It is Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) 2018 and we are pleased to share with you an inspirational song that our group wrote for the #timetochange campaign in Luton, fronted by Jolel Miah from local charity, Our Minds Matter. A short while ago we were approached by Jolel to write a song for the campaign that focuses on raising awareness and reducing stigma and discrimination of mental health, and this is the result...
The idea, as always, is to keep the conversation flowing and be more open in discussing issues around our mental wellbeing. This year, the MHAW campaign looks at the theme of 'coping with stress' - something that is very important in everybody's daily lives and challenges. Here are some interesting facts about how stress affects us on the larger scale: click here.
MHFA - What is stress?
Stress may seem to be a low-level strain on our daily lives, but we need to take stock of how this impacts on our mental health and the long-term effects it has if it goes unchecked and is poorly managed. The bottom line is that we all need to take better care of ourselves. Everyone has to. Only 'we', ourselves can do this. So if in your day-to-day job you find it difficult to unwind or can't find a moment, nor the motivation, to relax then the long-term impact can be detrimental to your overall life and the lives of the others around us. So this should be acted upon and remedied ASAP. Whether its a meeting at work that's got you in a fluster or you can't put your flat-pack IKEA wardrobe together and you throw the instruction booklet across the room... We ALL get stressed sometimes, over the smallest or most monumental things, and rightfully so. The key part here is - LOOK AFTER YOURSELF, ultimately this is what we should all be striving for in whatever we choose to do. Pay attention to yourself and your needs. Find something that takes your mind off of things, relieves you of your worries. For some it is sport, listening to music, watching TV, writing, reading... even knitting! Whatever it is, find it and DO IT. Distract your mind momentarily and find a safe place to escape to. If you find it, then you're lucky... you have your own private refuge. Use it whenever you can!
MHAW is sent to highlight all the good things that are happening, but also for us to reflect on what was and what is to be in the future. We hope that MHAW is inspiring, awakening and challenges our perceptions. There is always an opportunity of us to change, grow and learn from one another. Take heed and be mindful that we can all share and empathise in one another's knowledge and experience. Something we can all make use of!! :)
Useful links:
http://www.ourmindsmatter.org.uk
https://www.mind-blmk.org.uk
https://www.time-to-change.org.uk
