World Mental Health Day

The Foundation for Future London is honouring this year’s World Mental Health Day, which takes place every year on 10 October. This is an important issue and informs our commitment to seeing positive health and wellbeing for all.

Despite misconceptions, everyone has a ‘mental health’, and this is constantly in flux. Mental health isn’t something that just affects those living with short or long-term conditions or even life-long issues, such as depression, bipolar or schizophrenia.

Everyone has good days and bad days. The stresses of life, such as family, work and responsibilities, can take their toll, as can other factors; Black Monday in January is one example where many are affected by the dark winter days and recovery from Christmas debts.

This year’s theme is ‘access to services – mental health in catastrophes and emergencies’. While those living in the UK may not be directly affected by extreme weather, conflict or other major disruptions, we are all indirectly affected by news of catastrophes and emergencies elsewhere. This may be due to links with other countries, such as for diaspora communities, or our innate empathy, compassion and concern for others who are in worse-off situations than our own.

This Friday, our CEO, Sarah Nelson, is joining her daughter and thousands of schools, communities and companies by wearing yellow to show young people that they’re not alone with their mental health.

Overwhelm and self-care

Caring for one’s mental health is akin to caring for physical health or spiritual health. It’s something that requires nurturing, care and discipline. Fortunately, we are living in times with much more information about mental health and in some circumstances, people are more open about sharing their issues; but on the other hand, we are also living in the recovery of the damaging effects of lockdown, economic recession and global insecurity.

In East London, people are still recovering from the pandemic, amidst the backdrop of intense gentrification and inequalities created as a result. It’s the difference between people who have had access to adequate health care, job security, housing and green spaces and the many who did not – and still do not.

Due to the times we are living in, conflict feels ever-present in our lives, whether that’s on the news or experienced in our local neighbourhoods.

What are the signs of ‘overwhelm’ as many mental health organisations describe many are experiencing? And how can we manage these real and constant threats to our health and wellbeing?

The Mental Health Foundation describes the impact of stress and overwhelm as ‘fight or flight’, which can affect one physically, emotionally and mentally.

The effects of stress can include physical (aches and pains, tiredness, digestive problems, sleep issues, nail biting), mental (trouble concentrating, difficulty making decisions, low motivation, memory problems, constant worrying) and emotional (irritability, anger, sadness, numbness, despair, feeling “stuck”).

If experienced for a long period of time, exposure can have a damaging effect.

Some of the tips for mental health self-care in these times of ‘catastrophes and emergencies’ include:

• limiting time spent on social media and news sites aka doomscrolling. For instance, giving yourself a window of 30 minutes to one hour to check up on news
• spending time with friends and socialising
• getting out into nature, whether that’s a local park or somewhere further afield
• doing gentle creative mindfulness such as yoga, stretching, walking, dancing, journaling or other creative practice
• spiritual practice such as meditation and prayer
• community and volunteer work to find solidarity with people in your area or community of interest
• practising good sleep hygiene, such as early nights in bed (eg before 11pm), not working too late (for daytime workers), stopping reading phones and computers from 8pm onwards
• adopting healthier food habits such as increasing fresh vegetables and fruit, limiting caffeine and sugar
• aromatherapy with natural oils at home

The Foundation has supported several local organisations in East London who offer programmes to support people with mental health issues, such as Arcola Theatre, who runs a mental health community theatre project, youth-led organisation Beyond the Bias and music organisation True Cadence.

For more great tips on keeping your mental health in check, take a look at the Mental Health Foundation’s excellent tips sheet.

You can also find support from national mental health organisations, many with local branches.

• Samaritans helpline on 116 123 (UK)
• A text support line: text SHOUT to 85258 (UK)
• NHS 111: You can get help from 111 online or call 111 and choose the mental health option. 111 can direct you to the right place to get support.
• Mind infoline: You can call the Mind infoline on 0300 123 3393 or email info@mind.org.uk . The Mind infoline can answer questions about types of mental health problems, where to get help and treatment options.
• CALM helpline and webchat: If you’re experiencing suicidal thoughts or feel you are at risk of harm, call the CALM helpline on 0800 58 58 58 or use their webchat service. You can speak to the CALM team about anything. Their opening hours are 5 pm until midnight, 365 days of the year.

We hope this Friday brings you some hope, peace and solidarity as we join together in this day of looking after ourselves and one another.