The Mental Health Foundation has been leading #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek since 2001, a movement that aims to unite the UK to focus on good mental health. At Hestia, we help people find a life beyond crisis. Last year, we helped 7,991 adults access mental health support. Our aim is for our mental health services to be a safe place for people in mental health crisis to access support whilst also reducing the pressure on local emergency departments by offering an alternative space for those who need immediate mental health support.

For this #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek we asked the service managers of our mental health services to tell us 5 tips for those struggling with their mental health.

Tip #1 - Listening to music

“I’d suggest either listening to music (I recommend Enya and Vangelis), moving your body by exercising at the gym or letting your creativity flourish by composing music or doing art.”

-Elvio, Service Manager at Wandsworth Recovery Café, Age Activity Centre and Age Well Roehampton

Listening to music has been proven to have a small positive impact on mental well-being, depression and anxiety. Perhaps you could listen to a song that unlocks a positive memory for you?

Tip #2 - Give yourself permission to feel

“One tip I’d encourage everyone to do is to allow yourself to feel what you’re feeling instead of brushing it off.”

-Vinujah, Service manager at Brent and Harrow coves

There are many reasons why people might bottle up their emotions, perhaps some people might be afraid of other people’s reactions or perhaps they are not sure who to trust with them. We’d encourage you to not discount your feelings, instead explore them perhaps that looks like talking to someone or writing those feelings down.

Tip #3 - Speak up about your mental wellbeing

“I think it's our generations’ responsibility to destigmatise mental health. You never know who you might inspire, help or with whom your story might relate to.”

-Linta, Service Manager at Camden Crisis Sanctuary

The Mental Health Foundation claims that “talking can help us find hope again and feel closer to other people.” You might feel reluctant to share but oftentimes vulnerability can encourage others to also share how they are truly feeling, giving space for people to freely express themselves.

Tip #4 - Take time to learn what helps you to recharge

“I would encourage others to book time off if you can and make sure to spend quality time with family. For me, this helps me recharge.”

-Bola, Service Manager at Highbury Grove Recovery House

Find out what helps you recharge and allow your time off to focus on that. Do you enjoy being with family? What hobbies do you enjoy? What does a relaxing time off look like to you? Allow yourself to completely rest and refrain from worrying about work-related tasks.

Tip #5 - Check in on yourself

“Remind yourself to take a break, check in on yourself and see how you’re feeling. Ask yourself, what can I do to feel better tomorrow?”

-Linta, Service Manager at Camden Crisis Sanctuary

According to Calm.com checking in on yourself can help you “foster a greater sense of self-compassion and gain better control over your emotions.” Sometime life can be overwhelming so it’s good to pause, reflect and centre yourself. Tomorrow is a new beginning.

Find out more about our Mental Health services