Introduction to Mental Health Month

Introduction to Mental Health Month

Welcome to May! This month we’ll be focusing on Mental Health and will be sharing articles and stories full of information about mental health and wellbeing . We’ll be talking about mental health disorders, conditions, and other mental health needs along with providing interesting resources.

This past year has taken a big mental toll on all of us as we’ve had to find new ways of living and coping in order to deal with the pandemic. It’s been truly inspirational seeing the strength of people throughout this past year who have found creative and inventive ways of keeping their minds active. But we know it hasn’t been easy for anyone, even for people who seem to have thrived. We hope that through this month we can share tips and techniques to improving your headspace and remind you how important it is to look after yourselves and each other.

Each week will have a different theme and focus. The first week we’ll be taking a look at staff wellbeing, and will be sharing a jam packed newsletter full of articles on such things as how to look after each other, feel better tips, resources, coping mechanisms, and more. We’ll also be sharing these on our social media, so keep your eyes peeled there too. Our incredible staff have worked tirelessly over the past year and have put the needs of others above their own. These efforts have kept people safe and happy, but that’s not to say it hasn’t been without a mental toll. We hope that this week can share helpful information and remind our amazing staff how important it is to also make time for themselves and look after themselves too. This week, we’ll also be hosting a mega giveaway you don’t want to miss, so stay tuned for more information.

The second week will run side by side with the national campaign ‘Mental Health Awareness Week’. The theme for this year is nature, so you can look forward to lots of stories about the benefits of plants, being outdoors, and how to connect with nature even in a busy city. The mental health benefits of fresh air, sunshine, being by water, and just generally being outside have been proven, but it can still feel hard to make time to get out into nature and reap these rewards. Throughout this week we’ll be showing how a little can go a long way and how to bring some of these effects into your own home with some cheap and easy methods.

The third week we’ll be focusing on mental health conditions and disorders. Approximately one in four people will experience mental health issues each year. They are something that affects us all in some way, whether it be yourself, a person you support, a friend, or a family member. Despite the thousands of people who are affected each year, there remains lots of misconceptions out there about some disorders and conditions. We hope that by raising awareness and sharing truthful and interesting information about them, we can debunk myths and people can use it to better support and understand people in our community and beyond. We’ll be focusing on OCD, ADHD, Eating Disorders, and Personality Disorders, and each day will post a new article about each on our website and social media, so keep an eye out for these too.

The fourth week we’ll be taking a look at stigma around mental health. Despite a recent push over the past couple of decades to learn more and know how to support people with mental health issues, there remains a stigma around certain conditions and experiences. This week, we’ll be doing a deep dive into such stigmas around psychosis, and therapy, and also taking a look at how culturally we can do even more to support and empower people in our communities to not just live with a mental health condition, but to thrive with one.

It’s important now more than ever to look after ourselves and each other, and that includes making time to look after our mental health too. If you have found yourself struggling over the past year, or have been helping someone through a tough time, please know that you are not alone and that people are there to support you too.

We hope you enjoy Mental Health Month and you find it a helpful resource that you can check in on at any time. If you’d like to get involved, share your story, recommendations, and more then please send us an email at marketing.department@creativesupport.co.uk. We would love to hear from you!