Next week, in the UK, is Mental Health Awareness Month (9-15th May 2022).
The theme of this year’s campaign is Loneliness.
Loneliness is affecting more and more people in the UK and has had an enormous impact on mental health and physical health, for many, during the pandemic.
Research shows that levels of loneliness across Britain have still not returned to pre-Covid levels. 3.3 million people said they were ‘chronically lonely’ during Sept-Nov 2021, when lockdown restrictions had eased. 45% of adults feel occasionally, sometimes or often lonely in England. This equates to twenty five million people.
Experiencing feelings of connection to other people and our community is a fundamental need for most human beings and also a key protective factor against mental ill health and physical ill health.
Loneliness is really bad for our health – it increases the risk of high blood pressure, loneliness and social isolation are associated with an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease and stroke, and loneliness is likely to increase your risk of death by 26%.
Reducing loneliness is a major step towards mentally and physically healthy communities – as a society, we need to find better ways of tackling the epidemic of loneliness, and we can all play a part in this.
Throughout May, we will be talking about the impact of loneliness on our mental wellbeing and some of the practical steps we can take to address it.
When we think of loneliness what comes to mind? Is it elderly people- living alone, or people who don’t have any friends- living in solitude? That’s not (just) it. Loneliness can affect any of us – even those of us surrounded by friends and colleagues.
There are different kinds of loneliness that can affect us all in different ways:
Emotional loneliness is a lack of meaningful and connected relationship/s (for example a partner or close friend).
Social loneliness is the absence of a wider social network of friends, neighbours or colleagues.
Existential loneliness is described as a universal aspect of the human condition which expresses the separateness of the person from others.
(Source: The Campaign to End Loneliness)
Throughout the month of May we will be exploring the different kinds of loneliness, the impact they have on mental health and what we can do individually and collectively to counteract it.
Also, throughout the month of May we will be offering 50% off all our mental health workshops and webinars.
We have a brand new, powerful webinar session looking at Loneliness and Mental Health, as follows:
Title: Loneliness and Mental Health
Session Overview:
This mental health and wellbeing webinar explores the subject of loneliness – the theme of MHAW this year.
Loneliness affects millions of people in the UK every year and is a key driver of poor mental health. The Mental Health Foundation’s Mental Health in the Pandemic research has found that loneliness has been exacerbated by the Covid pandemic. The Foundation has been tracking loneliness levels in the UK during the pandemic and found the experience has been much higher with devastating impact. Loneliness has been an important factor contributing to higher levels of distress, resulting from people’s sense of isolation and reduced ability to connect with others. Loneliness is one of the leading issues that the public feel needs to be addressed.
The session will explore the experience of loneliness, its effect on our mental health and how we can all play a part in reducing loneliness in our communities.
Session objectives:
By attending this presentation delegates should be able to:
- Summarise the impact that loneliness has on mental health and wellbeing
- Explain loneliness, including the causes of loneliness and how it relates to mental health problems
- Identify some practical tips to help manage feelings of loneliness
- Understand how we can all play a part in reducing loneliness in our communities
Contact our team HERE before 31st May 2022 to book this session for your team, at 50% off our normal session price.
