WIMS Live Schedule

"Climate anxiety" is something we're hearing more of, as the impact of climate change causes many of us to feel concern and worry for the health of our planet and what the world will be like for future generations. 

Take part in our webinar on Tuesday, 28 September to hear from environmental activitists, mental health experts and more on our emotional and physical responses to climate change.

This will be a live event; you can register for it here.

We're inviting a different special guest to join us each week and take over our Instagram channel. First up is Bláthnaid Treacy, television presenter and supporter of all things Walk in My Shoes (WIMS) for many years!

Follow our channel from 3pm on Tuesday, 28 September to get Bláthnaid's take on mental health and wellness.

Journaling is the practice of keeping a diary or journal that explores your thoughts and feelings around the events of your life. It can be a really useful tool for stress reduction, self-knowledge, emotional healing and more.

Dr Declan Lyons, Consultant Psyhciatrist at St Patrick's Mental Health Services, takes us through the power of journaling and gives us tips for the most effective practice of writing and reflecting.

You can watch this wellbeing session any time from 11am on Wednesday, 29 September. 

Zoe Holohan is a mental health advocate and best-selling author of As the Smoke Clears. Zoe's husband Brian died suddenly in 2018, just four days after their wedding, in a tragic accident during wildfires in Greece. Only a few weeks later, her father also passed away. Zoe is open in sharing her experience of bereavement, moving through grief, and finding a path to recovery.

Listen to our podcast with Zoe from 9am on Thursday, 30 September.

Self-harm is a difficult topic and something that can be hard to recognise and understand. Young people can engage in self-harming behaviours at different times and for different reasons. This webinar aims to support teachers and school staff to spot the signs of when a student or young person in their classroom might be self-harming and to know how to respond. 

This will be a live event taking place at 11am on Monday, 4 October. Registration is now open.

The second of our Instagram takeovers is coming up at 3pm on Tuesday, 5 October. Our new ambassador, ultrarunner and mental health advocate Conor O'Keeffe, will be taking over out 

We all go through challenging times or can be harder on ourselves than we would be on others. There are lots of ways we can learn to be kinder and more compassionate with ourselves.

Due to an unexpected change in our schedule, we will no longer be able to present our planned Compassion in the Classroom session on 6 October. We will bring this to you later in the year, and apologise for any disappointment or inconvenience with this change.

We do however invite you to enjoy a recent webinar on self-care practices, which shares lots of useful information and tips on how young people can nurture their wellbeing.

The last academic year was a particularly tough one for teachers and school staff, which they faced with incredible resilience and commitment to their students. As we enter a new school year, we want to celebrate that and to empower teachers with some tools and skills they can use to be kind to themselves and refresh after facing down so many challenges.

This wellbeing session will be available from 9am on Wednesday, 6 October.

Fitness isn't just for our bodies. Staying active physically helps our minds too. By taking part in sports and community activities, we can also build our relationships and connections with others. 

RTÉ's Jan Ní Fhlanagáin is joined by Davy O'Connor of Shelbourne FC to talk about how we can stay healthy in our minds and bodies.

Listen in from 9am on Thursday, 7 October.

Rachel Lenny of Earth and Purpose Yoga brings you a relaxing, slow flow yoga class on Saturday, 9 October, hosted together with AVOCA in the beautiful setting of its Mount Usher Gardens. 

You can watch this class at any time on Saturday from AVOCA’s Instagram page.

Sunday, 10 October marks World Mental Health Day, and we’re inviting you to wear your favourite funky shoes on a wellbeing walk to celebrate the day.

Getting outdoors and enjoying nature helps to clear our minds, be mindful, and reduce anxiety, whether it’s a short stroll around your neighbourhood or local park, a scenic walk, or even a hike.

Step out for World Mental Health Day in your funky shoes and use the #WIMSLive hashtag on social media to join us in sharing positive messages on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. 

You can also join our new mental health ambassador, marathon ultrarunner Conor O’Keeffe, for a very special wellbeing walk. To support World Mental Health Day, AVOCA is offering free admission to its gardens at Mount Usher on 10 October for your wellbeing walks, and you can meet Conor there on the day! 

If you're going through a mental health difficulty, having a network of family, friends and carers who can support you makes a massive difference.

Grace Mongey of Faces by Grace; Elaine Donnelly, mental health social worker in SPMHS; and Sean Fitzpatrick, service user representative, discuss what it means to have a good support system when you're recovering from a mental health problem.

Take part in this live event from 11am on Tuesday, 12 October.

Another week, another special social media moment! Join our special guest for an Instagram takeover from 3pm on Tuesday, 12 October.

Art is all about imagination and creativity, and there's no better person to celebrate this than one of Ireland's most well-known and best-loved artists (and owl fan!), Don Conroy. Don has been bringing his famous drawings to our screens for many years, and he's very kindly hosting a Draw with Don session just for WIMS Live. This session is suitable for everyone, whether children, young people and the young at heart.

Have your pens and paper ready from 9am on Wednesday, 13 October. 

Mental health stigma can come about because of a lack of awareness and understanding about mental health. It can delay or make it more difficult for people seeking help for their mental health, or lead to people being treated unfairly. While there has been a lot of progress in reducing stigma in recent years, we still have some way to go - and we all have a part to play.

Hear more in a podcast going live at 9am on Thursday, 14 October.

Life without mental health stigma means we all get to live it. If we didn't face stigma, we wouldn't feel prevented from taking part in our home or community life out of fear of being treated differently. How can we make this our reality and normalise mental health?

Join our webinar at 11am on Tuesday, 19 October to hear more.

Our last Instagram takeover of WIMS Live 2021 takes place from 3pm on Tuesday, 19 October - don't miss it!

We live in a busy, stressful world, and taking time out to relax and be present in the moment is more and more important. Earth and Purpose Yoga's Rachel Lenny brings you a very special sound bath, a meditation experience that builds in breathing exercises and surrounds you with sound waves to help you destress and reach deep relaxation.

Join in from 9am on Wednesday, 20 October - and bring our headphones to get the most out of the experience!

At different times in our lives, we may need to get some help and support for our mental health. One person who went through treatment for their mental health tells us about their experience.

We hear this firsthand experience in a podcast going live from 9am on Thursday, 21 October.