World Mental Health Day (today) seems like a good day to reflect on our Happiness project from earlier in the year.

We started this project by trawling through online advice/tips/lists from reputable organisations such as Beyond Blue and Headspace … and did our best to group the ideas into a compact list of some practical things that have been shown to improve mental health and build a sense of happiness. We ended up with 12 key messages.

Then we made them into a little rhyming poem (of sorts) … with some cute animated images … just because. And we also created an A3 poster.

Our story starts with wrangling control of the seemingly uncontrollable by making your own list - that is making yourself a plan.

Then looking after yourself physically - sleeping, eating and exercising well. I don’t think these need explanation. We all know they’re the building blocks right?

The next little bracket of ideas focus on human connection - taking the time to keep up with your friends, making new friends - your neighbours are a great place to start (particularly this year), and helping out others - volunteering has been shown to have a positive effect on depression, life-satisfaction and well-being.

One interesting idea is the value of spending time in nature - did you know this is a proven way to reduce stress and lessen the symptoms of anxiety and depression? We’re so lucky in our neighbourhood to have access to endless stretches of green space along the local rivers and creeks.

And then there’s the impact of a smile - when you smile your brain releases dopamine, endorphins and serotonin. A smile reduces your own stress and improves the mood of those around you.

Next we explore creativity. Making the time to do what you love and putting yourself out there to learn new things contributes to an upward spiral of positive emotions, psychological well-being and feelings of flourishing in life.

And finally, we end with gratitude. Gratitude helps people feel positive emotions, relish good experiences, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.

Amazing right? We were quite chuffed with all the things we managed to squeeze in there.

If you’d like one of these posters for your wall pop past ACC. We printed about 300 and have kept refilling our collection bin - I think there are about 30 left. Again we’d like to thank Clifton Hill/North Fitzroy Community Bank for supporting this project. It really has proven particularly relevant in 2020.

And if you’d like to watch the full animation with community voices (it’s pretty cute) click here.

Have you noticed all the new street libraries that have popped up in the last few months?

In my walks I’ve spotted new ones on Perry Street, on Thompson Street and on Mitchell Street. Just to name a few.

And local Kathy wrote to us last week about the one she’s recently installed out the front of her house in Mercil Road.

She says it has been a joint effort of woodworking and mosaic skills that has kept her and her partner Allen entertained during lockdown.

Locals are invited to stop by and choose a book (there's a chair for leisurely browsing) or to drop off their no longer needed reading material.

And this book library has the added bonus of being near a community nature strip veggie patch. So you can collect some silverbeet for dinner at the same time.

Thanks for letting us know Kathy. Your street library Is a gorgeous addition to the neighbourhood.

Happy reading everyone. And don't forget to eat your greens! 😀

As you probably know, Council elections are coming up, and this year it is entirely a postal system.

The ballot packs are being mailed out between 6-8 October (so if you are like me and rarely check the letterbox, pop out and see if yours has arrived … and if not, check again in a day or two).

The ballot pack you receive will contain:

• a ballot paper attached to statements and photographs lodged by the candidates in your council or ward

• voting instructions

• a ballot paper envelope with a flap

• a reply-paid envelope.

You need to vote before 6pm on Friday 23 October. This means either your vote must be in the mail before this time or alternatively you can deliver your vote in person to the local election office. To find out where your local election office is, which ward you are voting in (because they have changed for Darebin this year) … and all the other things, click here.

If you are still waiting to get your ballot pack but want to find out about the candidates you are choosing between, click on the link above and type in your address to confirm your ward. Then click on your Council. Then click on the ward you are in. Then click on ‘expand all’ at the top of the list of candidates. This enables you to see a statement from each candidate in a list. Alternatively you can download each candidates questionnaire individually by clicking on ‘see response’.

Good luck. As my partner Clive likes to say, vote early and vote often (note this is just a joke. It is a good idea to vote early … but of course you can only vote once - I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this, hopefully??!). Anyway …

At ACC we’ll be eagerly awaiting the outcome of these elections and will be looking forward to working with all the Councillors who get elected across both Yarra and Darebin over the coming years.

Out in the street* … our tables are back. And we’re pleased to see that they are getting a whole lotta love**.

Happy neighbourhood days.

* Creedence Clearwater Revival ** Led Zepplin

Hi friends, we’re looking for some people to contribute to our ‘Honestly’ project. If you‘re partial to a bit of over-sharing (eg. you like a chat at the school gate or down at the shops … or online like me!) … we’d LOVE you to contribute a handwritten letter. Don’t be shy! Start the letter ‘Dear neighbour’. 2-4 pages is enough. No need to sign it, but we’d like a hint of who you are on the envelope. So ‘from a plumber’ or ‘from a gardener’ would be great! You can just slip it under our front door if we’re not home (so it doesn’t get wet if it rains - our letterbox is a bit leaky). We’ll then copy it 30 times and put it out for other neighbourhood friends to collect and read.

Maybe you’d like to share your joy in a project you’ve undertaken, have a story to tell about a grandchild arriving, news of family overseas or just have some thoughts and feelings about this moment in time.

Nothing has to be that exciting … this project is just a little reminder that we’re all in this together … but also uniquely ourselves with our own challenges and experiences. A mechanism to help us all feel just a little bit more connected as a community.

So … we’ll look forward to receiving a flood of hand written letters under our door in the coming days!