is to uplift mental wellbeing. Our main values are connection, compassion and courage as these we believe are important in the mental health journey. We believe in supporting people in the way or ways that is helpful to them. Sometimes this may mean being less conventional - we like to 'think outside the box as well'. 🧠 Recently, Drop the Mask Productions elected Compassionate Cuppa as their beneficiary. While in terms of business practice, we remain separate organisations so there's no change. However, we are immensely honoured by the gesture thus wish to take the opportunity to thank Drop the Mask Productions for considering us. There will be further collaborations where we will work together for community benefit. We will continue to help each other as we grow our respective organisations. We are stronger together. 🤝 Thank you. 💜 Image Description: Post titled "Compassionate Cuppa has become a beneficiary". Below this are the Compassionate Cuppa and Drop the Mask Productions Logos. With a cross between them to signal partnership. Bottom left are the hashtags #beneficiary #StrongerTogether & #CompassionateCuppa. Bottom right is the Compassionate Cuppa logo. #CommunityImpact #SocialGood #Collaboration #MentalWellbeing #Connection #Compassion #Courage #SupportiveCommunity #OutsideTheBox #Beneficiary #Gratitude #StrongerTogether #CommunityPartnership #NonProfit #SocialImpact #Empowerment #BuildingCommunity

In times when the world feels uncertain, one thing remains steadfast- the power of community. As we navigate challenges, both personal and societal, I'm continually inspired by the resilience and compassion found within our local neighborhoods. Community engagement isn't just about lending a hand- it's about fostering connections, spreading kindness, and being there for one another. And amidst the complexities of life, it serves as a beacon of hope, not only for those we serve but also for our own mental well-being. Many individuals consistently highlight the profound impact of service on their mental health. Engaging in acts of kindness promotes a sense of happiness and fulfillment. Moreover, it offers a welcome distraction from our own worries, allowing us to shift our focus outward and gain perspective. But the beauty of community service extends far beyond ourselves. It's about the ripple effect of positivity it creates—the smiles exchanged, the bonds forged, and the lives touched. Every moment spent in service and engagement is an investment in the betterment of our communities and ourselves. As someone who has seen the impact of service and engagement within our communities, I implore you to reach out to your local nonprofits, churches, and public service organizations for ways to get involved, make changes, and be the difference within your own communities for your own mental health and others. #CommunityService

🌟 Celebrating the Power of Community Support! 🌟 Hey Y HE C8NT family, ever noticed how we feel lighter after chatting with a friend? That's the magic of community support. Whether it's a shoulder to lean on or just sharing your thoughts, having a strong support network can drastically improve our mental well-being. 👫💬 Here's why community support is crucial: - **Emotional Backing:** Knowing someone cares can buffer stress and anxiety. - **Shared Experiences:** You're not alone—many face similar struggles. - **Practical Advice:** Communities often offer actionable advice and resources. - **Motivation Boost:** Seeing others thrive can encourage us on our own journey. 🙌 Let’s strengthen our community bonds this October and boost each other up! 💪 #CommunitySupport #MentalWellBeing #YHEC8NT #MentalHealthWeek #SupportingEachOther

Conversations around grief 🥺☹️😟😢 Not an area that I wish I had lived experience in, but when someone passes away, it is difficult to know what to say. I know people have the right intention, but sometimes what you say can actually make things worse. I have put together some basic things that I believe are appropriate to say to someone who has lost someone close to them, and also things best to think in your head and not say them out loud. I have tailored these responses to use in the workplace and can be adapted as necessary i.e. how well you know the person. Suggestions on what to say to someone experiencing grief: ·      I am so sorry for your loss 😿 ·      I don’t know what to say to you, but know I am here if you need anything ·      I don’t know how you feel, but I am here to help in any way I can💁♀️ ·      I am always just a phone call away☎️ ·      Give a hug instead of saying something (depends on how well you know the person) 🫂 ·      But sometimes saying nothing at all, just be with the person 🧑🤝🧑 Suggestions on what NOT to say to someone experiencing grief: ·      At least he/she lived a long life 😒 ·      He/she is in a better place 🥹 ·      He/she was such a good person, God wanted him/her to be with them (Don’t bring religion into it) ⛪ ·      I know how you feel 🤷♀️ ·      Be strong 💪 ·      Time heals everything ⏳ The R U OK philosophy is also a great one. Don’t just check in on someone once, make it a regular thing: “A lot can happen in a year, a month, a week. Whether it’s your friend, family member, colleague, partner, or teammate, the people you care about go through life’s ups and downs every day. By having regular, meaningful conversations, you build trust and normalise talking about what’s really going on, so when the people in your world find themselves struggling, they know you’re someone they can talk to”. Source: https://lnkd.in/gRd_9x5H Feel free to reach out if you need any guidance in this area. I am by no means an expert in the area of grief counselling, I have just experienced these comments following the death of my husband in April this year. Hope this helps.

