‘We’ll strengthen your resilience’: Centacare shares tips on managing mental health

From social drumming to breath work and learning to regulate emotions, Cairns’ leading mental health practitioners share their tips to manage anxiety, depression and dysfunction.

From social drumming to breath work and learning to regulate emotions, Cairns’ leading mental health practitioners have shared their tips for managing anxiety, depression and dysfunction.

To highlight the importance of mental wellbeing during Queensland Mental Health Week, Centacare Cairns has hosted a mindfulness and drumming session with some of the region’s leading mental health practitioners at its Thomas St headquarters.

According to Centacare mental health services manager Nathan Lee, the unassuming building played host to people seeking help with anxiety and depression and was a safe area to help people regulate their mental health.

“We’ve got this space so people can come in and do meditation or drumming, building a vision for the future, or an art workshop, all the stuff that’s non clinical,” he said

“It’s like if you’ve got a gammy leg, if you feel like it’s broken, go to the doctor. If your leg’s not broken and needs to be strengthened, you go to the gym.

“Much like us, if you’re feeling a bit wobbly, come and see us and we’ll strengthen your resilience.”

Centacare offers a range of free support services to help people identify and overcome metal health issues in their life, such as anxiety and depression. Centacare resilience coach Jasmyn Grundy hosts a meditation session using sound therapy for William Vue, Leanne Edward, Divya Basnet and Suresh Nambooriyothmeethal. Picture: Brendan Radke

Mr Lee said while the Thomas Street premises operated in the mental health sector, it was a non clinical resource.

“It’s non clinical so we’re not here to assess your mental health, we’re just here to provide some tips and tricks to help you manage what you’ve got going on at the moment,” Mr Lee said.

Centacare resilience officer and sound healing practitioner Jasmyn Gundy said meditation, breath awareness, drumming and offering a safe space for conversation were among the resources the team used to help people regulate their mental health.

“We teach some basic skill sets that you can use, but really, it’s about the individual person finding out how they can achieve a state of relaxation because it’s different for each of us,” Ms Gundy said.

“I think there’s a little bit of misconception about what meditation and mindfulness is, but if we just break it down to a blanket term, it’s a state of relaxation and peace.”

Originally published as ‘We’ll strengthen your resilience’: Centacare shares tips on managing mental health