Mental Health Awareness Month!

This month is Mental Health Awareness Month and is celebrated every May. It was established in 2001 by the Mental Health Foundation which aims to tackle the stigma around mental health and create an opportunity for people to prioritise their own and other’s mental health.

As everyone has mental health it is very important that we look after it and understand when we or someone around us are struggling and how to help. If someone is struggling with their mental health they might not explicitly tell you that they are struggling and that is okay. Be patient with them and let them tell you in their own time unless you are worried about their safety or the safety of those around them. If you are worried don’t keep it to yourself make sure you tell a trusted adult who can help and advice you with your next steps.

Some ways to improve mental health include: socialising, exercise, creating something e.g. writing or drawing, and mindfulness activities such as meditation or colouring. Different things work for different people and that is okay as the important thing is that you allow yourself time relax especially during times of stress, such as exam season. I know for a fact relaxing is a difficult thing to do but is important for our mental health.

All of this being said the most important thing to take from this is that we should look after ourselves and each other and that everyone will have difficult times but it is how we help each other through them that is important.

Written by Alexi, a Supernova