'MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK'

                                                           

YOUR MIND MATTERS.

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, 10th-16th May 2021.

What is Mental Health Awareness Week?
A national week in the UK to raise awareness of mental health and mental health problems. It's aim is to encourage action and promote the message of caring for and understanding mental health. The event has been organised and hosted by The Mental Health Foundation for the last twenty-one years, an opportunity for people to talk and learn about all aspects of mental health with a focus on providing help and advice. It's important that we continue to raise awareness to ensure we continue to strive to create a society that advocates for mental health. Despite its importance, there is still stigma attached. Mental health is just as essential as physical. It's conversing and raising awareness that are vital starting points in working towards a system that provides adequate support and a society that is free of stigma.

What is this year's theme?
2021 Mental Health Week is focused around the theme of 'Nature'. Having access to nature and being able to benefit from its advantages is a helpful part of caring for ones mental health. It's been particularly evident throughout the pandemic how useful nature can be. Going for walks, enjoying nature's beauty, getting out into open space, breathing in fresh air, can be beneficial for our minds, especially when coping and managing stress and anxiety over lockdown and finding effective ways to alleviate and combat those emotions. But not everyone is able to enjoy nature, Mental Health Awareness Week wants to explore and work to eradicate those barriers, ensuring everyone has the equal opportunity to share in the natural world and experience its multiple benefits.

Research on the mental health impacts of the pandemic showed that going for walks outside was one of our top coping strategies and 45% of us reported being in green spaces has been vital for our mental health. 

Some tips: Find Nature wherever you are... It's all around us. Connect to it using your senses. Get outside when you can. Bring Nature to you- plants inside, getting outside if you have a garden, watch films, television or listen to podcasts about Nature. Exercise amongst Nature. Combine Nature with creativity. Taking care of Nature- Recycling, walking instead of driving, joining community groups. Experience nature, talk about nature and share nature using "#ConnectWithNature' and '#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek'.

Work you can do?
- Keep talking. Every conversation you have about the importance of recognising and treating mental illness and caring for mental health creates a ripple effect, reaching people beyond your circle and effectively increasing both awareness and support. 

- Check in with yourself and others. Take the time to consider how you feel, to rest, stay present and consider what you need. Take time to do what makes you feel good and what you enjoy. We can often run on autopilot in our busy lives, keep talking to friends and family and ask them how they are doing. Really listen to their answers. When mental illness begins to emerge, it can be difficult for the individual struggling to be able to recognise signs. Become aware of changes in your friends and family, changes in behaviour and thoughts can be useful to determine if someone may be struggling and not speaking about it.

- Open up about your own experiences, it's in sharing that we learn we are not alone and encourage others to open up about their struggles to. It can be reassuring to know others have or are in the same boat.

- Become aware of your language around mental health and illness. Encourage kind language. Any language that reinforces the stigma surrounding mental illness can be harmful and stop someone from speaking up and receiving the help they may need. Words like 'crazy', 'psycho' and 'schizophrenic' are inappropriate and can be offensive. Similarly to physical illness, if someone has a mental illness we can refer to their circumstance as 'living with' or 'experiencing' a mental illness, rather than labelling them as the illness or that they are 'suffering'. They are living with 'depression', 'schizophrenia', or 'anorexia' for example, rather than they are 'depressed', 'schizophrenic' or 'anorexic'. As well as your own vocabulary, don't be afraid to call out others if they use derogatory words, it's through education and learning that we can change and become aware of the unhelpful and harmful consequences of using such terms. 

- Continue to educate yourself about mental illness and caring for ours minds so the conversation continues and you can pass your knowledge to those in your circle. When not spoken about, misconceptions, unnecessary judgements and beliefs can occur.

- Spread awareness on social media, there's a lot of helpful content that can reach thousands if you share it and spread the word. Be mindful of what source the information is coming from and if it could be triggering for others.

- Encourage conversation and awareness around the link between physical and mental health. Nutrition, exercise, sleep and care for ourselves physically can directly influence how a person feels mentally and emotionally. Mental health doesn't exist in isolation and is equally important.

- You can also donate, fundraise or purchase a green ribbon pin at face covering: Mental Health Foundation.

Organisations and Charities for support?

Whether you're concerned about yourself or a loved one, you can find support for specific conditions via the NHS Website: NHS Mental Health.

Mental Health First Aid England
Every Mind Matters - NHS
No Panic
Anxiety UK
Samaritans
Shout 85258
Zero Suicide Alliance