– hosted by the World Federation of Mental Health, takes place on 10th October, each year. This is a day dedicated to raising awareness of what can be done to ensure that people with mental health problems can live with dignity.
This year’s theme set by the World Federation for Mental Health is ‘mental health for all’
Suman Ghaiwal-Chair of Ekta Unity said: “One of our main goals at Ekta Unity is to help raise mental health awareness and each of us can make a contribution to ensure that people dealing with mental health problems can live better lives with dignity. This year has been a tough one, particularly for people living with mental illness and their carers. We are also aware that many of our service users have been particularly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and this has caused many challenges to their mental health wellbeing. My team at Ekta Unity will support local people in a positive way, and challenge the stigma surrounding mental illness and promote social inclusion at every opportunity. We will continue to raise awareness to prevent discrimination against individuals with physical or mental impairments, and include people with these health problems in public settings in order to ensure their full participation in society”
Sanjay Jagatia-CEO of Ekta Unity said: “The attention paid to mental health and wellbeing in the media during the Covid-19 outbreak has been heartening. Concern about the health and safety of loved ones, the impact of lockdown and worries about financial security have made mental health and wellbeing a large part of the public discourse. Thank you to all our Funders: Coventry & Warwickshire Mind, Awards For All, The Big Lottery Fund, The Health Lottery and The People’s Health Trust, for supporting us to build resilience and promote positive wellbeing for our service users. Ekta Unity is supporting Mind-the Mental Health Charity’s “do one thing” campaign, which aims to inspire people to make one small change or take one action to look after their mental health. As part of the campaign, Ekta Unity will play their part and ‘do one thing’ to say thank you to someone deserving within the local community. Please see attachment which shows activities that each of us can do to improve our mental health and wellbeing – “31 days of Mental Health”
MENTAL HEALTH WELLBEING:
Being mentally healthy doesn’t just mean that you don’t have a mental health problem.
If you’re in good mental health, you can:
* make the most of your potential
* cope with life
* play a full part in your family, workplace, community and among friends.
Some people call mental health ‘emotional health’ or ‘well-being’ and it’s just as important as good physical health. Mental health is everyone’s business. We all have times when we feel down or stressed or frightened.
Most of the time those feelings pass. But sometimes they develop into a more serious problem and that could happen to any one of us. Everyone is different. You may bounce back from a setback while someone else may feel weighed down by it for a long time.
Your mental health doesn’t always stay the same. It can change as circumstances change and as you move through different stages of your life.
There’s a stigma attached to mental health problems. This means that people feel uncomfortable about them and don’t talk about them much. Many people don’t even feel comfortable talking about their feelings. But it’s healthy to know and say how you’re feeling.
“Join us this World Mental Health Day – and help us make a difference”
Ekta Unity Board of Trustees
