Caremark Greenwich Creating Awareness of Mental Health Day
The World Mental Health Awareness Day has been a spark to talk to people in the community about our mental health, and how through greater community and individual awareness we can find better ways too help us cope with the stress and pressures of our daily lives.
Caremark Greenwich is devoted to raising awareness to local people and working with charity organisations like Age Exchange to bring people together to take the opportunity to talk with each other about the ways and means they use to deal with anxieties, depression and how to boost our self-worth.
Valuing the contributions we make to other people’s lives is an important factor in building our self-esteem and finding a purpose in our own lives. Simple meeting with someone for a coffee or tea can make a real difference to a person’s day and ultimately their mental well-being. That’s why Caremark Greenwich joined forces with Age Exchange to promote mental wellness by sitting and having a coffee and chat with the managers from Caremark Greenwich.
Mental Health Foundation states three steps to help open others up to talking about their or loved one’s mental health:
1. Choose someone you trust to talk to
This might be a friend, family member or a colleague. Or you might be more comfortable talking to someone you don’t know, for example, through a support helpline. It can help to do a pros and cons list about talking to someone. If you would like to talk to somebody independent, we offer Companionship services which can provide great tool in being able to express yourself.
2. Think about the best place to talk
It’s important to choose a place where you feel comfortable enough to open-up. You might want to choose somewhere private where you’re less likely to be disturbed. You also might want to talk while you do an activity, like walking together.
3. Prepare yourself for their reaction
Hopefully, you will have a good experience when you open-up to someone. But there’s a chance that they may not react in the way you hope. This may be for different reasons, like they may be worried or not fully understand at first. If that’s the case, try to give them time to process what you’ve told them. It might help to give them information to read to help them understand. And don’t forget to be kind to yourself and practice self-care.
If you or your loved one is experiencing mental health problems, or finding it difficult to talk to them about their mental wellbeing, speak to one of our care assistants who can signpost you to support groups and organisations that can provide advice and guidance, or come round for a visit to see what support Caremark Greenwich can provide to alleviate and help cope with life’s ups and downs.
Caremark Greenwich also donated 100’s of books to Age Exchange in order to replenish their book shelf so that they can sell to the community and raise funds to keep up the exceptional work they are doing.