With the stresses we often face in our daily lives, connecting with others in safe spaces can be restorative. In Waynesville, one place of creativity, healing and mindful movement is The Pollinators Foundation for Wellness & Social Healing. For Mental Health Awareness Month, in May, Pollinators Foundation co-founder and executive director Marga Fripp will host her third 31 Days of Wellness campaign, an initiative inviting a focus on some, perhaps much-needed, self-care.
Both in-person and online events are available throughout the month. Beginning Friday, May 1, interested participants may join the supportive private Facebook community (Facebook.com/groups/31dayofwellness) to connect with others and explore daily wellness practices. Events kick off Saturday, May 2, with the World Labyrinth Day Walk & Community Chalk Mural at Lake Junaluska. A welcoming circle, sound healing and labyrinth walk mark the event.
Pollinators creating a chalk mural
“Many of us move through life treating ourselves like high-performing machines: waking up, consuming, producing, checking off tasks and repeating the cycle,” Fripp says. “In doing so, we forget that we are not mechanical beings, but sacred vessels, wired with nervous systems that allow us to deeply feel and navigate our way through the world within and around us. Caring for our mental wellbeing invites us to slow down enough to notice what is happening within us, rather than constantly rushing to the next task or goal.”
Fripp believes that the best way to focus on individual wellness is through community with others. “We are all navigating what it means to be human, holding love, grief and all the in-between spaces as best we can,” she says. “Whether we are parents, caregivers or elders, we all are facing the realities of being human. When we come together in creative healing spaces that are held with compassion and care, something begins to shift. There is a sense of harmonizing with one another. Our nervous systems begin to settle. The collective softens.”
Jim Owens attends many of the Foundation’s regular events including Compassion Circles and weekly Qigong classes. “I don’t ever know quite what to expect at these events, as there are always surprises,” he says. “I always leave feeling seen, heard and connected to myself and community.”
Creative and mindful practices in shared spaces gently move people towards an acceptance of self-care, according to Fripp, who holds an MA in Expressive Art Therapy. “Through shared experiences of creativity, presence and compassion, we begin to normalize the mental health conversation,” she says. “And that is where stigma begins to soften, and healing emerges.”
Joan Doyle appreciates art-making mornings at the Hive. “Life is stressful right now and this one morning a month is my gift to myself,” she says. “I invariably come away feeling lighter, more positive, uplifted and empowered. I cannot say enough good things about what Marga is offering to our community. It is invaluable to me and many others.”
Additional events during 31 Days of Wellness include a flash mob dance, nature walks, a birdhouse painting workshop and a three-part Zoom workshop on managing stress, boosting resilience and creating positive habits.
Find the Healing Hive studio at Folkmoot, 112 Virginia Avenue, Waynesville. Learn more and see a complete schedule of May events at ThePollinatorsFoundation.org.
