Help Mental Health Awareness Let’s catch the problem at the bud - Part of our education system Mental Health Awareness programmes in schools are the need of the hour as we see that the persistent and disabling nature of psychiatric stigma has led to the establishment of global programmes to challenge the negative stereotypes and discriminatory responses that generate social disability, but these initiatives are rarely evaluated or even recognised. We have seen, through Anufunyoga the effectiveness of school-based interventions with young people aged 12-16 aimed at increasing mental health literacy and challenging negative stereotypes associated with severe mental illness has had a largely successful result. Awareness about mental health is crucial AAF work relentlessly to develop it. We celebrate events like Mental Health Awareness Month which provides a timely reminder that mental health is essential and that those living with mental health issues are deserving of care, understanding, compassion, and pathways to hope, healing, recovery, and fulfilment. Types of mental illness - mood disorders (such as depression or bipolar disorder) - anxiety disorders. - personality disorders. - psychotic disorders (such as schizophrenia) - eating disorders. - trauma-related disorders (such as post-traumatic stress disorder) - substance abuse disorders We have seen that shows that short educational workshops can produce positive change in young people’s views of mental illness. However, more robust evaluations are needed to assess the long-term impact of both short and integrated whole-school approaches to increasing mental health literacy across the globe. Come join us All donations are tax-free under 80 G

THE NEW NORMAL: HOW LIFE HAS CHANGED DUE TO COVID-19 Tips for coping with mental health during coronavirus COVID-19 anxiety worry, unpredictability. Change is difficult to adjust to and especially when it rips apart all our lifestyles, belief systems and any kind of certainty we could have had about the way we live and the place we live in. Over the past few months, we’ve experienced an unprecedented shift in our way of life due to COVID-19. Pre-pandemic, where a trip to do a weekly grocery shop, seems like an adventure of its own! Before we know it, we’ve (reluctantly) let go of our old normal and now settling into what seems to be our new normal. And who knows if this has come to stay. With the fundamental shifts in our life here are some tips on how to adjust to the New Normal. ACCEPTANCE: ALLOW YOURSELF TO GRIEVE THE “OLD” NORMAL It is very human to miss the old ways it is easy to feel a sense of loss. Throw in a pandemic, along with changes to routines and plans for the weeks and months ahead in 2020, and it’s more important than ever to acknowledge the challenges and difficulties that we face in light of COVID-19. Yes, there will be denial, anger, maybe even depression and acceptance, as we pivot and adjust to our new normal (whatever form it may take). But it’s important to give yourself time to grieve what you have lost. Once you’ve allowed yourself to grieve, there will be more space to start embracing your New Normal. YOGA LIFESTYLE - CREATE A NEW ROUTINE If you have been thinking to start yoga this is the opportune time to adapt to a yoga lifestyle. Make a routine. Having a routine can help create some sense of normalcy during the time of chaos, so get creative so that you can continue on in some way: No longer able to go to the gym? Go online with home-based programs that can be done with little or no equipment. Start with some yoga stretching, twisting and turning, Adarak and natural herbal tea are great to protect yourself. Missing your coffee at work? Make your own at home (latte art optional), and be sure to enjoy it mindfully before checking your emails. If you Cannot connect on regular brunch catch-ups at your local with friends you can connect via Zoom. Above all, be flexible when it comes to finding your new routine…let’s remember that these are challenging times and maybe here to stay for a while. WRITING: JOURNAL YOUR EXPERIENCE A great help is your confessional diary about your experience – be it your thoughts, feelings, what you’ve done, anything! – can be quite therapeutic and a great chronicle to look back on long after COVID-19 has passed. Whilst a default during these times may be to focus on the coronavirus chaos, do record things that makes you feel better by taking a gratitude approach (see the prompts in Point 1 in this article). GRATITUDE: INNER SPACE IN THE EXTERNAL Mostly at home With much of your life now happening between four walls, having a designated space at home to work or study or meditate can help maintain boundaries between work and play. Take it one step further and dress to get into the right frame of mind…it can be challenging to whip up the motivation to meet a deadline when you’re in your pyjamas the entire day. STAY IN TOUCH I find I am connecting more at this time. Social distancing does not mean social disconnecting In the new normal you can still connect with family and friends - just in different ways! It does take a bit of creativity though when we can’t do a lot of the things that we previously did. INNER JOY INNER PEACE: POSITIVE VIBES ONLY Keep smiling l8ke I am making it w habit to smile behind the mask. Celebrate anything that puts a smile on your face, large or small. Made a nice cup of tea this morning? Great! Walked your dog today? Awesome! Saw a funny meme on social media? Go ahead and chuckle! I found Positive Psychology can help you find the feel-good factor during these challenging times? TAKE IT EASY TAKE A BREAK Enjoying the silence could be a tricky thing but hey! Worth a try. You are allowed to take things one moment at a time! We may not know what the next minute, or even the next hour, will bring. Set yourself a realistic goal and allow yourself to adjust it when you need to. Remind yourself that we’re currently living in extraordinary times, so give yourself some grace during moments like these: With everyone at home now it may be more difficult to keep the house tidy, so adjusting expectations about housekeeping may be more helpful rather than stressing out about having to clean every minute. Between working from home, homeschooling the kids, and doing continuous food preparation throughout the day, there may be days when you have no energy left to cook dinner. So consider ordering takeaway (and support your local café or restaurant!) or Ireheating some frozen food. Now is the time to be human and to ask for help.YKe it easy takes it at a time. Some tips that can help you stay afloat in these challenging times.

