Blog

Exertis UK, industry leading distributor of technology products and specialist services partnered with Mental Health UK in 2022, with the mindset that they were here to ‘end the taboo surrounding mental health problems’. Since the launch of their partnership, Exertis UK have dived straight in, raising awareness about mental health and raising vital funds that will support the nation’s mental health. Find out more about what they’ve been up to so far.

Christmas is the time of year when we’re expected to be our merriest and most joyful. There are friends and family to see, and a wealth of opportunities to have fun and let loose. For some of us, our reality during the festivities is far from this. It can be a stressful time of year with family duties, financial strain, pressure to keep to traditions and tricky logistics. It can also brings up some difficult emotional experiences, such as trauma and grief. So how can we navigate these challenges and protect our mental health?

For many workers, Christmas is a time of year for rest and annual leave. However, for people supporting those living with mental illness or experiencing mental health problems, this isn’t always the case, and in fact it can be the festive period where support is required the most. We spoke to Cathal, Beth and Monika, Rethink Mental Illness mental health recovery workers, about the impact of their work at this time of year.

Christian was born with facial differences known as severe craniofacial anomalies. Growing up, he had over fifty reconstructive surgeries to transform his appearance and improve his confidence and life outcomes. Opening up to the people he loved is what helped Christian change how he thinks and feels about himself physically, which in turn eased his mental health difficulties.

We asked Mental Health UK’s staff what they do to boost their mood and look after their mental health in the winter. And they were brimming with ideas! Take inspiration from some of their strategies to help you feel brighter and cope better this winter.

This summer our Head of Programmes, Tom O’Connor, had the opportunity to visit our Building Bridges project, supporting Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) communities in Birmingham. The project exists to reduce mental health stigma and improve access to mental health support for these groups, who have traditionally been marginalised, so that they can live healthy and fulfilling lives.

We’ve often heard the phrase ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’ but who exactly do we reach out to? Sometimes it can feel easier connecting with people who don’t know us than it does with our own friends and family. Kiran recently participated in our fundraising event GLOW, a 20km night walk through London, where everyone is free to share their mental health experiences in a safe place. She tells us how she never felt judged and simply felt compassion and understanding from the people around her.

It’s estimated that we consume as much as 60% of our food and drink in the workplace and spend more than 40 years of our life at work. For our partners Eurest and 14forty, workplace caterers, this made them think about the link between nutrition and mealtimes and worker’s mental health. How can you ensure as an organisation you’re supporting employee’s mental health through mealtimes?

There’s much more to a mentally friendly work set up than pretty décor and new plush furnishings. An office space that’s truly inclusive for those living with mental health problems, experiencing poor mental health and that’s psychologically safe and inclusive for all, starts with policy and practice and may include environmental factors such as food and mealtimes and specifically designed office spaces for all types of workers.