What's on offer for mental health week in the Wide Bay

There are many exciting Mental Health Week events and activities happening across the region and Wide Bay residents are encouraged to get involved.

Mental Health Week is an annual celebration that falls Saturday, 8 October, to Sunday, 16 October, this year. There are plenty of opportunities for people to participate across the Wide Bay and North Burnett regions, and to engage in conversations about mental health and wellbeing throughout the week.

The activities cater to everyone - physical activities ranging from dragon boating and Parkrun, as well as more creative activities including making stress balls and planting seedlings. You can catch members of Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service’s (WBHHS) Mental Health team organising, supporting and participating in these fabulous events and providing information on mental health services available through WBHHS.

WBHHS Executive Director of Mental Health and Specialised Services Robyn Bradley outlined the wonderful opportunities that Mental Health Week offers.

“Mental Health Week provides a platform for us to promote our ongoing WBHHS Shatter the Stigma campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the negative impact that stigma relating to mental illness has on individuals, their families and their recovery,” Ms Bradley said.

“Although awareness around mental health has improved, studies show that stigma against mental health is still powerful, largely due to common misconceptions.”

This is reflected in the theme for 2022, Awareness, Belonging, Connection, which highlights the important and often complex factors that can impact mental health and wellbeing.

“Mental health is multi-faceted - it takes into account how we feel, think and behave and ties deeply to our overall wellbeing,” Ms Bradley said

“It’s so much more than the absence of mental illness; it’s about our ability to enjoy life, to weather storms, form connections and function successfully in our day-to-day lives.

“It is becoming increasingly recognised as a vital contributor to our overall health, and events like Mental Health Week are the perfect platform for checking in and asking ourselves, ‘How am I feeling? Where might I need help? What can I do to improve my wellbeing?’”

What’s on offer this Mental Health Week?

“Our team has gone to such amazing efforts to create social opportunities to promote wellness – through exercise, fitness and creativity, and by encouraging the community to try something new,” Ms Bradley said.

“We’re excited to be partnering again with local dragon boating clubs at Hervey Bay and Bundaberg to offer free ‘come and try’ days.

“We’ll be holding Parkrun takeovers at Gayndah, Bargara, Bundaberg, Maryborough and Hervey Bay, where our teams will take on all volunteer roles as a means of helping people to connect and engage – everyone is welcome to join in on the fun.

“Our rural teams will be distributing cakes to our hospital and health facilities at Childers, Gin Gin, Mundubbera, Gayndah, Biggenden and Mount Perry.”

Regional adversity clinician Louise Scanlan said that in the weeks leading up to Mental Health Week, adult consumers from WBHHS Inpatient Unit, Step Up Step Down and the Critical Care Units in Bundaberg were invited to create an art piece for submission, using this year’s theme as inspiration.

“We’re very excited to be hosting an art exhibition and morning tea at the School of Arts building on Bourbong Street for consumers, their family, friends, carers and colleagues,” Ms Scanlan said.

“For our more isolated consumers, we have been running a 6-week art workshop since August with local artist Jassy Watson. This was a wonderful and collaborative venture with Richmond Fellowship Queensland (RFQ), WBMHSS and River Nations indigenous Corporation, and the participants have taken so much value from the workshops.”

On Monday 10 October there will be a ceremony and morning tea celebrating the launch of The Oasis Crisis Support Space at Hervey Bay Hospital, an innovative mental health service that provides an alternative to the emergency department for people in crisis or distress.

There will also be several educational and promotional events around Wide Bay raising awareness of the importance of maintaining positive mental health and wellbeing.

“Across our various mental health sites, our teams will also be hosting morning teas, daily activities, cooked breakfasts, barbeque lunches and more for our staff, consumers and visitors,” said Ms Bradley.

For a list of public events, refer to the table below.