I HAD the wonderful opportunity to be invited to talk at a one-day workshop hosted by the Aisling community in Enniskillen. The day began with an introduction from their patron, the bard of Enniskillen and proponent of local vernacular such as 'Suckin' diesel', our very own Adrian Dunbar.
Adrian spoke of the precarious times that we are experiencing both locally and globally and the impact that this is having on our mental health. His opening speech set the theme and tone for the day. Speaker after speaker told not only their personal stories but spoke of and highlighted the need for self-care, both as 'me care' and 'we care'. Speakers spoke of how they took care of themselves. Niamh Brownlee gave a moving speech about her time as an in-patient in a psychiatric hospital and how through the daily diary that she kept at that time she was able to transform her experience through her book, 'Struggling to Breathe'.
Other speakers spoke of the need to slow down and pause through our breath. Maeve Monaghan, CEO of NOW, spoke of finding our wings. Maeve is a tour de force for people with special needs in both finding and creating employment through learning new skills to the point of employment.
She spoke about her own mantra – finding your tribe through your vibe. There is no doubt in my mind that Maeve found her tribe in Enniskillen, where she has recently opened up a new office.
I was the last to speak and I spoke of the miracle of mindfulness, especially for these frantic times that we are living in both locally and globally. I was able to highlight that the practice of mindfulness is my way of 'Suckin' diesel'.
The audience participated in a number of mindfulness exercises, but my emphasis as always was on the need for daily mindfulness practice, practice, practice.
I explained how mindfulness practice has been neuroscientifically proven and that the miracle of mindfulness allows and enables us to develop our inner strength and our resilience through cultivating our compassion that ripples out from the Me to the We.
The day ended with all of the speakers thanking our hosts, the Aisling Centre, with a special thanks to dynamic duo Aideen McGinley and Noelle McAlinden, who along with their Aisling team work tirelessly from one year to the next in creating this special day, which the people of Enniskillen and beyond support in many, many ways.
