Category: Help and Advice

Losing a friend to suicide – Zany’s story

7th September 2022

27-year-old Zany lost her close friend to suicide five years ago. Like many people who are bereaved by suicide, she experienced a complex set of emotions following his death and grappled with a sense of detachment and hopelessness. She tells us her story about what helped her to address her grief.

Cost-of-living hub launched by Mental Health & Money Advice

30th August 2022

The Covid-19 pandemic had a profound impact on the mental health and wellbeing of people across the globe. But as we return to a semblance of the lives we had pre-Covid, we are being gripped by an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis in this country.

Summer and anxiety

20th July 2022

Some people associate their happiest memories with long summer days and experiencing the benefits of the warmer months. However for people with anxiety disorders, the heat may increase their symptoms of anxiety, and the summer months can feel the most difficult to face. 

Navigating a negative body image

14th July 2022

Body image is a combination of the thoughts and feeling we have about ourselves physically. Experiencing anxiety or low mood relating to our body image is not a mental health condition in itself but can contribute to other mental health conditions like depression, anxiety and eating disorders. Below we explore this topic and speak to Rebecca about her experience of body negativity.

“Too young to be this depressed” – Ramses’ story of growing up as a transgender man

29th June 2022

Ramses Oliva is a valued former colleague at Mental Health UK, as well as a transgender inclusion specialist and writer. One of his biggest struggles growing up was not having the words to describe his identity. Not only did this not stop him from being gay and transgender, but it also made it extremely difficult to ask for and receive help. Here’s his story.

A father and son’s journey navigating life with obsessive compulsive disorder

16th June 2022

Living with a mental illness can have a profound effect on your own life but also on family members’ lives, because they often take on a vital role in ensuring their relative has a good quality life. We spoke to Rich and his dad about what it was like living in a house where OCD dictated their day-to-day life.

Helping isolated communities navigate access to mental health support

13th May 2022

My name is Jade, and I’m the Navigator for the North Wales region. I’m based in Porthmadog, Gwynedd within a resource centre operated by Adferiad. I also work in the resource centre supporting people with mental health issues, so the navigator role fits in well alongside this other role.

Feeling lonely while working from home

12th May 2022

During the pandemic, the number of us working from home skyrocketed. For some of us, this change became permanent and the new normal. Whether it’s a couple of days a week or every day, many of us are still working from home and experiencing the isolation that can come with it. Evie, 30, from rural Norfolk, shared her experience of loneliness with us, and what she has found helpful to keep more connected.

“Sometimes it’s not okay to say you’re okay”

10th May 2022

Our valued supporter, Darren Drudge, works as Customer Services Assistant for our partner Lloyds Banking Group. Sophia from our Communications team spoke to him about his experiences of the pandemic and how his dad’s mental illness affected his own mental health and led him to feel alone. His recent participation in March Around The World, a work fundraising event, enabled him to expand his network locally and get things back on track.

Creating a psychologically safe and inclusive space for all

9th May 2022

With recent reports stating that only 51% of people felt a sense of belonging at work, how can we look to create, and re-create a sense of community and belonging within the workplace to tackle loneliness and exclusion?

“On Clic you will find 100% supportive people” – Declan

9th May 2022

Clic is an online community of likeminded people where members can speak safely and openly about how they’re feeling. Clic moderators, like Declan, act as a safeguard to people who are struggling – they are there to keep you safe and connected.

Mental Health UK and Johnson & Johnson partner on campaign highlighting the link between smoking and poor mental health

29th April 2022

With 1 in 3 of all cigarettes smoked by someone living with a mental health condition, we’re on a mission to help communities and make quitting less of a stressful journey.

What it’s like to experience chronic stress at work

6th April 2022

Stress left unmanaged is bad for our health. Excess stress can present itself in a wide range of emotional, cognitive, behavioural and physical ways, which can negatively affect our day-to-day lives. While stretching ourselves at work is positive as it helps us to grow, too much pressure puts a strain on us and eventually could lead to burnout. Jennifer, Sophia and Shannon tell us about their past experiences of burnout, demonstrating that the self-awareness they developed now helps them to spot the signs of stress and keep mentally healthy.

The impact of quitting smoking on my mental health

31st March 2022

Quitting smoking can provide benefits to mental health as well as physical health. The journey of quitting can be daunting and bring up feelings of anxiety and fear. We spoke to Kim who explained to us how she quit smoking, and the positive changes the move had on her mental health.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – Sophie’s story

16th March 2022

Sophie is a 26-year-old mental health advocate who has lived with OCD for 11 years. She won a Bill Pringle Award with Rethink Mental Illness for her poem on managing OCD in 2019 and has spoken publicly about her experience on radio and on social media. She is open and vocal about mental health and mental illness because she knows first-hand how isolating and scary it can be in the beginning.

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