The value of social support networks and community spaces

Yesterday I was at Cowley Road Studios recording another episode of 10 Revolutions.

My guest was Rebecca Lisi, a psychotherapist and organisational psychologist.

Rebecca started life as an actress and found herself living life in the fast lane in LA, until, after 4 years, she dropped everything and returned to her humble origins in Wantage, where she still lives today, leaving everything behind and without a plan, she became all too aware of her own vulnerability and the toll that lifestyle had taken on her. On the show, we talk about both of our experiences of burnout and how we recovered.

Through her recovery through therapy, Rebecca decided she could help others and started training as a psychotherapist. It's a gift and a privilege for someone to share deeply personal and painful experiences that they may not have shared with anyone else, but it also takes its toll on your health as you absorb their trauma. As a mum, Rebecca soon realised that she could not work with children.

She has now gravitated into organisational wellbeing and this makes up around half her work. Organisations are starting to see the values on focusing on meaningful preventative wellbeing programmes and interventions.

One thing that resonated from this conversation (and a great talk Rebecca did at the OBCN Breakfast Networking event recently), is the importance of understanding our own biology and how to regulate our nervous system. Especially important now as we are absorbing so much information every day and life moves so fast.

Rebecca stressed the importance of micro recovery - short breaks between meetings and intense periods of work to ground and reset. Breathing is one of the simplest and most effective things you can do, but stretching, brief immersions in nature and short burst of intense activity are effective as well.

A point that we finished on as we got onto the topic of mental health challenges amongst the young, was the importance of a social network and places you can go in the community where you belong.

This was poignant as after that I went along to visit Micah at the Jungle, up the road in templar's Square shopping centre. Michah is an artist and helps run this community centre which is a haven and somewhere vulnerable people can feel they belong and that they matter. They run programmes for recovering addicts, lonely elderly people, young adults and other misfits. Micah's fabulous talent is on display, adorning all the walls in the calming environment they have created with a multitude of plants and jungleesque décor.

Hopefully we will be speaking to Michah on a future episode of 10 Revolutions. 

What micro recovery techniques do you use and how many times a day?

What spaces are there in your community for social support and belonging?