Did you know that this week is Mental Health Awareness Week? First introduced in 2000 by the Mental Health Foundation, Mental Health Awareness Week is an annual campaign that aims to fight the stigma around mental health, raise awareness of well-being issues and generate debate around how anxiety, sleep depravation and exercise can impact our mental health.
Events and Activities
Each year the Mental Health Foundation chooses a different focus topic to explore and this year the focus is ‘Mindfulness’.
The Mental Health Foundation describes mindfulness as: “Paying attention to the present moment, without getting stuck in past or worrying about the future. Mindfulness can be practiced standing, sitting and walking. It can be practiced both indoors and out; at home, in schools, at work or simply out and about.”
A number of events, taster sessions and classes are held in schools and universities and by clubs and communities across the UK and Northern Ireland. These events cover everything from good mood food and tea mornings to introductions to mindfulness and education sessions on mental health awareness.
Well-Being Among Older People
There plenty of events happening in Glasgow throughout the week too, including a workshop hosted by Outside The Box focusing on mental well-being among older people. This workshop runs every day in Ibrox and considers 10 ways in which older people can look after their mental health – from having a cup of tea with friends to joining a walking group.
For more information on activities happening in the Glasgow area, go to the Mental Health Foundation website.
