How Creativity Helped Colm Cope Through Lockdown

The Covid-19 pandemic descended upon us in 2020 and changed how we live our lives.  Things we took for granted - like visiting a friend - were abruptly torn away from us. Our services, a lifeline to so many, had to quickly adapt to enable us to support our clients' mental health through the most difficult of times while keeping them safe. We were challenged to find new ways of living our values,  connecting with each other, and with ourselves. We have lived through a period where we have had to adopt a whole new vocabulary. Everyone has a Covid story to tell. These are our stories. 

Working alongside esc films, MindWise is creating, "WiseMoves", a series of films telling our covid stories. These films explore how our clients, tenants, volunteers and staff navigated the pandemic - what built our resilience and what threatened it? How did we adapt, what helped us to cope, and what does the future look like for us?

The first story is Colm's. Colm started his journey with MindWise as a service user 7 years ago. When he was suffering from depression, he found MindWise, "a home from home". Now he's helping others to feel at home as a volunteer in our Downpatrick service. 

When lockdown hit, Colm wasn't sure what to do to keep going. He channeled his creativity into creating a legacy for his grandnieces and nephews.  His Covid project helped him move from, "darkness into light".  Watch his inspiring video below to find out what it was. 

Our WiseMove series of films will focus on how we as an organisation, and individuals, coped through the Covid-19 pandemic.  We'll be sharing new films over the course of the year from our service users, volunteers, clients and staff.