Category: Wellbeing and self-care

Donna outlines her symptoms of burnout, from physical changes in sleep and diet to feelings of detachment. She shares helpful coping tips and the positive support she got from her workplace.

The holiday season is synonymous with festive cheer, but it can also be full of complex and intense emotional and mental challenges that consume and sometimes overwhelm families, parents, and young people alike.

The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, set out the Government’s Autumn Statement on Wednesday 30th October 2024.

For Menopause Awareness Day, Friday 18 October, Linda reflects on her experience with menopause, drawing attention to symptoms of depression, suicidal thoughts, and sleeplessness. She shares some positive tips, from exercise to talking to others.

Heemali shares her story of living with body dysmorphia, a number of anxiety-inducing experiences, and going through burnout in her corporate job. Reflecting on how she found her passion as a trauma-informed yoga practitioner, supporting others.

Feedback from Mental Health UK’s Me & Money pilot programme, which launched last year, shows that young people are experiencing additional strain on their relationship with their parents/carers because of money in the approach to the school holidays.

We often hear that exercise is beneficial for our mental health, but exercise isn’t always easy. For this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week (13 – 19 May 2024) we wanted to not only explore the numerous benefits of physical activity but to also understand the barriers that can be encountered.

The theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is movement. Whilst there are significant benefits to movement, both physically and mentally, there can be numerous barriers to overcome which relate to where we live, financial circumstances, other commitments, and accessibility to name a few. Below Tyler shares with us how important physical activity is in his life and the barriers he has had to overcome in order to continue doing what he loves.

For this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week (13 – 19 May 2024) we wanted to challenge the perception of exercise. Whilst there is no doubt that movement is beneficial for both body and mind, it doesn’t have to be in a traditional or stereotypical form. Dan Soar, known as the Tattooed Knitter, has set the world record for the most blankets arm knitted in 24 hours, in a challenge watched by 1.2 million people.

After finding a series of losses and grief was impacting her mental health, causing anxiety, low mood, and a reliance on alcohol, Cindy talks to us about how she found respite in podcasts to learn the importance of self-care and talking to others about how we’re feeling. 

We are proud to announce that Olympic athlete, Michelle Griffith-Robinson has joined our board of trustees at Mental Health UK.

In the UK, nearly 5 million cisgender women aged 50 and over are in employment – it is the fastest-growing demographic group of workers. This age group is the most likely to be affected by menopausal symptoms, so employers need to ensure they are supporting this group of their workforce. Talking openly with your employer can be an important first step towards being better supported at work.

We can sometimes feel frustrated or guilty when we experience emotions such as anxiety or a low mood, that impact our lives. Becky spoke to us about how recognising, accepting and reflecting on her emotions helped her to learn lessons that now support her in navigating experiences of depression or anxiety.

As a society, we use the New Year period to look back on the year that has passed and look to the year ahead, pledging change for the better. However, while New Year’s resolutions might seem lighthearted and positive, sometimes they can end up doing more harm than good to our mental wellbeing.

With January upon us, many of us look to make New Year’s Resolutions and changes to our lives in the hopes of reaping the rewards. Whilst it can be great for our wellbeing to set goals, some of us might find resolutions surrounding diet and exercise damaging to our mental health. Tierney talks us through how she used the power of movement to positively impact her mood and dissociated the concept of exercising purely to change your body or look a certain way.

We don’t need to be physically isolated to feel lonely. The festive season can highlight feelings of loneliness for many people, even when other people are around them. We hear from Dianne and Carlos about how they experience loneliness over Christmas.

Mental Health UK’s Into Work’ employment service has been awarded the ‘Project of the Year’ award at the Vocational Rehabilitation Awards.

The Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, set out the Government’s Autumn Statement on Wednesday 22 November, outlining changes to the support people receive through the benefits system and their plans to get more people into employment.

Great Britain’s most decorated gymnast takes up an ambassadorial role to inspire more people to talk about their mental health.

Men are statistically less likely to talk about mental health. Initiatives such as Bank of America’s ‘walk and talk’ group are aiming to change this. We caught up with a colleague from the bank, Keith, about his experience participating in a recent walk, and how this has positively impacted his wellbeing and supported him to open up more.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a condition where someone experiences obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours, making it challenging to go about daily life. Our ambassador Shakira Akabusi tells us how her earliest compulsions began at the age of four but manifested into something more serious during her first pregnancy. Today, Shakira no longer experiences compulsions. In this blog, she explains how therapy was the turning point in her journey.

When we say “mental health is a universal human right,” what do we mean? After all, we all “have” mental health, just like we have physical health, but we aren’t always physically or mentally healthy.

It can feel daunting reaching out for support when we’re struggling, and we might not know what help is available. We spoke to Wayne about how he accessed mental health support and how he tried different options until he found something that he felt empowered him and provided him with techniques that he still uses to this day.

When we think of ‘gamers’ we might automatically think of someone who is isolated and perhaps even antisocial. However, in recent years, there’s been more talk about how gaming can actually benefit mental health and help form tight-knit social networks and communities online. We hear from two avid gamers about how the hobby has supported their wellbeing, and what gamers can do to maintain their mental health whilst playing.