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North Hobart, Tasmania 7002

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We are all like teapots

A glass teapot three quarters full of tea. It also has a flower in it.
A glass teapot three quarters full of tea. It also has a flower in it.

We are all like teapots

Yes, that’s right. A teapot. We are pouring cups of tea out of our pot all day every time we help other people. But we are not magic teapots. We get empty!

This was the image our social worker Heidi gave to women at workshops at the Migrant Resource Centres in Glenorchy and Mowbray this year. It was an image that we hoped would help the women to think of ways to take care of themselves amid all the big stuff happening in their communities here and overseas.

We worked with three language groups – Farsi, Tigrinyan and Nepali-speakers. We knew about some of their experiences, such as fleeing the Taliban in Afghanistan; fleeing the Ethiopian military in Tigray; or being forced out of Bhutan because they speak Nepali. Women’s Health Tasmania can’t change these political attacks, but we could give the women ideas to help calm themselves when they feel like a volcano and energise themselves when they feel low and lonely.

The women loved the teapot image. They loved trying out different breathing exercises. Did you know that a longer out-breath tells your body that you are safe?

The women related to the value of identifying how it feels when your teapot is empty and what can help to fill it up again. Everyone is different, but everyone knew what an empty teapot was like.

From these workshops, we developed selfcare handouts in these three languages, in both written and audio form.

We have now produced an English version, with an audio recording of Heidi guiding your breathing. We think you’ll like it. You can use it to help fill your own teapot.

Related resources

Self care handout

This handout contains information about self-care that was developed out of our work with different communities in Tasmania. It has lots of useful information, and a link to our Health Worker showing how to do a 5-minute breathing exercise.