Layla’s story: What surprised me most about attending the session was how it reduced my pain

Hear from Layla* a patient at WellBN GP Surgery, living with ADHD and a chronic pain condition, who attended our Third Friday session:

I first found out about The Hera Project from a leaflet I picked up at my GP surgery. The idea of trying a new activity and connecting with others really appeals to me – especially as I mostly work remotely, which can sometimes feel quite isolating.

Although I enjoy socialising, I do sometimes feel nervous about meeting new people (even if that’s not always obvious from the outside). So I was a little apprehensive before the session. But once I arrived, my nerves quickly disappeared.

The Hera Project team and the artist made me feel completely at ease. I was really impressed by how attentive they were to the different needs in the room – it made the session feel much more inclusive and set it apart from other art classes.

The artist clearly explained and demonstrated the printing process, but there was plenty of time for questions and the staff were really supportive throughout the session.

“What surprised me most about attending the Third Friday session was how it reduced my pain.”

That morning, I’d been having a flare-up in my back pain. But after sitting and engaging in the creative activity for an hour, I noticed a significant reduction in my pain and felt far less stressed.

I left the session feeling uplifted. I even went for a walk afterwards, which helped even more. That’s something I probably wouldn’t have done if I hadn’t attended.

“It really highlighted for me just how powerful engaging in the arts can be for both physical and mental health”.

I also really enjoyed connecting with the people at my table. There were a lot of different ages and we all came from different backgrounds, which made the conversations really interesting. At the same time, there was no pressure to talk; some people just quietly focused on the activity.

“If you’re thinking of coming along to an activity run by the Hera Project, I’d say, go for it. You don’t need to be ‘creative’ because it’s more about the enjoyment of the process than the 'final outcome.”

That said, I was genuinely impressed by how everyone’s prints turned out. There was a lot of joy in the room.

*Name has been changed to protect the individual's privacy.

Find out about The Hera Project’s creative health workshops which are funded, at no cost to participants. Please note, while some of the workshops are open to residents with a BN postcode, others are for patients currently registered at WellBN GP surgeries only.