{"id":51922,"date":"2023-05-05T12:34:53","date_gmt":"2023-05-05T11:34:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shefnews.co.uk\/?p=51922"},"modified":"2023-05-05T12:34:53","modified_gmt":"2023-05-05T11:34:53","slug":"mental-health-awareness-week-everything-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shefnews.co.uk\/index.php\/2023\/05\/05\/mental-health-awareness-week-everything-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Mental Health Awareness Week: Everything you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Mental Health Awareness Week is happening from 15th to 21st May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Run every year by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mentalhealth.org.uk\/\">Mental Health Foundation<\/a>, the week highlights the importance of talking about mental health. It aims to reduce stigma and provide people with opportunities to get help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s everything you need to know:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why do we need Mental Health Awareness Week?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr David Crepaz\u2011Keay\u200b, Head of Applied Learning at the Mental Health Foundation, said the week is a good way to get conversations started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOne of the things we\u2019ve noticed is that people are really starting to understand it\u2019s important to talk about mental health but they don\u2019t always know how,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We want to encourage people and give them an excuse to talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This year\u2019s theme is anxiety, with a focus on the impact of the cost of living crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why is this year\u2019s theme anxiety?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Up to one in 20 people in the UK have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/mental-health\/conditions\/generalised-anxiety-disorder\/overview\/\">generalised anxiety disorder<\/a>, and the past few years have provided the general public with more than enough to be anxious about. A global pandemic, climate change, international conflict and a cost of living crisis, on top of the stresses of everyday life, have made anxiety a familiar feeling for many.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mentalhealth.org.uk\/about-us\/news\/stress-anxiety-and-hopelessness-over-personal-finances-widespread-across-uk-new-mental-health-survey\">recent survey commissioned by the Mental Health Foundation <\/a>found that 29% of UK adults experienced anxiety because of financial worries during the previous month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It also found that 71% of UK adults were concerned about not being able to maintain their standard of living, and 50% were worried about being able to afford food over the next few months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr Crepaz\u2011Keay said anxiety in itself is not necessarily a bad thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDuring the pandemic, it was anxiety motivating people to wash their hands and wear masks. Anxiety is part of human nature, and alerts us to potential threats, so you shouldn\u2019t feel anxious about getting anxious. But if it gets out of hand it can be disabling and even life-limiting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What can you do if you\u2019re struggling?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For many people, the first step is to talk to someone they trust. Many people with mental health conditions can feel isolated, or like no-one understands, so it can be a relief to be open with someone.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;Saying anything is better than saying nothing&#8221;<\/p>\n<cite>Dr David Crepaz\u2011Keay\u200b<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr Crepaz-Keay said: \u201cSometimes people are embarrassed or ashamed but when they do talk about it, it doesn\u2019t matter to who, whether it\u2019s friends, family or professionals, almost everybody finds talking about it to be helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe most important things you can do for yourself are look after your sleep, be cautious about what you\u2019re eating and drinking, and exercise more, not necessarily going to the gym &#8211; just moving, going for walks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What can you do if you\u2019re worried for a loved one?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you believe a loved one is struggling with anxiety, or any mental health problem, the best thing to do is start a conversation, and let them know you\u2019re there for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr Crepaz-Keay said: \u201cAct on the worry. Saying anything is better than saying nothing, and you\u2019re never going to do harm by asking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also highlighted the importance of making time for this kind of conversation, and suggested going for a walk together, or muting your phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAlthough language surrounding mental health can be difficult to navigate, it\u2019s more important that people are talking about it. If we can help people find the right language it\u2019s a really good start, but the most important thing is to get people talking about mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can find more tips on coping with anxious feelings on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mentalhealth.org.uk\/our-work\/public-engagement\/mental-health-awareness-week\/what-can-we-do-cope-feelings-anxiety\">Mental Health Foundation website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This year&#8217;s theme is anxiety, with organisers saying the week is a good chance to get people talking about their mental health. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":51933,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21,16,55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-top-stories","category-top-story-3"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - 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