World Mental Health Day
Today - 10 October 2022 - is World Mental Health Day, an initiative organised by the World Health Organisation to encourage more conversations about mental health and to ‘make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority’.
This is something that I always try to focus on: helping people to navigate change and uncertainty in their lives in a way that protects and promotes mental health and wellbeing.
Sometimes, we all struggle with our mental health and for most people, it’s been a challenging few years. Since the pandemic, there’s been a massive increase in anxiety and depression, and now we’re also dealing with the stress of the cost of living crisis, soaring energy prices and the war in Ukraine. None of this even takes into account what we’ve got going on in our personal lives, which for most of us, is enough to contend with. I’ve had periods in my life where my mental health has really been challenging. Slowly I’m starting to recognise that it’s something I will always have to be conscious of and work on.
Bringing awareness to mental health and wellbeing is really important: just talking about it helps to normalise and destigmatise mental health issues, which makes us all more likely to reach out and ask for help if and when we need it. Sometimes, being there for one another - friends, family, colleagues and even strangers - to talk, listen, and show that we care can make a big difference.
Whatever our individual circumstances, unfortunately nobody else can do this for us. We each have to find ways to make our own mental health and wellbeing a priority. It’s not always easy to do, but these steps might help:
1. Look after your body and mind by taking regular exercise, eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of sleep (sometimes easier said than done!)
2. Try to limit social media use, especially at bedtime and particularly if it triggers negative feelings (this one is hard for me, and it does help when I manage it)
2. Practice mindfulness, whether this means meditating regularly or just trying to be more aware of your thoughts, feelings and living ‘in the moment’ more
3. Connect with people, face-to-face if possible, and tell them how you’re feeling
4. Start a gratitude journal to remind yourself of all the good things in your life
5. Be kind to yourself, especially if you’re feeling down - just try and show yourself the same compassion you show to other people.
Life is a journey and nobody gets it right all the time. We’re all imperfect, and we all have times when we experience self doubt, feel low, and get overwhelmed. Just try to remember that you’re not alone and it will pass. Take it one breath at a time if you need to.
If you’re concerned about your own mental health, or the mental health of someone close to you, then contact your GP or call the Samaritans on 116 123.
