As part of the 4th International Women's Biennial with the theme 'Breathing with the World', a free listening service with professional psychologists will be offered for the first time.

The project aims to offer a moment of respite to those who feel oppressed in a world characterised by various sources of anxiety.

Anxiety is an emotional response to situations of stress or worry. Today, people are often exposed to numerous stressful stimuli, such as work pressure, financial problems, pandemics, and more. Contemporary anxiety can manifest itself in different ways and affect mental and physical health.

Eco-anxiety, which affects more and more young people, is a form of anxiety related to concerns about the environment and climate change. Many people feel anxious about the uncertainty of the future caused by global environmental problems such as pollution, global warming and loss of biodiversity.

Often, contemporary culture promotes extreme productivity and time maximisation, leading people to feel inadequate if they cannot cope with an ever-increasing work and commitment load. The concept of 'time anxiety' or 'time famine' can be rooted in various aspects of modern life, such as work, family commitments, social expectations and digital technologies that constantly put us in touch with others and external demands. The constant feeling of having to deal with too many things in a limited amount of time can have serious mental and physical health consequences. Chronic time anxiety can lead to disorders such as generalised anxiety, burnout, insomnia and even heart disease. To combat time anxiety, people can try to introduce strategies into their lives such as meditation, relaxation, delegation of tasks, work-life balance and the practice of self-care. On a broader level, there may be cultural changes needed to deal with 'time anxiety', such as a review of expectations at work, a greater emphasis on mental well-being and a reduction in the pressure to be constantly productive.

The Art in the Art of Listening project aims to offer a temporary refuge where people can take time to relax, breathe and share their states of mind with experienced professionals.

In this context, Art promotes mindfulness, i.e. being fully present in the moment, allowing people to distance themselves from anxious time-related thoughts and focus on the creative act itself.

The project, therefore, aims at an individual path as well as a collective path with group activities, leading to a broader awareness, involving different spheres, companies in primis to seek different approaches and offer more welcoming working environments.

The meetings will take place in the dedicated space within the exhibition, at Magazzino 26 in Porto Vecchio in Trieste.

You can book a session with one of the participating professional psychologists directly at the link below: