A LOCAL woman who was so impressed with last year’s Mensana Fest that it spurred her into getting involved with Carlow Mental Health Association is now encouraging others to come out and experience this year’s event.
The mental health festival started on Sunday and runs to the following Saturday (6-12 October).
Christine Davis from Carlow town attended last year’s festival and was moved to be part of the organisation that she believes “is working so passionately on promoting a positive attitude towards mental health”.
“The dedication, hard work and creativity shown by the association’s members and other volunteers encouraged me (to become part of it),” added Christine.
In particular, it was the happiness workshop that had the most impact on Christine last year.
Since January, Christine (31) has become an active part of the association, helping to organise this year’s festival, as well as many other events.
She is hopeful that others will come along to the Mensana Fest and get as much out of it as she did.
“I feel people underestimate the importance of educating themselves about mental health in general until they are in the deep. I know from experience that it is much better to have certain tools to help you through a challenging situation, let it be yourself or someone close to you, rather than feeling lost and helpless when difficulty strikes,” added Christine, before appealing for people “to come along to our Rainbow Café and Rainbow Room to learn something new and be part of the fun”.
“Talking about facing difficulties with your mental health needs a lot of courage, and listening to someone experiencing difficulties can also be overwhelming. As long as people are better educated about how to handle situations like this, people won’t feel the need to be ashamed and hide away,” added Christine.
Over the seven days there will be a variety of fun and free events tackling the issues surrounding mental health. Following on from the success of last year’s pop-up café, the Rainbow Café will return for the week, opening from Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm daily, on Burrin Street (beside Supermac’s).
One of this year’s highlights is sure to be the Box of frogs showcase in the GB Shaw Theatre. A happy play about being sad, actress Mary McEvoy, comedian John Moynes and broadcaster Dil Wickremasinghe share their personal experiences with mental health problems. Tickets for the show, which takes place on Sunday at 8pm, are available for €10 from the theatre box office.
A number of workshops and seminars on emotions, nutrition and wellbeing will also be held throughout the week, as well as events for young and old, including coffee mornings, Zumba for the over-65s and more.
A full programme of events is available from www.carlowmentalhealth.ie or pick up a copy in shops and organisations throughout the town.
