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Unlocking the Mind
Health and wellness
During the course of this pandemic, we have been experiencing increasing ambiguity around our physical, mental and financial futures. In order to transcend beyond these uncertainties, many turned to mental health exercises such as mindfulness, using the practice as a buffer to counter pandemic related distress. By practicing mindfulness, we can give attention to our present moment and thoughts as it rewires our minds to adopt more compassionate and empathetic responses to manifest the world we want.
To commemorate Health & Wellness week at Expo 2020 Dubai, Dignified Storytelling along with the Polish Pavilion organized, “Unlocking the Mind“, an event to acknowledge the role that communities play in nurturing healthier, happier societies. The event helped participants understand the importance of depicting realities and changing prospects with accuracy and authenticity, taking them through a series of talks focused on the Dignified Storytelling Principles with specific focus on “I am Empathetic”, “Truth over Headlines” and “We Are Multidimensional”.
Speakers of the Day
We were joined by Omar Shehadeh, Chief International Participants Officer at Expo 2020 Dubai who touched on the stigmas created during the pandemic and the role of media in mitigating or fuelling these threats. Followed by Nick March, Assistant Editor in Chief of the National, Edyta Satchell, Founder & CEO of Satchelle Global Wellness and Christine Kritzas, Psychologist and Education Director of Lighthouse Arabia who shed light on the importance of nurturing the mind, body and soul during times of uncertainty. Dr. Reem Al Gurg, Director of Strategy and Institutional Excellence at MBRU shared insights on how we can ignite our light to live in harmony & achieve our full potential. With the support of Abeer Ayash, Wellness Professional at Home of Wellness, participants closed the session with the help of a guided meditation session that allowed them to absorb the learnings they had gained during the session.
Edyta Satchell
Founder and CEO of Finelle.com
Nick March
Assistant Editor-in-Chief at the National
Abeer Ayash
Holistic Artists and a Mind, Body, Energy Practitioner
Reem Al Gurg
Director of Strategy and Institutional Excellence and a member of the Health Policy faculty at Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU).
Christine Kritzas
Psychologist and creator of the SmartHeart board game
Omar Shehadeh
Chief International Participant Officer – Dubai Expo 2020
Watch the full event
Key learnings
As one of the series of Dignified Storytelling events taking place at Expo 2020 Dubai, “Unlocking the Mind” was an effective platform to:
- Build awareness and understanding about the role of storytelling as a tool to communicate information, raise awareness, and induce actions to be more conscious of our mental health.
- Raise interest and allow consideration of how individuals and organisations can help drive positive social change towards destigmatising mental health challenges in times of uncertainty.