Mindfulness and Meditation to tackle the Mental Health Epidemic

The BIG Sit, A national fundraising event towards mental fitness & resilience during Mental Health Month.

Beyond Blue latest statistics reveal that one-quarter of Australians will experience an anxiety condition in their lifetime and 1 in 6 Australians are currently experiencing depression or anxiety or both.

Suicide is a major public health issue, and more than 3000 people take their life each year, and suicide is the largest cause of death for Australians aged between 15 and 49.

The Sit community, a registered Not for Profit in Australia believe that practicing daily meditation and mindfulness can go a long way to supporting people to feel more connected.

The Sit is an NFP organisation that was founded in 2018 by Jason Partington in Avalon, NSW, in response to a year of increased suicide rates in that area. Jason realised the importance of creating an opportunity for individuals to feel not only a sense of belonging to the community and the environment but to feel supported and energised to meet daily challenges with confidence.

“I’m concerned that a significant allocation of our Government’s funding and resources are being focussed on reacting to the current challenges, rather than focussing on the front end, and supporting people to manage their lives proactively,” said The Sit community Co-founder Jason Partington.

In October, Mental Health Month 2022, The Sit Community will be organising a fundraising event called ‘The BIG Sit.’ 28, ten-minute daily themed and guided meditations will be available for participants to attend live, on-line or to download from the website.

This initiative aims to enhance mental fitness in stages towards the final event, ‘The BIG Sit’. On Saturday, October 29th a thirty-minute live meditation will be led by Jason Partington and Big Sit Ambassador, James Mathison (Australia Idol and The Project). This event will also be available across Australia online.

Every Saturday morning at 6.30am, in 16 different locations across Australia, individuals are gathering to enjoy the peace and tranquillity of ‘The Sit’ at sunrise. This regular, free community event brings people together from all walks of life, fostering mental fitness and a sense of connectedness to each other outdoors in nature.

The beneficial effects of mindfulness and meditation on mental health and wellbeing are widely accepted. Many have found that meditation can also increase awareness, sense of focus, composure and compassion.

This nationwide program seeks to make meditation as easy and accessible as possible to everybody to encourage a daily habit of meditation for life.

The Big Sit creates an opportunity for people to participate in the development of their mental health and wellbeing while contributing to wider efforts to support those at risk of attempting suicide.

Menchie Khairuddin

Website | + posts

Menchie Khairuddin is a writer Deputy Content Manager at Akolade and content producer for Third Sector News. She is passionate about social affairs specifically in mixed, multicultural heritage and not-for-profit organisations.

• Menchie Khairuddin

  https://www.thirdsector.com.au/author/menchi-kakolade-co/

  Partnership unveils custom Xbox Series X consoles inspired by cancer research
• Menchie Khairuddin

  https://www.thirdsector.com.au/author/menchi-kakolade-co/

  $2M committed to First Australians Capital Catalytic Fund
• Menchie Khairuddin

  https://www.thirdsector.com.au/author/menchi-kakolade-co/

  Stark reminder of the increasing number of homeless youth
• Menchie Khairuddin

  https://www.thirdsector.com.au/author/menchi-kakolade-co/

  Moriarty Foundation announces Joanna Shulman as inaugural CEO