Mental health awareness day happens each year on the 10th of October but what is mental health awareness.
For some people it might mean nothing. For others, it’s a day to think of others that suffer with poor mental health. Perhaps it’s a day where people celebrate overcoming what they’ve been through. It might be a day where you set yourself a goal, to improve your mental health.
No matter how or what you think about mental health awareness day, the truth is we all have mental health. Mental health isn’t always a bad thing, you can also have good mental health.
We all have particular needs as humans to ensure we remain happy and healthy.
Mental health awareness gives us a chance to reflect on what mental health can mean, how it’s different for each individual and what we need to do collectively to make a difference.
This year‘s theme is ‘Make mental health and wellbeing a global priority for all’.
What I interpret from this theme is each of us has a responsibility to look after our little bit of the globe, whether that’s our own mental health, our household, the future generations or the community.
For myself personally, I have learnt a lot about mental health this year, not just for myself but by seeing it through other people and how hard the struggle becomes if you keep it all bottled up inside.
Talking about how you truly feel, for many people is extremely difficult. Talking to someone is about releasing what you are feeling inside and finally letting out what has held you down for so long. The longer you wait to talk about a problem, the longer you hold on, the worse it becomes.
The brain has an extraordinary way of thinking there’s shame in talking about how you feel or there might be other people that have it worse than you or you may think you don’t deserve to access these services because someone more in need.
At the end of the day, if you have struggles which are constantly eating away at you, the end goal is to not let them win, it’s not always got to be a battle and that’s why talking to someone is extremely important. If you knew your friend was struggling with their mental health, you’d recommend them seeing their doctor. You matter too.
If you’re starting to feel down, practice the wellbeing tips like exercising or reading or taking a break from your phone. Yes, they’re repetitive and you’re bored of hearing them but have you actually tried to put these in place consistently. Look after yourself, just like you’d look after your close friends or family. We have to truly be here for each other, ask others if they’re ok and start building on improving mental health for ourselves and for the future generations.
You can find out more on support services here
By Beth Paine
