On Thursday 12 May, as we celebrated our 500th virtual coffee morning since the start of the pandemic, and to mark Mental Health Awareness Week around the theme of loneliness, our Coffee Morning attendees reflected on the power and benefits of connections through virtual coffee mornings!
This is a summary of their discussions. The benefits of virtual coffee mornings include:
- Lifting our spirits – we can arrive feeling down and leave feeling a lot better with an upward shift in mood.
- Breaking up monotony of routine if we feel we are stuck in a rut.
- Making us feel part of the human race.
- Familiarity can make you feel safe – so seeing known faces in groups such as coffee morning makes you feel part of a group.
- Validating – it’s ok to be part of something that’s going on.
- Making you feel normal.
- Taking you out of your own head and making you think about something different.
- Making you feel less lonely.
- Reducing feelings of isolation.
- Coming alongside others who feel and sense the way we do.
- Seeing and listening to advice from John [O’Malley, our Virtual Co-Ordinator] has really helped us solve and tackle issues.
- John’s sense of humour makes us laugh and he is hugely approachable.
- John’s sensitivity and tact is hugely helpful and encouraging.
- Enabling us to get to a place where we can go to something in real world eventually.
- Without virtual groups some of us would never connect with others due to anxiety and worry.
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