Mental Health Awareness Week

Published at 10 May, 2021 08:00.

Supporting image for  Mental Health Awareness Week

This week (10th - 16th May) is known as Mental Health Awareness Week. This year's topic is Nature and how nature helps give a positive impact to our mental health. Research has discovered that getting out into nature can help alleviate some of the issues individuals can be facing.

Mental Health can be showcased in many different formats such as:

  • Anxiety, fear and panic
  • Low mood, sadness and depression
  • Feeling lonely
  • Grief after bereavement or loss
  • Anger
  • Loneliness in older people
  • Hallucinations and hearing voices

These can be shown in adults, children and young people and can begin to affect everyday life.

It’s important, no matter the age, to talk to someone about the worries and anxiety, as well as all the other feelings so that you don’t feel alone in all of this. A problem shared is a problem halved, if you are experiencing any of those feelings, speak to a friend and if that doesn’t help there are others you can call such as:

Anxiety UK: www.anxietyuk.org.uk
Bipolar UK: www.bipolaruk.org.uk
CALM: : www.thecalmzone.net
Men's Health Forum:: www.menshealthforum.org.uk
Mental Health Foundation: www.mentalhealth.org.uk
Mind:  www.mind.org.uk
No Panic: www.nopanic.org.uk
OCD Action: www.ocdaction.org.uk
OCD UK: www.ocduk.org
PAPYRUS: www.papyrus-uk.org
Rethink Mental Illness: www.rethink.org
Samaritans: www.samaritans.org.uk
SANE: www.sane.org.uk/support
YoungMinds: www.youngminds.org.uk

As a stop smoking service, we see a lot of people who smoke to help calm their mental health, but in actual fact this can make it worse, especially anxiety. This is because smoking relieves their nicotine withdrawal symptoms. This relief is only temporary, unless they deal with what’s bothering them, anxiety is likely to return and the cycle will continue.

There are many ways we can help:

Quit online - https://yorkshiresmokefree.nhs.uk/pages/quit-online

Our online quit tool will allow you to create your own personal profile and will support you on a daily basis through your quit journey.

Telephone support - our advisors are on hand to answer any questions or provide additional support as you need it. You can call 0800 612 0011 (free from landlines) or 0330 660 1166.

Visit our frequently asked questions section to find out more: https://yorkshiresmokefree.nhs.uk/frequently-asked-questions