Mental Health Awareness Week, running from 11-17 May, is a reminder that looking after our mental health is vital. We know that for our families, gentle, practical support that is rooted in real understanding can make all the difference, especially when life already brings so many extra demands.
Our mission at Embrace is to support families living with disabilities – the whole family, children or adults, parents and carers. A listening ear and a place to pause, breathe and share can be so valuable, because caring for a child or young person with additional needs can be full of appointments, uncertainty and pressure, and that constant load can leave little room for a parent’s own wellbeing.
Small moments make a big difference
We have a range of ways to offer that wellbeing support. There are sessions where parent carers can chat (often over cake, and why not) as well as targeted support and information from the Family Support Practitioners. There are Relaxation Yoga sessions designed for parents and carers, and ad hoc wellbeing activities throughout the year such as sound baths, floral workshops, arts and crafts and active movement. They are chances for the adults in our families to have a little time to be themselves, and chat with others who know exactly what life can be like in a safe and supportive setting.
For families facing the unique challenges that ours do, those small moments can help ease the sense of isolation and restore some balance.
The power of walking together
Our Embrace Wellbeing Walks are talked about particularly fondly by our families, and it is easy to see why. Held every week, they are exclusively for parents and carers to meet up, get outdoors together for a short while, and share how the week has been. We know that movement and being outside will lift your mood and reduce stress, and walking side by side helps the conversation flow more naturally than sitting face to face does - so there’s lots of common ground and understanding, and plenty of people who know exactly what you’re dealing with.
Wellbeing Walks are a little bit of time where there are no demands on parents and carers, and they can simply be among people who understand. “We can relate to the struggles that everyone is having with our young people,” says one of our regulars.
When you need a boost, just knowing you’ve got that community to turn to can make a real difference. Our mental health is influenced by what we carry internally, but it’s also shaped by the support we have around us. Knowing you’ve got a walk, a chat and a shared cup of tea in the diary can become a lifeline.
One of our parents sums it all up perfectly:
“The Wellbeing Walk is so important for my mental health. We can turn up for a walk in the morning, sometimes with a lot going on, some of us having had very little sleep after being up in the night with our children. It gets me out of the house and I’ve met so many wonderful people. We always end up somewhere nice for coffee, and I always go home feeling a lot lighter.”
Community and care
Community support is often the difference between just surviving and feeling able to cope. Our families are navigating additional needs, disability, health concerns and uncertainty, and so knowing there is a place to go, likeminded people to meet, and support available when they need it, really helps to reduce the pressure that builds over time.
Mental Health Awareness Week is a chance to recognise that wellbeing needs gentle nurture all the time, and you can do that by simply walking and talking. Every walk, every chat and every shared smile is part of something bigger: helping our families feel supported to live life their way.
We’re delighted to welcome sponsorship for our Wellbeing Walks, so if your organisation or one you know would like to sponsor one, please do get in touch.
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