Mental Health Awareness Week 2026
Mental Health Week
This week we are supporting the official Mental Health Awareness Week, where all over the UK people, charities and organisations work towards bringing awareness to mental health issues suffered in our communities. If you are experiencing mental health struggles, you can find information on mentalhealth.org [DB1] website - https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/your-mental-health.
As an active charity supporting loneliness and isolation in the East Dunbartonshire area, we are very familiar with the struggles of mental health that people experience. Mental health can affect us all in many areas of life; work, home or social environments. We can often feel a number of negative emotions such as being anxious, overwhelmed or sad. In these moments, having a community or even an individual in your life that you can talk to can help and alleviate the stress or burden of carrying those negative emotions. That’s why we believe in the Befriending Service and as a team, strive to connect those in our community with volunteers who want to help. Whilst we are not a counselling service, we have the privilege of seeing how social connections are truly uplifting, how events can bring people together to share a meal and a chat together.
As well as social connections and talking, there are many other ways to manage mental health.
Mentalhealth.org have outlined 15 ways that can help when you are struggling;
Reach out - chat to a friend when you start to hide away
Be listened to - have a chat, and get it off your chest
Follow social media accounts that you can relate to
Have a chat with someone who will listen and not ‘fix’ – a friend, colleague, family or a helpline - thecalmzone.net
Keep up with your routine - or add a new structure to your day
Get outside for a short walk
Make a motivational playlist of songs
Read a motivational or inspirational quote - to get perspective
Do something new like volunteering
Take up a new hobby
Get out of your comfort zone - feel a sense of achievement from this
Stop and pause – take time to check in with your head by using mindfulness, writing or meditation
Focus on breathing – breathe in and out slowly for 3 minutes
Switch off – in a way that works for you, with a book, film, video game etc.
Ask a friend how they are – doing something for a friend can make you feel better
If you feel overwhelmed and want to be listened to, then CALM is available on 0800 58 58 58 from 5 pm to midnight 365 days a year. They also have a web chat. You can find out more about what they do at thecalmzone.net.