Mother's Day can be a challenging time for those who have experienced the death of their mother, grandmother or someone close who was just like mum. Whether it be their first, or one of many. Children and young people who are remembering someone special today, might find Mother’s Day, a day which is widely commercialised and talked about, even at school and nursery, especially hard. With support and coping strategies, children and young people may find it easier to manage. By acknowledging feelings, engaging in age-appropriate activities, and leaning on support networks, children can navigate their grief in a healthy and meaningful way. Here are some ways you can support their grief today, and every day.   3-6 years ·  Create simple crafts or drawings that show memories with their someone special. ·  Read children's books about loss to help them understand their feelings. ·  Encourage open conversations and reassure them that it's okay to miss their mummy or just like mum. 7-12 years  ·  Write a letter, card or poem expressing how they feel ·  Plan a special activity or outing in honour of their special person, such as a visit to her favourite place, or having a special meal. ·  Provide opportunities for them to engage in physical activities to release any hidden emotions, for example, going on a walk together. 13-18 years old ·  Encourage journaling or creative writing as a way to process emotions. Take a look at our Teen journal for inspiration.  ·  Talk about grief and coping strategies, allowing them to express their thoughts and concerns and validating them. ·  Encourage their involvement in volunteer work or advocacy related activities for causes that were meaningful, or for services that help others. #crafts #justlikemum #mothersday2024 #remember #memories #griefsupport #bereaved

Today’s lifestyle medicine pillar is social connection. We are wired for connection and finding our people. This one got a little weirder for many during the last few pandemic years. Social connection can be tricky as we move through ages and stages of our lives. Bottom line is we need each other to share joys, sorrows, challenges and big questions. Strong supportive social connections protects health and well-being. Some people have several close friends and others have only a couple. There’s no right number because it’s an individual choice. We all need people that amplify our strengths and celebrate us. We also need people who help us shore up our blind spots and weaker skills that need a little growth. We need people who make us laugh out loud and those who love to sing in the car or dance in the rain. We need people who hold our hand after a miscarriage, breakup, divorce, job loss or even just some thoughtless text that landed wrong. There will be enduring friends, new friends and those who fall away with moves, different jobs, changes in lifestyle, divorce or simply a change in hobbies. Making friends, nourishing an intimate relationship or hanging out with the guys/girls takes intentional action with dedicated time and space. Sometimes we forget, get busy, get out of the habit or just stop trying. We may tell ourselves that family is enough but family is only part of the social connection equation. We may get lonely in the midst of it all. That’s the signal to reach out and perhaps step out of the habit zone. I’ve moved several times for work and each time I get to add another layer of exploration. Work friends, Mindfulness friends, Yoga and workout friends, Coach friends, Entrepreneur friends, Foodie friends, Book friends, Parent friends. I look for other meaning & joy seekers who want to live vibrant full lives, explore, laugh and have fun! They augment my enduring friends from these 57 years, my family, kids and husband. We need people who are different than we are too so we can learn and grow and change. That lesson was never more apparent than learning to date again in my 50s. Volumes could be written with plot twists and a happy ending.❤️ ➡️ Who are your inner circle friends and family that fill your cup, love you and bring joy? ➡️ Which friends/family are further from the center that you might like to learn more about or deepen the relationship? ➡️ Which relationships/friendships might benefit from a little restructuring, renegotiation or boundaries? ➡️ What sorts of new friends would be interesting or supportive? What groups in your area or places might they hang out? ❤️How have YOUR friendships and social connections changed? ❤️How do you intentionally nourish your social connections? #LMweek #socialconnection #mindingyourminutes

