Great Strides May 2017

Wednesday May 3rd 2017 5PM

Saint John’s Church 16 Church St., Waterbury, CT A non-denominational celebration for Mental Health Awareness Month Presented by Western Connecticut Mental Health Network, Waterbury and Mental Health Connecticut’s Independence Center.

You are invited!

“I can be myself” - John P.

Mending Art will be on display at the Harwinton Public Library during the months of May & June!

Come take a look and read a book!

2

The IC would like to announce that this month’s faces in recovery is John P. John has been a member of the IC since late 80’s. He became very active here at the IC in the 90’s when he was discharged from Fairfield Hills. John says since he’s come to the IC it continues to be his second home, “this is the most comfortable and safe place for me to go to. I can be myself.” John informed us here that “I feel safe.” John has some encouragement words for anyone struggling with their mental health, “I always looked up to Einstein he had a mental health disorder and everyone respects him, he was able to help the world with his math, if he can do it we all can help the world!” John P. continues to study and stay up to date on his favorite subjects science and physics. He finds enjoyment playing chess and he is a very talented artist. John P. has his artwork displayed at the Mattatuck Museum, Terryville public library, at the WCMHN creative art show and at all of the Art of Wellbeing events hosted by the IC’s Mending Art program.

Mental Health Month was started in 1949 by Mental Health Connecticut’s national affiliate, Mental Health America, to raise awareness about mental health conditions and the importance of good mental health for everyone.

This May, MHC is highlighting the journey young adults take toward achieving a healthier self. A summary of all activities is listed below.

Mental Health Awareness Walk & Fair MHC has teamed up with Rachel Prior, a student at Goodwin College, to present our first ever Mental Health Awareness Walk & Fair on Sunday, May 7th! Rachel and her committee are bringing together young adults from across the state, along with their families and friends, to take steps together to improve whole health in a variety of fun and creative ways. The morning of activities include tunes by DJ Tony Ramos, a live performance by Sea Tea Improv, readings from MHC’s Write On! program, MHC’s therapy dog, Jackie Joy, food for purchase from Bill’s Mobile Brick Oven, wellness activities and resources, and much more! For more information and to register, visit: http://www.mhconn.org/events/fair

Community FUNdraisers MHC has partnered with Bertucci’s restaurants to host Wellness Wednesday every Wednesday in May! Bertucci’s will donate 15% of all purchases made by patrons who present the Dining for Dollars flier at the time of purchase. This includes all Dine-in, Take-out, and Deliveries made at any CT Bertucci’s, any Wednesday in May. Print or use a digital copy of the Dining For Dollars voucher available online at: http://www.mhconn.org/events/mentalhealthmonth Write On! Showcase MHC is presenting four showcases this May featuring artists from the spring 2017 Write On! program (on May 4, 7, 16, & 31) MHC’s Write On! program is a writing workshop that teaches individuals with diagnosed mental health conditions and/or substance use disorders to find their voice and write their truth as mental health advocates. Write On! is made possible thanks to the University of Saint Joseph, Uber, and the generous funding from individual donations provided through The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. For more information about Write On! visit: http://www.mhconn.org/education/writeon Personal Expressions of Recovery and Wellness MHC’s Mending Art program participants from the Independence Center will be exhibiting their art from April 26-May 19 at the Mattatuck Museum, located at 144 West Main Street, Waterbury, CT. An opening reception will take place on April 28, 1:30-3:00 p.m., to include light refreshments, live music, and an opportunity to meet the artists!

NAMI Walk Join MHC’s Team MAX at Bushnell Park on May 20 as we walk with fellow mental health advocates, spreading awareness about the importance of mental health for all Connecticut residents.

Visit https://fundraise.namict.org/events/-/e113826 for more information.

