We are very pleased to have had eight volunteers attending the Wellbeing Webinar with Lisa Whittleton from Illuminatevr on 19th May,
Lisa talked about our feelings of wellbeing changing from moment to moment during the lockdown. She was interested in the challenges that volunteers have faced so far, which include:
· Making contact with younger friends and their families
· How the lockdown is affecting the volunteer
· Volunteers are having feelings of letting their younger friends down and feeling guilty that they are not there for them
· When volunteers are having their own personal problems/challenges due to lockdown or illness in their family, finding the time and head space to be able to get in touch with their YF can be tough
· Volunteers are missing seeing their younger friends and doing activities together in person
Guilt is coming up as a very strong emotion in many volunteers. As humans, we are very hard on ourselves when we cannot achieve what we would like too. Engaging with younger friends can be a challenge. Sending text’s, letters, books, etc is still really positive for your younger friends, regardless of whether they respond or not. Small acts of kindness e.g. a fruit box, card, activity pack, really benefits the person receiving the item as well as the person sending the kind gift.
Lisa commented that a huge benefit to wellbeing is being able to enjoy nature, getting outdoors, hearing the birds singing, smelling the flowers and feeling in touch with nature, to bring you back into the present. Lisa also talked us through a short breathing exercise.
We all agreed that the webinar was very well received and beneficial for volunteers. Lisa was very pleased with the engagement from the volunteers and is very happy to do more in the future.
“Thanks for organising this webinar, it was good to see people and to hear different experiences and challenges.” Comment from a volunteer.
