Are You Feeling Shtty? Theme: Masking & Authenticity

Everyone feels shitty sometimes, and it's okay. It's okay to feel shitty. This is a group that gets together to talk about different facets of life; our shitty moments, our great moments, and how we might better cope with the complexity of the human condition. You don't need to be feeling shitty to join, just curious about improving your mental health in an honest, supportive place.

This week's theme is masking & authenticity.

We all wear masks. Depending on who we're with, where we are, and what we're doing, we make changees to our behaviour and demeanor. For some people these changes are small, infrequent and unconscious. For others, they can be a feature of almost all social interaction. The gap between our authentic self and the self we present to the world is often made of anxiety. Wearing a mask takes energy, and can make us doubt who we really are, and how valued our real self is to other people.

We'll be exploring what our masks are, what effects they have, where they come from, and the degree to which they are useful to us. Informed by insights from psychology, we'll discuss the different forms of mask and the various effects they have on our mental wellbeing, and our relationships with others. We'll explore the differences between presence and performance, what our masks might be protecting, and how our masks might be coloured by our gender, race, socioeconomic status and cultures.

Our sessions follow a set structure:

Part 1: Grounding & greetings
Part 2: Group discussion of theme
Part 3: Listening session. Anyone can share why they’re feeling shitty, no one offers advice in return (unrelated to the week's theme).
Part 4: Gratitude exercise & social time

This is an advice-free-zone; simply a place to share, discuss and listen with curiosity and non-judgement.

The event location is my private apartment in Russafa. I will share the exact location on RSVP. Please try your hardest to arrive 5-10 minutes early, so we can start without interruptions.

Wishing you all the best,

Charley