Mental health awareness week gives us the chance to consider the actions that we can take to destigmatize mental health. Here are some things that we can do, that will make a real impact.
1. Keep the conversation open. I’ll be sharing more uncut chats around mental health this week. It is so important that we keep talking and listen, judgement free with an open mind.
2. Educate. I can recommend the mental health first aid course with Newbycore – it was so useful and being through my own mental illness in early 2020 taught me so much. Sometimes if you challenge a person when their mind is fragile, it can make things much worse. Check out this detailed article I wrote around my own experience of mental illness. It taught me so much. I am so thrilled that so many have read this and can relate. The illness I experienced is so common, yet so few talk openly about it.
3. Control, alt, delete and reboot. Stigma can be so deep rooted in us from society and learned behaviour that we need to check in with our thoughts and reconstruct how we look at things. It is ok to admit that we have work to do because our subconscious mind stores a lot of those old programmes.
4. Establish equality between physical and mental health. Our mind is just as important as our body and can get strained or broken with too much pressure.
5. Don’t take things personally. Everyone has their own story and we need to learn to judge less and live more. I know this is easier said than done, especially if a person has a broken mind and they say things that are hurtful. We need to remember that it’s an illness and they are not in control. Things said during extreme anxiety, depression or mania are not personal and often not true.
6. Be aware of your inner critic, especially at night before bed. When we sleep, our subconscious mind is at it’s most active so gratitude journalling, meditation/prayer and positive affirmations are very important before we close those eyes.
Feel free to listen to my own story at the link below. I hope it enccourages you to say NO to shame and yes to self compassion. You got this.
Emma Kendrick is a Holistic massage therapist & Reiki practitioner based in the heart of Edinburgh’s New Town, she has built up an amazing reputation and helps so many people get their mojo back with her healing hands and soothing wisdom. She is an amazing advocate for wellness and self love.
Contact Emma at the following links on Instagram or Facebook or email her – emma@ekholistictherapy.com
Jojo Fraser is an award-winning author, podcaster and keynote speaker, dubbed as ‘the Queen of positivity and a kindness advocate. She is a Tedx speaker and you can often hear her on BBC radio talking about our mental fitness, which she has been researching for the past 7 years. Jojo is known for normalising discussions around our mental health, making it accessible and relatable to all. She has quickly grown a reputation for having a huge impact even on the most sceptical of people.
Contact her at – mummyjojoblog@gmail.com or across social @jojofrasermojo