For people who hear voices: www.facebook.com/cthearin gvoicesnetwork or http://www.hearingvoicesus a.org/ Alternatives to Suicide Support Group 399 Franklin Avenue Hartford Wednesdays 4-5pm http://toivocenter.org/ OCD support group http://psychiatry.yale.edu/o cd/patients/support.aspx Alcoholics Anonymous http://www.aa.org/ Narcotics Anonymous http://www.na.org/ Overeaters Anonymous https://oa.org/ Gamblers Anonymous http://www.gamblersanony mous.org/ga/ For additional information on Support Groups in Connecticut, visit http://www.mhconn.org/ed ucation/information%20and %20referral/ or call: 1-800-842-1510, ext. 10

3

It’s important to take care of yourself and get the most from life. Below are 10 practical ways to look after your mental health. Making simple changes to how you live doesn’t need to cost a fortune or take up loads of time. Anyone can follow this advice. Why not start today?

Members of the Independence Center attended a Silent Rally at the LOB on Tuesday as the Finance , Revenue and Bonding Committee held a public hearing. One of the Bills discussed was eliminating the sales tax exemptions for non-profit organizations-which would cost non-profits over 200 million and ultimately hurting the services and supports provided.

WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) at the IC continues to successfully help members. The IC will continue to have WRAP at the IC in April.

Members interested in joining WRAP or have questions regarding WRAP, please call the IC and speak to Jayne our WRAP facilitator.

1. Talk about your feelings 2. Keep active 3. Eat well 4. Drink sensibly 5. Keep in touch

Join us in Mending Art 10am on May 10th, as we learn about Vincent van Gogh

6. Ask for help 7. Take a break 8. Do something you’re good at 9. Accept who you are 10. Care for others

4

The IC would like to send out sincere love support and condolences to the family members and friends of Judy Richards. The IC lost a member on April 23rd and she will forever be remembered as a the happy, kind and sweet Judy.

We will miss her smiling face and her delicious cookies, cakes and sweets she would bake for members!

Art of David G. expands awareness of positive word values through the power of suggestion, repetition, ideas, and reinforcement. David says that his art is a meditation and a type of self-hypnosis. “You can create yourself through suggesting positive things. I thought about it a lot, it helps putting words to it, it’s expressing ideas. It’s personal wellbeing.” David began putting all positive words into a book and couldn’t believe how many positive things there are! “I hadn’t gotten into art/self-expression because of drugs, drugs took over my mind. They were really bad times; I didn’t care about myself. Selfexpression now helps me to focus on the positive words. I want to be positive and get away from all that other stuff. Art is healing, it heals your negativity.

All these things add up.”

Birthdays

May

Valerie M.

4th

Michael B.

14th

Patricia S.

15th

Jeffrey K.

16th

Camilo H.

16th

Maria H.

16th

Judith W.

16th

Zach D.

18th

Alex K.

18th

Megan G.

19th

Joe L.

21st

Jen P.

25th

David has been into art since the 7o’s. “I use to buy art books for a quarter at the used book store. My buddy and I collected them.” David has visited museums and shown his artwork in shows. He enjoys religious art because he finds it inspirational. David has recently been interested in optical illusion art.

Mario S.

25th

Tom M.

26th

Leslie E.

26th

When asked about his art David says, “Art helps me acknowledge that I am somebody. That is why I’m doing all this, going to CAG, KTP, and testifying. I try to be helpful and make a difference somewhere.”

Joseph N.

27th

Mary A.

28th

Erin Z.

31st

Lea D.

31st

In April we anonymously filled plastic eggs with nice thoughts about our members here at the Independence Center. The eggs were opened and read after coloring Easter eggs. It was surprising to hear who was mentioned. For the end of April members had an opportunity to acknowledge something good that a member said or did to be place on “The Acknowledgement Tree” We hoped To fill the tree full of good deeds and good thoughts.

Join us for a birthday bash on the 31st!

5

By I.C. Member Richard Adamski It holds outstanding promise that the Independence Center recognizes the value of artistic expressions within its program which serves its members.

Under the careful guidance of Amy, members of the Independence Center who are members of the art group practice, learn and create original artistic works which they can claim as products of their own.

