Feeling Safe, Socially
Photo of Ryan Honschooten and his soccer team about to take on APM.
Recently, Haven was fortunate enough to have Ryan Honschooten speak with us about how sport has helped him to form social connections. Ryan is totally blind and an NDIS participant himself. He works with youth who are vision impaired, is an international athlete, and an Australian of the Year nominee.
Ryan shared that although people may only see him as socially confident, there are also times when he feels vulnerable. He shared with us his top tips to conquer feelings of anxiousness so that you can form social connections that you want:
Find activities that interest you.
Initially attend with a friend, support worker, or relative.
Phase out your supports as you need (i.e., initially you may like to have a family member and your support attend, and when you're comfortable this could just be your support worker, and there may even be times that you could attend by yourself - if your support needs allow).
Ryan wanted to share with Haven that not all social connections need to be in-person. There are online options such as the Facebook group Connecting Us by Befriend.
In a future post, we’ll share some other ways to find social groups and activities of interest.
Haven Hour occurs on the last Monday of every month, facilitated by Haven’s occupational therapist, it's a chance for people to connect, share similar experiences, and work towards achieving their 2024 goals together. If you're interested in joining, get in touch by emailing hello@havendisabilityservices.com