The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown have caused widespread devastation on several levels. The poor and the downtrodden in Dharavi in Mumbai, Asia’s most densely populated slum are affected severely. Not only are they at the highest risk of contacting the virus but also faced with hunger. Their livelihoods have been shattered and they have no means to support themselves. They are unable to have even one proper square meal a day. AAF has been unswervingly engaged with taking proactive measures for residents of Dharavi. Anu has joined forces with Acorn Foundation that is providing meals and essentials support to such families in Dharavi. They are inviting people to lend a helping hand by contributing to meal packets that are distributed among the hapless people there. The kit comprises wheat flour, rice, three types of pulses, turmeric, chilli and spices packets, edible oil, onions and potatoes as well as bathing and detergent soaps and toothpaste. ● Donation of INR 650 feeds a family of five people for a week ● And a donation of INR 1,300 feeds a family of five for 15 days. A contribution of either would go a long way in helping the helpless battle hunger and despair.

AAF business initiative mobilizes rural artisans, who are located in various different clusters across India while sustaining the environment by engaging naturally grown fibres, products. Each of these clusters is managed by state partners and local Master Artisans, to help them earn sustainable livelihoods thus preventing the rampant unsafe migration in the region and therefore makes people less vulnerable for human trafficking. Making them independent and financially secure which contribute to their self-esteem and improves the quality of life of their entire family is our motive. AAF initiative is to provide sustainability in their lives, empowering them not only financially, but also bringing them a new status in their families, and therefore, in their communities through promotion and development of traditional arts, handicraft and textile weaving. But this initiative imposes challenges, as a lot of time and resources are required for designers to travel from cluster to cluster to provide training­­. AAF seeks to create a Resource Centre, a hub to train the Master Artisans of different clusters to ensure the high quality of the products. Also, the wholesale buyers can collaborate directly with the designers and artisans to ensure the fullest satisfaction to the specific requirements. The resources saved by establishing the AAF Resource Centre will be directed to engage more artisans to the business initiative. As your business is exponentially growing in every corner of India, the AAF Resource Centre would strategically benefit the company as it increases public relations and brand image, achieve CSR goals and also provides its multi-purpose facilities for your business conferences, corporate events, official accommodations and employee training and many more. #Made In India #handmade #empowerment #artisans #handicrafts

How can we define terms such as happiness, wellbeing and quality of life? These are often used interchangeably to talk about what it means to have good psychological or mental health. Happiness is a state of mind, it’s an emotion you experience, and when you feel happy, you know it. The brain chemicals that can drive the sensation, positive emotions of joy are dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins (sometimes referred to as D.O.S.E) and the capsule of inventive medicine Anufunyoga does just that of which Anu takes classes herself. ‘Don’t worry, be happy’ as the song says, juxtaposes the negative emotion of worry and the positive feeling of being happy. This suggests that you need to remove the worry from your life to be happy. However, feeling happy and being happy doesn’t just mean the absence of sadness, worry or poor health – although there’s no doubt that you’re more likely to feel happy when you’re not stressed or anxious and when you feel physically healthy. There are certain activities and approaches that can help you feel happy or happier; one of these is anufunyoga which has shown the release of feel-good hormones called endorphins and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) that can elevate mood and produce a feeling of happiness and wellbeing. Being generous, compassionate, optimistic and appreciating what you have in life may help people feel happier. Planting positive affirmations in a person mind is what is seen to make people feel happiness and joy.

We come to peoples aid to relieve them of mental, spiritual, physical suffering. You can t change the world if at all you can change how you look at it. It is not what happens but how we react to it that makes

Empowering women through Promotion and Development of Traditional Arts, Handicrafts and Textile Weaving