Step by step, Amy directs the art group members at the Independence Center to develop and elaborate on their own artistic creations.

In order to serve as a tool to add to and enhance the experience of members of the Independence Center, Amy recently added trips for them to the New Britain Museum of American Art. By going on trips to the museum, members were exposed to and experienced viewing some of the most notable and renowned works of American art created by great masters which are displayed in the museum.

By doing this, members of the Independence Center can learn by example and be influenced by some of the greatest creations of American art.

Women’s Group 5/5-Defining Friends 5/12-Best Friends 5/19-Toxic Friends 5/26-Break-ups

Men’s Group 5/3-Be true to yourself

5/10-A letter to yourself 5/17- A Journey to Humbleness 5/24-Mens Nutrition 5/31- Open Discussions

6

The trips made for members of the Independence Center to New Britain Museum of American Art makes for an ideal adjunct, component and compliment to the Independence Center art group.

The New Britain Museum of American Art adds a whole new dimension to this artistic process.

The IC would like to thank Mike and his canine Pasha for generously offering services here at the IC in making sure our clubhouse is safe! We just recently had a visit from Pasha and declared the IC pest free and safe!

Here’s what Mike has to say about his dogs.

“The way it works with our bed bug sniffing dogs is that each has an experienced bed bug inspector who works with them, and can understand what the dog is “saying” when finding the bugs. This way, we can quickly locate where your problem areas are when it comes to bed bugs detection, and help you get going with the bed bug control program. Bed bug dogs have a 90% accuracy rate when it comes to finding the bed bug infestation! To put that in comparison, the human eye can only spot 25% of bed bugs!”

For more information: http://www.bedbugfindersllc.com/ services/bed-bug-dogs/

Infoline CT 211 Logisticare 1-888-248-9895 Guiding Path Warmline: 1-860-482-1783 or 1-800-314-2680 5pm-10pm 7 days per week National Suicide Hotline 1-800-273-8522 Sexual Assault Crisis Hotline 1-888-999-5545 En Español 1-888-999-8332 Crisis 1-866-794-0021 Dentists in Waterbury Who take Husky Health Staywell Health Center 203-597-9044 South Main Street 203-756-8021 Phoenix Avenue Community Health Center 203-574-4000

How can National Physical Fitness and Sports Month make a difference?

We can use this month to raise awareness about the benefits of physical activity — and spread the word about fun ways to get moving!

Here are just a few ideas we discussed at the IC: 

Encourage each other to make small changes, like taking a walk after dinner or going for a bike ride.



Motivate each other at the IC to make physical activity a part of every day like the morning motion we do



Have more workshops and be able to identify and learn about the importance of being active.

Columbia Dental 1-866-645-0111 Statewide # for Opioid (Opiate) Dependence 1-800-563-4086 You will be linked with walk-in assessment centers

7

Disclaimer: Articles which show “submitted by” are not written by an IC member.

They are articles that our members came across, were inspired by, and brought in to the Center to inspire and encourage other members.

Often the authors of these articles are unknown. The opinions expressed in the newsletter are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the Independence Center’s members, the staff, or the Editor.

The Wall Street statue stands its ground and stays. The Fearless Girl staring down the iconic charging bull on Wall street remains. Last month in Current events we discussed the photo of the fearless girl and it brought up various view and thoughts of the girl and what she represents. Some members viewed it as standing up to the bully in your life. Members shared that the fearless girl represents someone facing their doubts and fears like she is with the bull. It could be standing up for something that you believe in.

Some members said “It’s like you have a big problem and it makes you feel so small but you have to stand up to your problem or what you are afraid of and face it head on.” It was also mentioned that the obstacles we encounter in life can be ones such as having a mental illness and dealing with those struggles with confidence like putting your hand on your hip just like the powerful Fearless Girl.

PLEASE PLACE STAMP HERE

Independence Center 21 Church Street Waterbury, CT 0672 Phone: 203-756-5772 Fax: 203-756-9744