A little more than a year ago, the Langley Community Health & Hospital Foundation surveyed the community to see what health topics they would be interested in hearing more about, with the goal of hosting a wellness expo for the community.
It's now coming to life, explained foundation executive director Heather Scott.
The foundation is hosting Anchor Your Mind Expo on Saturday, March 1, at Timms Community Centre.
It is a wellness expo, promoting mental wellness tools and healthy practices to empower people to navigate life’s challenges, live our best lives and support overall health and well-being, explained Scott.
Open to visitors of all ages, interests and abilities, the expo will include a full day of wellness activities like meditation and yoga. It will also feature keynote speakers Dr. Olutade Olajitan, a psychiatrist practicing out of Langley Memorial Hospital, Tyrell Mara of Langley's Wellness Den, Lindsay Kay of the Daily Slay Club, and workshops like Taming the Worry Dragons.
The foundation decided to take on a wellness expo in response to a growing desire from the community to address the mental wellness challenges "we've started to better understand post-COVID," Scott said.
"The sense we get when speaking with donors and health-care staff, is that anxiety is on the rise – in youth, but also in young families and seniors, as well," she elaborated.
"The challenges of raising children in a social media environment, the uncertainly of aging at home with the rising cost of living, these factors are causing Langley residents to feel ill at ease with every day life challenges."
The day-long wellness expo will give participants access to wellness experts and an opportunity to try fun physical exercises and learn new mindful practices to enhance mental well-being – all while fundraising for youth mental wellness initiatives through the foundation. Proceed from the event will be divided between Foundry Langley and Child and Youth Advocacy Centre in Langley.
She noted that each year, an estimated 1,000 Langley youth need immediate access to critical mental health and substance use support services.
Tickets are $100 for the first 100, and then $125 for the remaining 150 seats available at AnchorYourMind.ca/wellness-expo.