This week’s discussion point from me is about World Mental Health Day. Today is World Mental Health Day where globally the aim is to raise awareness about mental health, how we or others may feel and how we can recognise and respond to lapses in good mental health. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of stigma associated with mental health issues but it does not need to be this way – we should all take responsibility in recognising it in ourselves and in those around us and talk about it – it’s really healthy to do so! Communication is the real key in addressing poor mental health and then finding ways to deal with it or how to live manageably alongside it. Sometimes, just admitting to yourself and to others that you’re struggling is often the hardest step!
So, what is mental health? Sometimes it’s known as emotional health or wellbeing and is about the way we react and cope with issues and situations in our lives and whether we have control over them or not. Sometimes we can get a little stressed over the small stuff but if we let it manifest it can become so much bigger and harder to address. It’s important to know that this can happen to anyone, of any age , at any time for any length of time, frequently or infrequently, to your best mate, your auntie, your nan, your next-door neighbour, the postman, that person you see always smiling and even your role model or favourite celebrity.
Sometimes, just talking to friends or family can help us stop and reassess what is contributing to poor mental health and at other times, a little more intervention may be required. There’s a whole host of support out there for issues such as anxiety, stress, depression, anger and more complex, deep-rooted issues from your GP to mental health organisations such as Mind Cymru and in the private sector where issues can be communicated & tackled in a number of ways: one-to-one, over the phone, by email, by text or even webchat. There has never been so many opportunities and mediums through which to address it. Many of us work out, train hard and eat healthily but without looking after our emotional states we are not actually looking after ourselves at all. But it’s so important to do so!
So, mental health and paddling – What does paddling do for you in relation to your mental health? Does it give you that break and stress relief that you need or perhaps paddling and the pressures that can often be associated with it contribute negatively to your mental health or someone you know? Were or are you involved in either competitive or non-competitive paddling where you’ve witnessed the impact of a supportive environment where mental health is discussed freely or perhaps not spoken about at all and swept under the carpet? What did or does this lead to? Do you actively promote positive mental health at your club, centre, paddle meet etc and, if so, how?
For further information, signs, symptoms, suggestions & support:
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/…/world-mental-health-day
https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/mind-cymru/
https://www.mind.org.uk/get…/world-mental-health-day/