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The Rife Team

Rife Guide Pick of the Week: ‘Inspiration Works’ Workshops

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Rife Guide has picked the best thing happening in Bristol all this week for 11-25 year olds — head along to one of Inspiration Work’s new Art Therapy workshops or creative groups.

Mental health. We all have it; in exactly the same way we all have physical health — and it’s just as important to take steps to look after our mental wellbeing as it is our physical wellbeing.  We know the importance of eating 5 portions of fruit and veg a day, but what about our mental health 5-a-day: doing 5 things that make you happy. 1 in 4 people will experience poor mental health at some point in their lives, and that could be a range of different experiences. Typically, experiencing poor mental health means struggling to cope with particular things going on in our lives, having consistently low moods, or experiencing feelings of anxiety.

One of the best ways to build up your resilience and look after your mental health is to talk about how you’re feeling. But finding someone to talk to can be hard – it’s hard to know where to even start. Off the Record is Bristol’s mental health charity for 11-25 years olds, and they offer a range of services such as free and confidential counselling, building resilience workshops, a social action project called Mentality plus lots more.

Excitingly, OTR have just launched a brand new Art Therapy Space called Inspiration Works. Talking about your mental health is a positive step to getting better, but sometimes, expressing your thoughts, feelings and experiences through art is easier than using words. Art therapy uses different materials to help you express how you’re feeling in an individual way, with the support of a qualified art therapist.

The studio operates on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 9am to 8pm, with all services free to access by young people aged 11-25 in Bristol. On Monday’s anyone can come along to ‘Making Stuff’ 10am-11.30am, a drop-in session for everyone to use art materials and make stuff together. Each week you can make something new, but there’s no pressure to. You don’t need to be good at art and you won’t be judged on what you make or do.

Every Wednesday and Friday you can drop-in to ‘Colouring In’ 10am-11.30am. Colouring in is very low-intensity and is a perfect way to relax, and act as a stress relief. Art Therapists will be on-hand to give 20 minute support sessions to anyone who wants it.

Along with drop-in sessions, there are groups tailored to specific needs that offer specialised support. These include a loss and grief group where you can explore the various feelings around loss and bereavement through art making, a group for young carers where you can take time out just for yourself in a safe and supportive space, and a self-harm group for anyone who has struggled with self-harm to come together and receive support. All sessions are completely free. You can call Off the Record to find out more: 0808 808 9120.

What are you up to this week? Let us know how you’re spending your time, or tell us what other events you’d like to see on our site via TwitterFacebook or on Instagram.