This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and this year’s theme is “Thriving or Surviving”.
All of us face struggles throughout our lives, and we all have mental health – it’s time we take care of it and pay it the kind of attention we pay to physical healthcare. Good mental health is more than the absence of a mental health problem.
MentalHealth.org.uk has a range of tips, guides and resources to help look after your own mental health and support friends, family and colleagues.
This is one of their current campaigns:
Don’t take ‘fine’ for an answer. Every week 1 in 6 of us experiences mental health problems. For FREE tips on good mental health, text TIPS to 70300 (terms).
When people ask how we are, we often reply with “I’m fine”, even when we’re not.
A study of 2,000 adults commissioned by the Mental Health Foundation has found that the average adult will say “I’m fine” 14 times a week, though just 19% really mean it.
Almost a third of those surveyed said they often lie about how they are feeling to other people, while 1 in 10 went as far to say they always lie about their emotional state.
It also revealed that 59% of us expect the answer to be a lie when we ask others “how are you feeling?”
Join the conversation on Twitter this Mental Health Awareness Week #MHAW17
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If your mental or emotional state quickly gets worse, or you’re worried about someone you know – help is available.
You’re not alone; talk to someone you trust. Sharing a problem is often the first step to recovery.