Now in it’s 22nd year, The Mental Health Foundation is the home of Mental Health Awareness Week – the largest mental health awareness campaign in the UK, so when it came to deciding who to support, it was quite an obvious choice. Designed to inform and empower people and communities to take action for mentally healthier lives, our aim this week is to support their cause, share their advice and raise awareness of all the great work that they do.
We asked them why they choose the theme of loneliness this year?
“We chose the theme of loneliness this year because of the way it affects the mental health of millions of people across the UK. We’ll explore the impact of inequalities on loneliness as well as sharing help, advice and calling for policy change. Overcoming loneliness and its impact on mental health cannot be achieved by the individual action of people alone. We must address loneliness together in our communities and across our whole society and together prevent mental health problems”.
The Mental Health Foundations Top Tips on combating loneliness
- Keep busy with things that make you feel good: Keeping busy with things you enjoy can be energising and positive, but things such as working too hard or watching too much TV only serve as a temporary distraction and can actually make loneliness worse.
- Don’t overlook the little connections: Connecting with others can be hard when you’re feeling lonely. However, even connecting at a low level, for example talking to the check-out operator at a shop, can make a difference.
- Talk to a therapist about how you feel: If you can find a professional, it can really help. Talking through your feelings with a counsellor or therapist can help you cope with your feelings of loneliness. Talking therapy can provide you with
a safe space to work through your feelings and thoughts without judgement.
We’re donating 5% of all sales this week (09/05/22) directly to The Mental Health Foundation, so every purchase you make is making a difference. However, if you’d like to make your own personal donation you can do so here.
