World Mental Health Day may have been and gone but it’s fair to say that this year it felt more poignant than ever. Our lives have changed in ways we never could have imagined in the last few months and so October 10’s timely reminder to take care of our mental health and to openly talk about how we are feeling could not have come at a better time.
As communicators we know the importance of messaging, we know the value of sharing lived experiences and we are always trying to think of ways to engage and help others. Sometimes though we need to take a step back and take care of ourselves too. So in the spirit of self-care the CharityComms team have put together a mini roundup of some of the great tips and resources that we saw shared on and around #WorldMentalHealthDay to help you.
ACEVO’s seven types of rest blog
Rest is a vital part of feeling well but we’re sure many of you are familiar with the feeling of tiredness that comes with trying to hold everything together right now. Did you know though that there are seven types of rest that can all contribute to your overall wellbeing? No? Well, luckily this blog details them for you…
Action for happiness – your best is good enough tweet
Simple but effective this lovely image shared by Action for Happiness on #WorldMentalHealthDay is something we think we should all take to heart. Remember your best really is good enough and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.
Be gentle with yourself. Your best is good enough
— Action for Happiness (@actionhappiness) October 10, 2020
Image: @nikkimiles_ #WorldMentalHealthDay #WMHD2020 pic.twitter.com/vwhWwBUCt0
Bird’s 11 ways to make self-care a priority blog
Bird was set up by founder Hannah Massarella as a result of burnout in the charity sector and as a result, works with a lot of charities and not for profits. As an organisation they run a brilliant newsletter and blog encouraging and sharing ways to take care of ourselves and for World Mental Health Day one of their coaches wrote an exclusive piece for Lloyds Bank Foundation which outlines 11 ways to make self-care a priority and is full of super useful advice.
New ways of working and an increasing amount of uncertainty can trigger a lot of unhelpful habits or thought patterns. On #WMHD2020, read this exclusive blog from @birdresilience for actionable tips to prevent burnout and make #selfcare a priority https://t.co/fr0mPAoGq9
— Lloyds Bank Foundation (@LBFEW) October 10, 2020
Madeleine Sugden’s ‘Get outside’ tweet
Sometimes we can all do with a little fresh air and a change of scenery. With that in mind, we particularly liked our freelance member Madeleine’s reminder to ‘get out into nature’ or ‘get nature virtually’ especially as winter is coming! She even provided some great tips for all you virtual nature seekers out there too…
Getting out into nature is one of the ways I look after my own mental health. As we move into winter & possible future lockdowns, it's going to get harder.
— Madeleine Sugden 🌎 (@madlinsudn) October 10, 2020
There are ways to get nature virtually. They don't replace the real thing but can help#WMHD2020https://t.co/aftAyZB3T8
Mental Health Foundation – Kindness Matters reminder
The ‘don’t forget to be kind to yourself’ reminder from Mental Health Foundation really sparked a feeling of happiness in us. Tied to their guide about why kindness matters it was a message that feels like one we should all try and carry with us when we can.
This #WorldMentalHealthDay 🌍Remember #KindnessMatters most!💚
— Mental Health Foundation (@mentalhealth) October 10, 2020
🌟You see a little act of kindness can boost your mental health
🎁It can lower stress and cheer your mood to think of someone else
🌞And of course, don’t forget to be kind to yourself: https://t.co/enFfOAB516 pic.twitter.com/L8TIRidcKR
Mind’s ‘Do one thing’ gif and relaxation animation
As always Mind were ready with lots of information to help people with their mental health this Oct 10 but it was their tweeted gif that really caught our eye with its reminder to just do one thing. With quick suggestions covering tips for relaxing and reducing stress, getting out in nature and sleeping better it sparked a flurry of retweets with the public sharing what they had taken away and tried for themselves.
Making simple changes to prioritise our mental health doesn’t need to be complicated, but it can be hard to know where to start. Here are some of our ideas and tips for how you can start with one thing this > https://t.co/wfJIqCr8ek pic.twitter.com/werFHo8iVs
— Mind (@MindCharity) October 10, 2020
And on a side note their animation about tips for relaxation is an oldie but a goodie that deserves a quick mention too. Simple but effective it really shows how much impact self-care techniques that are accessible to all, like; breathing, mindfulness, gentle stretching, dancing, walking, nature, doing things you enjoy can be.
The Mix – Mental health hub
Not a World Mental Health Day specific resource but more a good all rounder given current times. The Mix has a whole hub of useful blogs about mental health and specific challenges you may face and in particular, the one about how to deal with corona anxiety might resonate with some of you right now.
The Scouts – rainbow tweet
We defy you to look at a rainbow and not have the urge to smile. Well, how about looking at these smiley rainbows on The Scouts colourful World Mental Health Day tweet for a quick pick me up. Better yet this happy image was used to direct people to a whole host of mental health resources they had pulled together in honour of the day.
Today is #WorldMentalHealthDay. Over the last few months, we’ve talked about the different ways to support our young people (and each other) in challenging times. We’ve gathered these blogs and resources together here – have a read (or bookmark for later): https://t.co/ZjlqLNO2MG pic.twitter.com/dXa4rc70fx
— The Scouts (@UKScouting) October 10, 2020
We would love to hear about your top mental health resources and tips. Share them with us on twitter.
Image: Jeremy Bishop on Pexels
