Part of the work we do at Salford CVS is to deliver Wellbeing Conversation to our volunteers and VCSE members. As a member of staff at Salford CVS, I’d been hearing good things about the training and wanted to find out more, so I signed up for one of our online courses.
A week before the event, I heard a thud come through the letterbox. It was the course workbook, postcards and course welcome letter. Not only was it nice to get something other than a bill or junk mail, but it was also good to find out more about the course.
The course itself was held online on Zoom and has delivered training on Zoom, I know how hard it can be to make it interactive. Credit to Michael, he has worked hard to make the training interactive, interesting and thought-provoking. The best thing about the course was the opportunity to speak to people in breakout rooms I haven’t met before and find out more about them through wellbeing conversations.
The Wellbeing conversation is based on the five ways to wellbeing:
- Connect
- Get Active
- Take notice
- Keep learning
- Give
After the course, I started thinking about how I can incorporate this into my life? Part of what I have done to support my wellbeing during the pandemic is to do arts and crafts and, in particular, create art patterns. To be honest, they were piling up, gathering dust and I didn’t know what to do with them. The course gave me the idea to connect to my friends and family by giving them these pictures as postcards through the post with the message “I wanted to brighten your day with this cheery card”.
The response to these postcards has been amazing and in return has brightened my day too. The phone calls and social media messages have been so lovely. One person said, “What was a very stressful morning and day this has brought genuine love and joy and has given me something to look at.” A little girl I sent one of my cards to said “I’M SO SURPRISED!!!” and sent me a thank you video.
This feedback has given me the inspiration to do more, and I now paint these pictures on watercolour paper, canvas and even bird boxes!
I’m surprised that what I do to decompress from a day has turned into a way to connect with others and give a little joy. It’s something I’ll continue to do after the pandemic. Because not only does it help me keep sane, but it also brightens up other people’s day.
If you want to find out more, check out the Wellbeing Conversation video on YouTube
To book on one of our courses go to Salford CVS Events and Training