Ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week in May, Meditation teacher and active member of the community Juliana Lottman offers a couple of options for those needing respite
Today we are so used to stress that signs of poor mental health are often disregarded. Too many of us live in a state of anxiety without any tools to unwind and come back to a state of restfulness. No wonder more than two million adults, and almost one million children in the UK, experience some kind of mental health issue or learning disability, and according to the NHS this number has increased considerably in the past few years. Around 18,000 people in Islington have been diagnosed with depression, and depression-related disorders and approximately 3,750 are suffering with serious mental ill health. These are the highest rates in London.
Mental Health Awareness Week has existed since 2001 and this year its focus is ‘Anxiety’. From 15–21 May, a series of events will seek to share knowledge and bring support for mental health to the community led by Juliana, an experienced meditation teacher who since 2019 has run meditation and mindfulness classes across the community.
Juliana is now promoting two free workshops in partnership with the Barbican Library. ‘How to Create Inner Peace in Your Life’ aims to point out the effects of stress and anxiety on our bodies and minds, and how to use simple tools like meditation to help us alleviate those symptoms and create a daily practice to help maintain a state of calm and peace.
Juliana also hopes to draw attention to neurodiversity and autism. Many studies have found that anxiety and depression is much higher in neurodiverse members of the population than in the general public, partially because of the stigma and exclusion suffered by neurodiverse people.
As her son was recently diagnosed with autism, Juliana hopes to highlight the importance of community in fighting the stigma associated with neurodiversity, and look at how community can improve the quality of life of those with such diagnoses, as well as their friends and families. This is why she started the Autism Community Cafe at the Vibast Community Centre, in partnership with the London Autism Group Charity. She’s hoping to break down perceived barriers, to enable participation in groups, and to alleviate loneliness.
For neurodiverse people, poor mental health is very common. We didn’t yet have a support group in our community, so she was very keen to introduce LAGC and help create a safe haven, with understanding, support and help for the autistic community and their friends. The Autism Café has been running since November last year and will now become a permanent feature, officially opening on 21 May.
Weekly free meditation sessions at Barbican Library led by Juliana: Thursdays 1pm–2pm Meditation Workshops: Tuesday, 16 May, 12.30–1pm Thursday, 18 May, 6–7pm At the Barbican Library, Silk St, Barbican Centre EC2Y 8DS
The Community Café for Autism is to become a permanent feature and officially opens on 21 May. All are welcome.
Subsequently it will be open on the 3rd Sunday of each month, from 11am–1pm Vibast Community Centre, 167 Old St EC1V 9NH. Supported by the London Autism Group Charity, contact Juliana Lottmann via WhatsApp: 07426 440544
