World Mental Health Day

"We know that each year an estimated 300,000 people lose their jobs due to poor mental health. Unfortunately, this is only set to worsen, as many of us are worried about the current situation around coronavirus and the repercussions this might cause. However, there are things we can do to look after our mental health, even when we’re not experiencing difficulties.

This World Mental Health Day, we’re taking action against the rise in poor mental health among workers and are launching Mind in the City. Our expert consultancy service has been specially designed to further our vision that nobody should have to face a mental health problem alone. Our bespoke mental health training and interventions give people the tools they need to live and work well.

Keep Active:

Physical activity has been shown to be effective in reducing stress and anxiety, as well as improving your mood, with exercise outdoors being especially good.

For many of us, working from home might mean we miss out on our walk to the train station, or to and from work. Try to make sure you still get these steps in, going for a quick walk on your lunch break, or before you start the day, can be a great way to recentre yourself.

Sleep well:

Poor sleep can not only leave us feeling tired, but can also lead to worry and exacerbate feelings of depression and anxiety, and this can make it even harder to sleep!

It’s recommended that adults get around 7-8 hours of sleep a night; if you're finding this difficult there are a few tips you can try.

Drink sensibly:

During the pandemic we have seen a rise in poor mental health, with one in five drinkers reporting that they have been consuming more alcohol since March. Although alcohol and recreation drugs can temporarily make us feel good, this is not a sustainable way to deal with problems and often leaves us feeling worse in the long run.

If you drink alcohol try to stick to the recommended low risk guidelines, and try to reduce the days that you do drink each week.

Connect with others:

Connecting with other people has been shown to be great for our wellbeing; it can give us a sense of belonging and give us time to relax with people to talk to.

Although it might feel harder to connect with people around us, due to social distancing and government guidelines, there are new and creative ways of reaching those in your community (and across the world) online. Why not join an online book club, take up Geocaching or join a local Facebook group to deliver groceries to vulnerable people in your community?

Once you start looking there is loads that you can learn about looking after your wellbeing and how to be proactive in your approach."

Mind in the City, Hackney and Waltham Forest's experience as mental health experts enables them to effectively work with forward-thinking employers, across a range of sectors, who want to demonstrate their commitment to corporate social responsibility, reduce lost profitability, and create mentally healthy workplaces for their employees.

'With mental ill health costing UK employers an estimated £42 billion each year, and more people than ever at work with a mental health problem, Mind in the City will not only save money for companies, but more crucially save lives and livelihoods.'

For more information on the new Mind in the City service, please email Training@mindchwf.org.uk