World Mental Health Awareness Week

We are supporting World Mental Health Awareness Week, a charity endeavour hosted by the Mental Health Foundation. It takes place annually and this year is no exception, being held from the 18th to 24th of May. The charitable event raises awareness through challenges, public involvement, social media, graphics and posters. The Mental Health Foundation are launching a brand new kindness themed challenge (Take Action Get Active 2020), to get you moving and feeling good, whilst fundraising for the cause. This year’s theme of kindness through an active and healthy lifestyle has never been more appropriate; focusing on the potential and motivational power of kindness has become critically important, as research suggests that protecting mental health is key to coping and recovering from the untold and far-reaching emotional effects of a global pandemic.

Kindness helps strengthen relationships, develops our communities and deepens our solidarity. It is a central cornerstone to our individual and collective mental health and wellbeing, especially when we’re aiming for a healthier lifestyle. Some studies have spotted a link between kindness and improved long-term physical health, that is why here at Yorkshire Smokefree we think this week is the perfect opportunity to begin focusing on reducing stress, quitting unhealthy habits and changing your lifestyle. 

Quitting smoking is key to increasing emotional wellbeing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, as studies estimate around 30% of smokers within the UK have a pre-existing mental health condition. Moreover, 40% of adults with a serious mental illness are also known to smoke habitually, with evidence that smoking can act as a trigger for anxiety and depression, amongst other issues. Once kicking the habit, you will see a range of feel-good benefits you might not have expected:  

Heart

• Blood pressure and pulse return to normal
• Your circulation improves, your hands and feet feel warmer
• Nicotine levels fall, circulation improves
• Risk of heart attack, cancer and other ‘smoking’ diseases begins to fall

Lungs

• Lungs begin to work better, carbon monoxide removed from the body
• Energy levels increase, breathing becomes easier
• Withdrawal symptoms have stopped, breathing levels improve

Activity

• Withdrawal symptoms begin to ease, walking and other everyday tasks become easier to do
• Withdrawal symptoms have stopped, energy levels increase

The best way to be kind to yourself and begin your journey towards an active lifestyle is to do so in a supportive, stress-free and positive environment. We offer face to face sessions, telephone support and an innovative online quit programme, giving you the tools and access to our (currently remote) specialist advisors so you can stay smoke-free throughout lockdown and beyond. 

We're ready to help you find the best way to stop smoking and provide guidance throughout your smokefree sucess story, taking your personal preferences into account and tailoring our services to you. We use our resources to keep you strong, building a full-stop programme to target and suit your individual needs, including behavioural therapies and counselling. All our staff are approachable and judgement-free, with thousands just like you already having gotten active and chosen the path of kindness, for themselves and their loved ones.

So this World Mental Health Awareness Week choose to celebrate, take action and regain control of your mental health by quitting smoking. You can call our advisors on 0800 612 0011 (free from landlines) or 0330 6601 166, alternatively, get in touch with us for a Callback Request today.

References:

https://ash.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ASH-Factsheet_Mental-Health_v3-2019-27-August-1.pdf

https://www.positive.news/lifestyle/time-to-be-kind-why-kindness-matters/