Published on: 10th May 2022
Mental Health Awareness Week (9-15 May 2022) is an opportunity for us to promote our services, reach out to others, and focus on achieving good mental health.
This year the theme is loneliness, which affects many of us throughout our life and can have a negative impact on our mental health.
Connecting with others is a cornerstone to good mental health, and it’s important we spend time developing and nurturing relationships with friends, family, colleagues and those around us.
Loneliness is something we all feel at different times in our lives and, if experienced long-term, can have serious effects on our mental health. The pandemic, when our connections with friends, family and colleagues were disrupted, meant more of us experienced these feelings than ever before.
Dr Jayne Taylor, our lead consultant clinical psychologist for adults, has shared some practical advice about how to prevent the feelings of loneliness and how to help others.
We'll be sharing loads on our social media channels (@PennineCareNHS) throughout the week, using #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek and #MHAW.
We'd love to hear your stories and ideas, particularly around the following:
I was lonely when...
Share about a time you were lonely and how you overcame the feeling or what you did to get help.
Send your videos, pictures and quotes to us @PennineCareNHS, or tag us in any posts you’re doing yourself.
Lift others out of loneliness
How do you reach out to or support others who might be feeling lonely? Send these to us on social media @PennineCareNHS.
You could even make a pledge during the week to catch up with someone you haven’t spoken to in a while.