Yep! I know! It’s been AGES since my last blog post but I couldn’t think of a better one to come back with than this! This week in the UK its mental health awareness week from the 14th to the 20th May 2018 the whole week is focusing on more awareness around our mental health. LOADS of celebrities, bloggers, vloggers, radio presenters and even ROYALTY! have backed this cause.
In 2013, there were 8.2 million cases of anxiety in the UK.
In 2014, 19.7% of people in the UK aged 16 and over showed symptoms of anxiety or depression – a 1.5% increase from 2013.
In 2013, there were almost 4 million cases of mood disorders, including bipolar disorder, in the UK.
I’ve taken these facts from the www.mentalhealth.org website there is tons of information on there if you want to check it out.
Mental health awareness is something VERY close my heart, I’ve been much more aware of mental health issues over the past few years whether that’s because of my own mental health or my family and friends. The reason that the awareness is so close to home because I myself over the years have neglected my mental health and its caused me to fall into and bad patterns with it. ***DISCLAIMER*** I’m not a doctor or a mental health professional BUT I do know from my own personal experience how important it is to deal with your mental health. I LOVE that mental health is becoming less of a taboo topic with charities like Mind and others doing such a great job at raising awareness and starting conversations. There are loads more people that are opening up about how they feeling and what they are thinking, it’s so important that this keeps going and doesn’t just become a ‘trend’ and I guarantee that by opening up your mental health you will be helping someone in some kind of way.
If you were physically ill, lets say you had a chest infection you would visit your GP and get some sort of help and try to solve the problem. Why then is it so different when thinking about your brain?! A lot of metal health issues are naked to the eye but can be very disruptive to every day life. We should be taking time out of our busy schedules to help our brains, whether that’s trying to reduce stress, or talking about anxiety or trying to calm the endless cycle of thoughts that run round your brain.
There is endless amounts of information on the internet about strategies and ways to help you if you are suffering from various mental issues. For me personally, I find that when I sleep well (which isn’t particularly easy for me), exercise regularly and eat well it can change my view of the day dramatically! Getting outside into nature is also something that really really helps me, I live close to loads of beaches and find it really helpful to walk along the beach. Setting aside time to relax is SO important, now that’s going to look different for everyone but putting aside a part of your day where you are actively relaxing and resting is KEY. Mindfulness is something that i’ve read about, its making a special effort to give your full attention to what is happening in the present moment. It’s about becoming more aware of your thoughts and feelings and trying to deal with them in a different way.
In this post there are various links to the organisation MIND and also the to Mental Health.ORG website, I would really encourage you to go over there and check out their resources and tips and advice. We all have busy stressful life’s but lets not neglect our mental health!
I totally agree. I have become more aware of this since becoming a mum when so much of your focus moves to your new baby. It really is so important to try and set aside time to relax. Thanks for the reminder
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I love this comment SO much! It’s really important to carve time out for yourself especially as a new mum. Hope you and the bubba are doing well.
It’s so important to help, encourage and support those we know who struggle daily with mental health problems. Thank you for this advise Lyds. Finding time in every day to be still can also help.