CoLab Kindness Corner at Bloom Festival 2022

CoLab’s Mental Health team, Josie and John, ran a ‘Kindness Corner’ at the Bloom Festival 2022 - a free festival for mental health week - at Exeter Phoenix . This was a space to encourage people be kind to themselves, to have compassion for their wellbeing, and to open up a discussion about mental health.

Josie and John focused on strategies for improving mood, including engaging with the five senses. They flooded the air with ‘positive vibes’, quite literally, using some magical scented sprays and mists to really evoke a feeling of calm. They highlighted the link between food and mood, giving tasters of chilli chocolate, bananas and vitamin packed juices to elevate people’s mood.

Josie and John were interviewed on Phonic FM about their compassionate mental health approach and gave a live demonstration of the ‘Talking Deck’, a resource that has been co-created with University of Exeter as a tool for guiding conversations and helping people to talk about the issues that are important to them.

We will look at taking the ‘Kindness Corner’ to other events in the near future!