Positive Frequencies returned in full force, inviting a group of participants to turn inwards and create outwards. Funded by Manchester Adult Education Service, this incredible project welcomes individuals to set their focus onto their well-being and self-care practice. From sessions on imposter syndrome, to post-COVID life, our attendees are encouraged to use the likes of creative writing, songwriting and more to check in and express their emotions healthily. To share the wisdom and insight they had built throughout the course, our participants created a radio show for the Reform Radio airwaves. Listen to it below.
We caught up with Divine to see how the project went and what they plan to take from it moving forward into their everyday lives.
Introduce yourself (name, pronouns, and what you’re up to at the moment/hobbies etc).
Divine: My name is Divine Neza. I use she/her pronouns. At the moment I’m doing art therapy, textiles – creating my own bag. In my free time I like reading and watching funny videos.
How do you think your friends would describe you in three words?
Divine: I think my friends would describe me as funny, genuine and intellectual.
What’s your favourite thing to do to make you feel good/as a form of self-care?
Divine: My favourite thing to do as a form of self-care is binge watching Friends. It was a special interest of mine growing up and having episodes play in the background makes me feel safe.
Did you have much experience of using writing in your well-being practice already? If so, what’s your favourite element of this or what have you enjoyed about trying it for the first time?
Divine: I have lots of experience in writing to express myself but very little practice within my well-being. I really enjoyed switching my perspective on my approach to writing, as a tool for promoting a healthy well-being as opposed to just a way to vent negative feelings.
What prompted you to get involved in our Positive Frequencies course?
Divine: The recommendation by referral enlightened me on the potential benefits of doing a course like this. Especially given my mental health and life’s circumstances at the moment, Positive Frequencies seemed like a great opportunity to utilise my skills in a manner that would really help me.
Let’s throw it back to your first day on the course versus now, tell me a bit about your first impressions/feelings/emotions in comparison to how you feel now. What has changed?
Divine: Initially I was super nervous. I was incredibly anxious beforehand for numerous reasons, mainly not even to do with the course. Upon first impressions, I was worried I would feel excluded and confused as the first few sessions were over Zoom and the lack of real-life interaction made me very hesitant to connect with people. Once the first session took place and the course went on, many (if not all) of my anxieties around the course subsided. Dan, Tito, Lola, Adele, Autumn and any other staff I met/interacted with over the time were so kind, informative and inclusive. Reform Radio felt like a safe space. After completing the course, I feel confident in myself and my ideas. Positive Frequencies was the first time I’ve been honest about my autism with a group of new people and I’ve come away feeling very proud for staying true to myself. I’m not as nervous to enter new spaces without masking, because my experience on this course has encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone.
What will you take from the Positive Frequencies course moving forward & what are your plans from here onwards?
Divine: Moving forward I will definitely be taking the lessons on imposter syndrome, comfort zone anxiety and goals vs values with me. I’ll be consolidating that advice to better my well-being and my writing skills. My plans from here are to learn more creative skills and to develop the talents I already have by working on my confidence in other areas.
What’s one piece of advice/knowledge you’ve received regarding well-being through the course which you’d pass onto somebody else?
Divine: To attain true fulfillment one must align their life with their values. A life based on your values and principles will bring you far more joy than one based on achieving arbitrary goals.
If you’d like to find out about our future courses at Reform, get in touch with our lovely Projects Team on projects@reformradio.co.uk.
