Category: Help & Advice

The holiday period is typically a time of joy and celebration, but it's also natural to find it a difficult time for a whole range of reasons. And this year is no exception with all of the uncertainty and changes happening in the world around us. Many people find this time of year particularly stressful with cooking, parties, spending money, and choosing gifts often on the agenda. If you live with a mental health problem such as anxiety, the feelings of sadness, frustration and pressure during this time can be amplified even more.

A new study cites financial worries, entertaining guests and keeping everyone happy as key factors in peoples’ mental health worsening over the festive period.

National Stress Awareness Day falls every year on the first Wednesday in November. It’s used to help highlight ways that stress can impact people, and what you can do to help relieve stress for yourself and others.

Heatwaves, droughts and floods have become a regular fixture in the news. In the leadup to 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (also known as COP26) more and more people are talking about ‘climate anxiety’. We share some tips on how you can make a difference environmentally, whilst supporting your own mental health and wellbeing.

Investing in our mental health is just as important as staying well physically. Talking to someone professionally, or receiving therapeutic support can help improve our thinking, behaviour, emotions and mood. With an abundance of types of therapy out there, it can be difficult to know where to begin.

As Covid-19 restrictions are being relaxed across the UK in varying degrees, we know it’s a time of excitement and opportunity for some people. For others, these changes can cause stress and worry, with re-adjustment being difficult for our mental health. Regardless of how you view the easing of lockdown, we’re still living through a period of high stress and uncertainty, so building or maintaining a healthy lifestyle is key.

We have urged the insurance industry to review the service they provide to people living with mental illness in our new report: Affording protection: mental health and insurance.

After weeks of living under lockdown, our worlds are slowly starting to open up again. With restrictions beginning to ease, many people that were furloughed are now being asked to return to work. But what do you do if you’re feeling anxious about returning to work? Laura Peters, Head of Advice and Information Services at Mental Health UK, provides some useful tips.

It’s common for women to experience mental health problems as a result of the hormone changes which happen during menopause. We also hear from Elizabeth, who told us her experience of how menopause affected her mental health and how she’s managing her symptoms.