Is Watercolor for Beginners?

SPS Audio is supported by advertising. SPS is Australia's most trusted multi-lingual broadcaster. Our listeners are loyal, highly engaged, and have supported countless local businesses. We offer advertising packages for businesses of all sizes. Our experienced sales team will guide you through the process of owning a great campaign. Bring your own ad or have our production team make you something in one of our 68 languages. Start the conversation with your new audience today. Email [email protected] You're listening to SPS News. If you hear the words forest bathing, it conjures images of swimming in lakes or a bathtub overlooking a tree scape. In practice, it is very different, but the goal is the same, decompression and mindfulness. All you need to do is take a walk in nature and ignite your sense of smell, sound, touch, and absorb it all. Sean Ramsay practices what she calls forest therapy, leading groups into woodland in North Carolina in the US. So forest therapy at its core is really a nature-based mindfulness activity. So it's actually a lovely way for people to reconnect with nature, to reconnect with aspects of themselves. Ms. Ramsay has taken a group into the Rolston, Arboreum. It's a city-side nature reserve and she's encouraging them to breathe deeply and move slowly. I invite you to really spend the next 10 minutes just exploring this area really focusing on your breath, on your footsteps, all the natural sounds around you, maybe the manmade sounds too, thinking about the forest natural rhythm and how you are part of that. This slow-moving forest meditation was first recorded as a popular practice in Japan in the 1980s, called Shinrin Yoku. It emerged as a remedy for corporate stress among Japanese workers. The same practice has since been used by therapeutic practitioners around the world, and it is timely. Claire Jeffries has spent two hours in the woods near her home, which she says has given her a protective bubble, shielding her from economic pressure and news of war. That focus back into spending time in nature and the healing power of that and just remembering that we're part of something bigger, that we're all connected and that what we do in our actions, that we take really matter to the rest of the world and so there's no better place to see that than here. Fellow participants, Alan Mince, has been taking time to smell the flowers, touch the grass and appreciate the natural world. It's important for people to take the opportunity to exist in natural spaces, both to unwind and relax. It can be easier to interact with other people and to take a moment to appreciate beautiful things. That way, hopefully, they can carry that forward and have more of an appreciation for other people and other cultures that they might be less experienced to it. The concept of anxiety over global affairs isn't new nor is it confined to one culture and a survey shows many of us could be experiencing it. A new report by the Australian National Universities, National Security College, which is directed by Dr. Tim Wilford, found two-thirds of Australians are worried about the country's preparedness and security in the face of looming crises. What's been most surprising is that in November of 2024, what we found with it, the younger cohorts of Australians were least worried about national security and between then and February of this year, when we did our latest survey wave, that concern has increased dramatically. So for example, the 18 to 4-year-old age group in November of 2024, 22% of them were worried about national security and this year in February, 55% of 18 to 25 four-year-olds were being worried about national security and massive increase. The study identifies 85 to 89% of respondents who are concerned about six issues identified as major threats to the nation. These include climate change impacts, AI-enabled attacks, disinformation, foreign interference, economic crisis, and critical supply disruption. With so many global factors beyond individual control, trauma specialists recommend taking action in the face of perceived helplessness. Dr. Susan Ries, professor in psychiatry and mental health from the University of New South Wales, suggests individuals find tangible ways to respond to conflict and atrocities. Things like joining or being engaged with humanitarian responses may be fundraising, getting people together in groups to share information, in a constructive way, being able to take social action, lawful social action, even attend rallies, and things like that where you feel like you're part of a group that really care and that you really feel like you're doing something and that's really empowering and really good for mental health. Camille Bianchi, SBS News. Starting a new life in Australia isn't easy. Another of companies have rejected me. From top I feel like, oh, I'm gonna quit, I've given up. Working progress is a podcast to help skill migrants rebuild their careers in a new country. You'll hear inspiring real-life stories, expert advice and valuable tips to help you find a job and advance your career. Working progress, listen now wherever you get your podcasts.