mental health

Perinatal Mental Health

We are pleased to be sharing the first part in a series by Anne Marie McKinley on the theme of maternal mental health. Anne Marie is a Midwife and Birth Trauma Specialist at Afterthoughts NI who, over the coming weeks, will be introducing us to maternal mental health and its related aspects.

For every year of births, the estimate long term cost to society of Perinatal Mental Health in the UK is 8.1 billion pounds (Bauer, 2014). 1 This estimate is based on the costs of mental health care of women through pregnancy and beyond, and it follows the trajectory of the cost of health-related ‘quality of life losses’ over the lifetime of mothers and their children’. [Read more…]

Charity Says Schools Must Make Mental Health as Important as Literacy and Maths

Traditional school subjects like English, maths, science and the arts are an important part of a child’s upbringing. But as the Mental Health Foundation Scotland (MHFS) points out, so too is a child’s mental health. The national charity is calling on schools all across the UK to give mental health the attention it deserves. The charity, in fact, believes it should be a key part of the curriculum, on par with literacy and maths – something I strongly agree with. [Read more…]

How Dogs Can Help Improve Our Mental Health

From the time spent with Arthur, our rescue Lurcher, I know only too well the joy and benefits that owning a dog can have. Our guest, Will, here shares some of the benefits having a four-legged friend can have with regard to our mental health which is based upon his excellent 12-part article written for Dog Owner.

Mental health issues can affect anyone – it doesn’t matter who you are or what you do for a living. It can be hard to talk about our mental health with those closest to us, and the fear of being judged or labelled as something we are not (lazy, entitled, high strung) is often enough to deter us from fully sharing the way we feel. However, many of us have our dogs, or the option to visit one.

They offer the love, a listening ear when we need it and can benefit a myriad of mental health issues. #dogs #mhuk Click To Tweet [Read more…]

How Learning to Talk About My Mental Health Gave Me Wealth

A lovely piece from Charlotte Underwood who needs little introduction. As a mental health advocate, raising awareness about suicide and mental health issues, Charlotte shares her thoughts on the importance of talking.

As a sufferer of mental illness for as long as I can remember, I’ve built up quite the onion of layers. I spent so many years not feeling able to talk about my feelings and perhaps not understanding what mental health was. So, what came as symptoms of distress as a child, turned into an adulthood with much more complicated and worsened mental health. [Read more…]

The Importance of Team Building

Any successful manager will agree that being surrounded by a good team is something to be proud of and anyone who has been part of a good team, will say it’s very exciting and brings great satisfaction. Having a positive experience such as this is memorable and makes one feel they are making an impact.

However, as businesses continue to deal with the pressure to provide a service or product, depending upon the style of management, this pressure (which should be a positive experience) can end up causing undue stress, be extremely demoralising and affect overall wellbeing. This is shown by over 75% of the workforce saying that their “bad boss” is the worst part or the workplace. [Read more…]

Is social media truly bad for your health?

For many years I have been a great advocate for social media, technology and innovation I have encouraged embracing the advances available to us. However, I have also personally experienced the pressures that can come with it and highlighted the need for taking a break from technology – trying to maintain balance which seems, at times, almost unachievable.

This wonderful piece by John Stuart, on behalf of the The Worsley Centre, who offer counselling and psychotherapy sessions for couples, individuals and groups in the Greater Manchester area, discusses the pros and cons in a most enlightening way.

[Read more…]

Six Ways Writing and Journaling Will Improve Your Mental Health

Writing our thoughts down or maintaining a journal can be hugely therapeutic. There are also many other benefits to our mental health as shared here by our guest, Brenda Berg, who is a consultant and tutor for college students and entrepreneurs at Oxessays. Brenda believes that constant learning is the only way to success and shares her ‘writings’ at Let’s Go And Learn!

[Read more…]

Tips to Identify Mental Health Issues When Feeling Exhausted

Is exhaustion starting to get the better of you? Our guest, Amanda shares tips to identify some of the underlying reasons why we may be feeling inexplicably exhausted.

Wherever you live, mental health issues are likely prevalent. There are so many who are tormented by symptoms which often seem to appear out of nowhere and even though there is much more awareness, many still feel ‘shame’ which hinders them seeking help to deal with a difficult situation.

If you feel like you, or someone in your family, is possibly going through a mental health issue, here are a few things you need to know when it comes to identifying mental illness in its early stages and seeking the appropriate help sooner rather than later. [Read more…]

Mental Health in the Workplace

For several years, workplace wellbeing has been an area I feel passionate about. Having personally experienced the pressures, and witnessing firsthand the effects of stress in the workplace, and how many of workplace policies are lacking to support the ‘workforce’ I continue to be an advocate for improvements and supporting individuals by using mindfulness to improve their wellbeing. [Read more…]