Mental Health Awareness Week is an annual event run by the Mental Health Foundation to encourage open conversations about mental health and increase awareness of the resources and support available. This year, Mental Health Awareness Week is focused on the theme of anxiety. We can all feel anxious from time to time, but sometimes it can spiral into a mental health problem.
With a quarter of people experiencing some sort of mental health problem in England every year[1] and around 20% of people reporting that they feel anxious most or all the time[2], we understand the importance of supporting the wellbeing of our employees all year around. To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, we have been promoting a variety of resources that should benefit our team.
Online Resources
During Mental Health Awareness Week, we are promoting the wealth of resources that are available online. The Mental Health Foundation, for example, has created a handy guide with tips on how to cope with anxiety including breathwork and spending time in nature.
LifeWorks
In addition to signposting our team to resources that are freely available online, we also work with LifeWorks, the leading employee engagement and wellbeing programme, to offer support relating to concerns about work, health or life. LifeWorks offers a private and confidential 24/7 helpline, as well as specialist counselling, which we offer to our employees and their immediate families for free.
LifeWorks also hosts a range of resources and content that our employees can access at their own pace, including an “Overcoming Anxiety” podcast which details what anxiety is and shares some tips for managing the feelings and finding support. For a more detailed understanding, there is also an “Anxiety Programme” filled with interactive tools and videos that will expand the understanding of what causes anxiety and teach coping strategies such as breathing exercises and mindfulness.
Supporting Others
Learning about anxiety and mental health is not only useful for finding ways to help yourself, but also for creating a more inclusive environment where everyone is better able to support those around them. Through our comprehensive Engage in Learning platform, we can offer training on a variety of related topics including Mental Health Awareness, Building Resilience, and Positive Mental Health at Work for individuals and managers.
As part of our commitment to ensuring the wellbeing of our staff, we also have a team of trained Mental Health First Aiders who can identify colleagues who made need help, offer a listening ear and be able to direct to resources that might be useful.
For more information about our health and wellbeing practices, please visit https://www.rendallandrittner.co.uk/about-us/our-people/#health-and-wellbeing
[1] https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/statistics-and-facts-about-mental-health/how-common-are-mental-health-problems/
[2] https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/public-engagement/mental-health-awareness-week/anxiety-report
