Monday 10th October was World Mental Health Day and the start of National Mental Health Week. Mental illness will affect 1 in 5 Australians in the next 12 months and almost half of all Australians at some point in their lifetime. The aim of Mental Health Week is to promote social and emotional wellbeing to the community, encouraging people to maximise their health potential, enhance our coping capacity and increase mental health recovery. The theme for Mental Health Week this year is ‘learn and grow together’. There are lots of ways to get involved and lots of events happening across the ACT this week and most are free. We have been engaging in some activities to recognise the importance of supporting mental health. Each morning we have been trying out a different mindfulness exercise using free apps that you can download onto your computer or smartphone, such as ‘Headspace meditation’ and ‘Smiling Minds’. There is a strong link between physical and mental health and so we have been doing some exercise to support our wellbeing, doing a yoga class, going for a bike ride and walking to work. Finally, we are having a morning tea to acknowledge the importance of a supportive community to our mental health. We hope you can try something this week to look after your own mental health and wellbeing.
Mindfulness activity links:
https://www.headspace.com/headspace-meditation-app
https://smilingmind.com.au/smiling-mind-app/
Mental health day website: https://1010.org.au/
ACT mental health week: http://www.mentalhealthweekact.org/