💫 There are plenty of good reasons why we learn not to feel our #sadness . We know it but most of us don't fully realize the price we pay for interfering with its natural self-limited flow 🌊 Most of us learn to control our sadness and our #grief very early in life. We do it because there are more urgent needs in our environments, to avoid overwhelming our parents, because in our family or culture sadness is considered not useful, ungrateful or weak or because we have the false notion that opening that door will flood us for good Sadness is a primary emotion that mobilises us towards connection and allows us to let go of what is no longer there. It creates the space for realizations about meaning, identity and direction with a clarity that comes from deep knowing not from reasoning. Not having learned to grieve gets us stuck in our navigation of relationships and decisions, as the clarity that emerges from grief is, at least partially, blocked. Yes, I know, 'we don't have time', 'we have more urgent things to do’, " I don't really need to feel it". These are the ways we keep our grief at bay. We continue until it doesn't work anymore and we are forced to stop and feel what we have been holding in solitary confinement for a life time. If forced to, our body will eventually crush so our flow and deeper calling can finally start What a safe space does to our nervous system is to lower the protective walls we have around our grief. Like a hug that invites a deep cry. A safe space transforms a monster into a 2 minute wave. Returning to this natural innate flow is possible by getting curious about the language of our emotions. We can do it by surrounding ourselves with safe people and creating with them more intentional spaces and conversations. Why put yourself in these uncomfortable conversations? Because doing it restores our capacity for deep love, meaning and precise pragmatic action. Because it is our responsibility to stop giving our children and communities unprocessed, reactive scripts we have no control over and building identities and wars around them. Doing it differently is possible and urgent. On March 14th I will be connecting with other women from around the world to give voice to the essence and codes of our emotions. Noticing together in what ways, in different cultures, we learned to disconnect from this deep wisdom and the impact this has on our lives and communities. Alone we can't go anywhere meaningful. I'm hoping that on March 14th you will find, like others before you, something useful for your path and quest for meaningful action in the world. More info and resignation form in the first comment

A positive home boosts self-esteem. Kids today face bullies and critical media, which can lower their self-esteem. While we can't control what happens at school or in the media, we can control their home environment. By making a few changes, you can create a safe space that boosts your children's self-esteem and teaches them to help others. How to Build a Positive Home: Charity they say begins at home, but so do many other qualities: compassion, kindness, and, most importantly, confidence. 👉Provide Plenty of Praise But not too much! Constant criticism makes your child doubt their abilities. yhy but too many compliments can inflate their ego. Praise them for a job well done and give constructive feedback when needed. 👉Show Them Affection A hug and "I love you" can do wonders for a child's confidence. It reminds them that you care and makes them comfortable expressing emotions, helping them handle future troubles. 👉Be a Good Role Model Practice what you preach, live an exemplary life. If you call yourself bad names or avoid challenges, your child will likely do the same. 👉Negativity It's not easy, but I started by banning and deleted words like stupid, fat, or ugly. Your child might hear these words elsewhere, but banning them at home creates a safe environment when they feel down. Hope you will apply this? PS: Remember, as you build your brand, it’s even more important to catch them young; carry your kids and wards along Teach them the real values; this will prepare them for success They are the future leaders. Have a pleasant Monday✌️ #positiveparenting #boostselfesteem #familyfirst

🔍 Mid-Year Check-In: Ready to Reflect and Refine? 🔍 A few weeks ago, I started volunteering for the wonderful Liverpool Lighthouse. As part of their "Writing for Mental Wellbeing" programme, I facilitate journaling sessions once a week for vulnerable individuals aged 18+ aimed to help participants 🖋️ To express themselves through writing ☀️ Improve their mental well-being 🫂 Connect with others in the community This week’s session will be a mid-year check-in, thinking about the last six months and looking ahead to the next. Journaling is a powerful tool to reflect and plan, so I wanted to share the prompts with you, too. (If you’re not sure how to start, scroll to slide 8 for some tips.) ❓What tools do you use for self-reflection? 💭How has your year been so far? What do you still want it to become? P.S. Get in touch if you would like some more reflective journaling prompts! #MidYearReflection #Journaling #MentalHealth #Volunteering #Community #PersonalGrowth #ProfessionalGrowth #SelfReflection

Bloom Together - Thrive Together In today’s fast-paced business environment, prioritizing mental health is crucial for sustained success. By looking forward and embracing a positive mindset, we can better navigate challenges with resilience and adaptability. Despite surviving cancer, the loss of children, and a house fire that took everything, I am still here, fighting not just to survive, but to thrive. My journey is a testament to resilience and an unwavering spirit to rise above life’s challenges. In 2025, I'm adding cut flowers to the organic foods that I donate within my community in hopes of feed their souls when picking up their food. Far too often we overlook creating a smile for our souls. Bloom Together - Thrive Together.