World Mental Health Day took place last week. The theme this year was mental health in an unequal world. The meaning behind it is related to the pandemic, which resulted in many people being affected by mental health issues globally. It highlighted that we all come from different places and environments, and due to this, the level of support we receive can vary. Some are more fortunate than others because they live in an area where more help is available.
The Mental Health Foundation has published the following statistics to reflect how critical it is to combat mental health issues.
- Mental health problems are one of the main causes of the overall disease burden worldwide.
- Mental health and behavioural problems (e.g. depression, anxiety and drug use) are reported to be the primary drivers of disability worldwide, causing over 40 million years of disability in 20 to 29-year-olds.
- Major depression is thought to be the second leading cause of disability worldwide and a major contributor to the burden of suicide and ischemic heart disease.
So, we decided to look at 3 simple ways you and I can contribute to supporting mental health issues in the world.
Step 1 – Self-care
Educate ourselves on how to deal with our mental health. Look at ways to deal with stress and taking care of our body and mind. Knowing how to avoid our mental issues before it becomes too late.
Step 1 – Create awareness
One of the easiest things to do is make those around you aware of mental health. You could post something on social media or share information about it verbally. The more people who are aware of the problem, the more the chances of greater awareness of the cause.
Alex from BTCSoftware created an article which shares some practical mindfulness tips she uses day to day. This is a great article to share with your friends and colleagues to help support better mental health.
Step 2 – Helping mental health charities
Get involved in various charities which support mental health. This could be as little as donating or participating behind the scenes, such as campaigning or training to support those in need.
Supporting Mental Health UK
We are proud to support our Mental Health UK which is out chosen charity for 2021. If you’d like to find out more about them or support them, head over to mentalhealth-uk.org.
