Every May, the Mental Health Foundation gets the whole nation talking about achieving good mental health during Mental Health Awareness Week, with a view to normalise those conversations and get people to realise that, well, we all have to look after our mental health!
This year, it is happening on 15-22 May around the theme of Anxiety.
Why Anxiety?
Anxiety is a normal emotion in us all, but sometimes it can get out of control and become a mental health issue.
Lots of things can lead to feelings of anxiety, including exam pressures, relationships, starting a new job (or losing one) or other big life events. We can also get anxious when it comes to things to do with money and not being able to meet our basic needs, like heating our home or buying food.
Anxiety is one of the most common mental health issues we can face. In a recent mental health survey The Mental Health Foundation carried out around stress, anxiety and hopelessness over personal finances, a quarter of adults said they felt so anxious that it stopped them from doing the things they want to do some or all of the time. Six in ten adults feel this way, at least some of the time. On a positive note, anxiety can be made easier to manage.
Why do MFT get involved?
As a mental health charity, we want to take the chance that Mental Health Awareness Week offers to:
- start conversations about our anxiety and reflect on it
- offer information and advice about what anxiety is and how to manage it
- offer everyday tips to keep anxiety at bay or at a manageable level
- share messages of hope and stories of people with lived experience of anxiety who have overcome it
How can I get involved?
Throughout the week of 15-21 May, there will be plenty of opportunities for our clients and supporters to get involved in Mental Health Awareness Week and to educate themselves and/or others on the importance of taking anxiety seriously.
You can:
- Download our Anxiety Busting Calendar developed by our Community Connections team to help you take small manageable steps every day to reduce your anxiety.
- Join our Coffee Mornings or Peer Support Groups that week which will all focus on the theme of anxiety, what makes us anxious, what can exacerbate anxiety and what we can do to manage it.
- Take part in our Creative Writing groups which will also focus on writing about and reflecting on our anxieties and manage them.
- Read our blog co-produced with Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SABP) explaining what anxiety is and when to start looking for help
- Watch our video blog from our Advisory Group Member Keri on how anxiety and perfectionism are often linked and how to reframe it.
- Read End Stigma Surrey’s lived experience blog by Will about how to manage an anxiety-based mental condition called OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
- Take part in any of our anxiety-busting activities from health walks, nature activities, physical activities to arts & crafts. Check our calendar for more.
- Spread the word by sharing our social media posts that week!
