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This weeks' editor:
Kate
Hello, 

Welcome to Sort of Nothing Like A Book Club, the newsletter from Creative CoLab (formerly CAGED Arts).

The link between art and mental health and wellbeing is well established. As well as being used as a form of therapy, practicing or viewing art gives us the opportunity to escape everyday life and can be a tool of relaxation. I know that personally that this is been especially true during the pandemic. Whether that is binge watching a series on Netflix, listening to a favourite album or watching live theatre streams, art has been a valuable life line for many of us. 

For this issue we have been taking a look at Mindfulness and how it can be combined with different art practices. This practice encourages you to reconnect with your body, and become more aware of the present moment. It can help with anxiety, stress and increase mental wellbeing.
Read on to find out what we have discovered. 
Mindful Museums
by Victoria Hunter


In this piece Victoria looks at how art galleries and museums are supporting mental health and wellbeing through the concept of 'Mindful Museums'.

She discusses the work of Manchester Art Gallery and their successful interactive mindfulness exhibition. With other galleries and heritage sites around the UK developing mindfulness offers, she considers how this could change how audiences engage with art in the future. She looks at the impact of the pandemic and highlights online resources and meditations that have been made available to support mental wellbeing during this time. 
 
12 Steps to Turn an Art Museum Visit Into Mindfulness Meditation
This article outlines simple steps you can follow to practice Mindfulness when observing artwork. It says that by practicing mindful meditation we allow ourselves to connect to the here and now and become more focused. 

Practicing mindfulness while listening to music - a beginners guide
This piece looks at how you can practice mindfulness whilst listening to music and gives a simple step by step guide in how to do this. 

Mindfulness - Mind
This guide from Mind provides information on mindfulness, how to practice it and information about introductory courses and online resources you can use. 

The Power of Mindfulness: What You Practice Grows Stronger
This TEDx talk looks at Mindfulness. Shauna Shapiro looks at neuroscience and draws from her own experiences of learning mindfulness to explore the benefits of this practice and how it can help us make positive changes in our lives. 

12 best mindfulness apps to help you keep calm during a crisis
This article compiles a list of the top 12 Mindfulness apps. It gives a brief description of each, including specific features and if there is a subscription fee, so you can decide what is best for you. 


 
And Lastly...

Mindfulness can be a really useful tool for looking after your mental health and wellbeing. However, if you are struggling with your mental health it's important that you reach out and talk to somebody. This guide from Mind outlines the first steps you can take in order to get support. 

Thank you to our wonderful guest writer Victoria for this edition.
 If you have any thoughts you'd like to share about anything we've touched upon in this issue we'd love for you to get in touch on social media. 

 
Bye!
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