Another day. Another awareness campaign.
Yes, October 10th is World Mental Health Day. A day to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and in 2025 to mobilise efforts in support of mental health.
All very noble, especially when the stats tell us that 1 in 5 people will experience a mental health challenge in any given 12 months and according to a new report from the George Institute in Sydney,1 in 2 women are experiencing mental health issues.
There’s no argument with the data.
What’s concerning is that despite knowing just how common mental health challenges are in our society, less is being said about the triggers that lead to anxiety or depression developing.
We need to wade into the muddy waters, the messy part of life to ask the harder questions around what is going on. Why is it for example that anxiety has become the new normal?
Modern life is busy, complex, complicated and sometimes overwhelming. Some days are easier than others. Some weeks are better than others. It’s not that you don’t know that too much pressure, stress or trauma can push you towards breaking point, but it’s knowing what will work to sustain your ability to cope.
If you’ve ever found yourself in a position where you recognise you need help, and that you can’t carry on, you’ll know just how hard it is to admit that, let alone to stick your hand up to ask for assistance.
It isn’t helpful if your concerns or distress are ignored or diminished or you’re told “you’re stressed or depressed, here’s a script for some anti-depressants.”
Sadly, this is too often the story I hear from those who just want to be heard, who want to know they’re not going crazy and want some simple advice to what can help.
Because we’re all different. We’ve all got different challenges and demands, not everything needs to be managed with medication, though sometimes it’s helpful and not every distress signal we send means we have a diagnosable mental health condition.
What is more helpful is to find the right person who is willing to listen, to not pass judgment and to show they understand what’s going on in your life.
You can build greater self-awareness of what’s contributing to your distress by reflecting on what’s happening in your world right now.
- Are you caring for others?
- Are you looking after a child or partner with disability?
- Are you struggling with the impossible juggle of work and home life as a single parent?
- Are you experiencing financial stress?
- Are you finding it difficult to manage your symptoms during the time of perimenopause?
- Are you burnt out?
Having someone to talk to can diminish those unpleasant negative emotions of anxiety, worry or sadness you’ve been feeling. When the emotional intensity is reduced things are easier to manage, even though your situation may be unchanged.
We’re all human and life can be hard.
Which is where getting the right support from your community and from your own self-care kit can make all the difference.
Improving mental well-being at the community level.
If you’re feeling a bit bleh, who can you reach out to?
This could be,
- Family, friends or a trusted work colleague
- Volunteering in some capacity. Your child’s school canteen, a bushland conservation group or community garden.
- Joining a choir
- Joining Parkrun
- Your local community centre to see what’s on
- Joining a Mens Shed
- Joining a Mens Table
- Joining an art and craft group, a book club or a painting class
- Learning a new skill
- Walking the dog or petting your cat.
Giving your mental well-being a leg up from your self-care.
What I’ve learned from helping others to restore their mental health, is how our own self-care is always the first to pack its bags and leave the building, just when you need it the most.
You know what matters, but it’s so much harder to do those good things when you’re feeling exhausted, burnt out or lonely.
If you’ve recognised things need to change, ask yourself what or who would help best here?
For example,
If you know you feel better for getting outside for a walk or jog, what will help you do that more often?
Do you have someone to help keep you accountable to your goal or to go with you?
If you’re not sleeping, what has helped in the past? How can you improve your sleep pattern? ( and no this doesn’t include sleeping tablets.) Regular physical activity during the day, spending time outside and practising a wind-down activity like journalling or meditation before bed can all help.
If your diet is poor because you’re skipping meals, surviving on 2-minute noodles or too much takeaway because you can’t face preparing a meal, what one small change can you make, to add in one healthy option like a piece of fruit or some nuts?
If you’ve got stuck in negative thoughts, what circuit breaker have you previously found helpful to remind you of something good or an event that made you happy? Tapping into a fond memory or enjoying a moment of wonder will shift your thinking towards the positive.
The Greatest Gift
We all have mental health.
Where we sit on that spectrum is highly variable and yes sometimes it can feel like it’s getting harder to stay on the side of good mental health.
Your greatest gift to your own mental well-being is self-compassion and kindness. This can be especially hard when you’re used to putting everyone else’s needs before your own.
Here, it’s about accepting that we suffer. Acceptance allows you to take off that super-hero cloak, to be yourself. Now you no longer have to hide behind perfectionism or feelings of inadequacy or shame. You can step into your own light.
Which is why it’s so important to build self-awareness of what matters and to recognise, if things are going pear-shaped, what you can do to give your mental well-being a boost?
So, my question to you on World Mental Health Day is this.
What will help you the most to nudge the dial on your mental well-being towards feeling that while life may not be perfect, you’ve got this?
