Mental Health Awareness Week 2024

Mental Health Awareness Week this year takes place between 13 to 19 May 2024. The official theme of the week, as set by the Mental Health Foundation, is ‘Movement: moving for our mental health’. By this, the aim is to move your way by finding something that moves your body and mind.

Movement and Mental Health

We’ve all been told that being physically active is great for our bodies and our minds.

Exercise has been proven to reduce anxiety and depression, and it can even help us to prevent physical illnesses. Staggeringly, people living with mental illness die on average 20 years younger than the general population, more often than not from avoidable physical illness. This group is more likely to develop preventable conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and bowel & breast cancer.

Research from Mental Health UK shows that 56% of people found that exercising regularly helped them to alleviate stress and prevent burnout in their lives.

This Mental Health Awareness Week, the aim is to ‘move’ for your mental health.

By movement, thus doesn’t mean you have to the gym or go for a long run. It can be something as simple as going for a short walk during your lunch break, or having a dance at home!

How Employers can Improve Mental Health at Work

There are many things employers can do to reduce the incidence of poor mental health issues within the workplace. These include:

• Raising awareness of the links between anxiety and poor mental health
• Provide safe and welcoming spaces to talk and support each other
• Utilise technology to keep in touch with colleagues
• Train mental health first aiders at your workplace
• Provide staff and managers with a confidential telephone helpline that is available at any time to talk about their problems (e.g. an Employee Assistance Programme)

With these in mind, organisations can proactively address our mental wellbeing, making sure to increase staff wellbeing and productivity.

THSP have trained six members of our team as mental health first aiders. We can now deliver this training online to our customers with our Mental Health First Aider and Mental Health First Aid Champion training courses.

Employee Assistance Programmes

Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) are an employee benefit that provides workforces with the relevant support and practical advice on issues that can be impacting their wellbeing and performance. They offer expert support on both personal and work-related issues.

An EAP usually includes face-to-face, telephone or online counselling and expert support on both personal and work-related issues. The purpose of an EAP is to increase staff wellbeing and productivity, as well as reducing absences.

Whatever is happening at your workplace that could impact people’s mental health, it’s worth tackling it head-on. At THSP, we are always happy to share our experiences and offer help to those customers looking to make a change.