Upcoming Events

NSW Mental Health Month

Date

01-30 October

Time

All day

Location

Australia

Mental Health Month is celebrated each year in the month of October in NSW. This awareness month encourages all of us to think about our mental health and wellbeing, regardless of whether we may have a lived experience of mental illness or not. This month also gives us the opportunity to understand the importance of mental health in our everyday lives and encourages help seeking behaviours when needed. You could try the headspace Mental Health plan below, for the month of October!! You can download your own calendar and track your "small steps", or discover headspace's seven tips for a healthy headspace. Day 1 - be kind to yourself Day 2 - Take 5 minutes to read something fun - a chapter of a book, a comic or manga. Day 3 - Have a zoom dinner party - cook the same meal at different houses. Day 4 - Take the dog for a walk. Add another block each day. Day 5 - Do some deep breathing when you get into bed. Day 6 - Talk with someone you trust about how you feel. Day 7 - Reduce or cut out alcohol and other drugs by organising things for early the next morning. Day 8 - Do an act of kindness - compliment someone, offer to help someone or volunteer. Day 9 - Dance every day. Create a new dance choreography. Day 10 - Eat an apple a day - or whatever fruit you like. Day 11 - Stretch different parts of your body. Day 12 - Switch to passive screen time within 1 hour of bedtime. Day 13 - A phone call, email or text with a friend can help you feel connected and supported. Day 14 - Schedule other activities in for times you find hard. Day 15 - Breathe deeply; in and out for blocks of 10 or 20 breaths. Day 16 - Play an instrument. Try a different song each day. Day 17 - Make a meal with a friend. Day 18 - Explore new parts of your community. It might be a park or lake nearby. Day 19 - Set the alarm at the same time every day. Day 20 - Spend time with family doing a jigsaw. Day 21 - Find screen free time each day. Day 22 - Listen to a new song each day. Build a new playlist. Day 23 - Try a nutritious snack each day - carrot sticks, nuts. Day 24 - Dial into an online workout. Day 25 - Try mindfulness before bed. Find an app to support this. Day 26 - Send a text to a different person each day. Day 27 - Digital Detox when you walk. Lose the phone and look at what's around you. Day 28 - Play with your pet. Teach them a new trick. Day 29 - Have a meal with no processed foods. Day 30 - Choose one exercise - like squats or push ups and increase your repetitions by 5 each day. Day 31 - Join a zoom/facetime chat with friends each week.

World Mental Health Day

Date

10 October

Time

All day

Location

Everywhere

1 in 5 Australians are affected by mental illness annually, yet many don’t seek help because of stigma. Need help or support?If your life is in danger CALL 000 If you or someone you care for is in need of immediate assistance you can contact the below National 24/7 Crisis Counselling Services: Lifeline 13 11 14 – 24 hours a day 7 days a week Lifeline Text 0477 13 11 14 – 6pm to midnight (AEDT) 7 nights a week Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 www.beyondblue.org.au Butterfly Foundation National Helpline 1800 334 673 Carer Support 1800 242 636 or 1300 554 660 SANE Australia Help Centre 1800 187 263 www.sane.org Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 www.kidshelpline.com.au MensLine Australia 1300 789 978 QLife 1800 184 527 Open Arms – Veterans and Families Counselling 1800 011 046 Need more information? Head to Health www.headtohealth.gov.au Black Dog www.blackdoginstitute.org.au Headspace www.eheadspace.org.au R U OK? www.ruok.org.au ReachOut www.au.reachout.com Embrace Multicultural Mental Health www.embracementalh

Superhero Week

Date

11-17 October

Time

All day

Location

Australia

Bear Cottage is the only children’s hospice in NSW. Established in 2001, Bear Cottage provides support, respite and end-of-life care to children with life-limiting illnesses and their families. For the kids we care for, there is no happy ending, no miracle cure. As heart-breaking as this is, at Bear Cottage we believe that life is for living and we help families to make the most of every day. Superhero Week raises funding and awareness for Bear Cottage. What You Can Do to Help Bear Cottage

headspace Day

Date

21 October

Time

All day

Location

Australia

what's your small step today? use the calendar below for daily tips and inspiration. start by taking small steps. come back each day to find a new idea. if you need help sticking to a plan, then you can download your own calendar and track your small steps, or discover our seven tips for a healthy headspace. Day 1 - be kind to yourself Day 2 - Take 5 minutes to read something fun - a chapter of a book, a comic or manga. Day 3 - Have a zoom dinner party - cook the same meal at different houses. Day 4 - Take the dog for a walk. Add another block each day. Day 5 - Do some deep breathing when you get into bed. Day 6 - Talk with someone you trust about how you feel. Day 7 - Reduce or cut out alcohol and other drugs by organising things for early the next morning. Day 8 - Do an act of kindness - compliment someone, offer to help someone or volunteer. Day 9 - Dance every day. Create a new dance choreography. Day 10 - Eat an apple a day - or whatever fruit you like. Day 11 - Stretch different parts of your body. Day 12 - Switch to passive screen time within 1 hour of bedtime. Day 13 - A phone call, email or text with a friend can help you feel connected and supported. Day 14 - Schedule other activities in for times you find hard. Day 15 - Breathe deeply; in and out for blocks of 10 or 20 breaths. Day 16 - Play an instrument. Try a different song each day. Day 17 - Make a meal with a friend. Day 18 - Explore new parts of your community. It might be a park or lake nearby. Day 19 - Set the alarm at the same time every day. Day 20 - Spend time with family doing a jigsaw. Day 21 - Find screen free time each day. Day 22 - Listen to a new song each day. Build a new playlist. Day 23 - Try a nutritious snack each day - carrot sticks, nuts. Day 24 - Dial into an online workout. Day 25 - Try mindfulness before bed. Find an app to support this. Day 26 - Send a text to a different person each day. Day 27 - Digital Detox when you walk. Lose the phone and look at what's around you. Day 28 - Play with your pet. Teach them a new trick. Day 29 - Have a meal with no processed foods. Day 30 - Choose one exercise - like squats or push ups and increase your repetitions by 5 each day. Day 31 - Join a zoom/facetime chat with friends each week.

Halloween

Date

31 October

Time

All day

Location

Everywhere

Halloween is a holiday celebrated in the United States each year on October 31, and Halloween 2020 will occur on Saturday, October 31. Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.

Remberance Day

Date

11 November

Time

11:00-11:01 AM