Recognising Mental Health Awareness Week

This month, Community Integrated Care was proud to mark Mental Health Awareness Week 2022 from the 9th-15th May by raising awareness around social isolation and encouraging our people to stay connected.

Following this year’s theme of ‘loneliness’, throughout the week, we shared our ‘five days, five ways’ to tackling feelings of isolation.

Focusing on both colleagues and people supported by our charity, we reflected on how we’re supporting wellbeing and shared our top five resources to help our people stay connected and find mental health support.

1. Everymind at Work

Since December last year, we’ve been proud to partner with mental health and wellbeing experts, Everymind At Work, providing our colleagues with access to free, trusted wellbeing resources through the dedicated Everymind At Work app. Featuring self-help content, personal stories, and practical advice, the app provides a range of mental health support. The resources are all produced and regularly updated by a clinical psychologist, and cover information on a variety of topics, such as stress management, body confidence, and loneliness.

2. What To Do
Launched last year, www.What-To-Do.co.uk was designed to give people who access care and support a range of brilliant, interactive, and engaging online activity sessions every day – whilst also tackling loneliness and isolation. Through fun, educational, and virtual activities hosted Monday – Saturday, we’re ensuring that people have incredible opportunities to learn, have fun and get social. We’ve also seen some incredible, life-changing experiences featured over the past few months, including exclusive accessible dance sessions hosted by special guest Strictly Superstar!

3. Walking for Wellbeing
Developed in collaboration with Rugby League World Cup 2021, our free Walking for Wellbeing toolkit offers all the guidance needed to start up a regular walking group, with monthly challenges and conversation starters to help groups bond. The perfect way to combine gentle exercise with socialisation, and a great opportunity for colleagues and people we support to connect with one another and make new friends! From mindfulness techniques to meal planning, the toolkit also provides a month-by-month guide to help people build upon skills that can lead to better physical and mental wellbeing.

4. Postcard Connections
An initiative founded by our charity’s Technology-Enabled Care Operator, John Duvall, Postcard Connections encourages the people we support to connect with other services in our charity and create long-lasting friendships through correspondence via postcards!

5. Yammer
Last but certainly not least – Yammer! Open to all of our colleagues, Yammer provides a platform to connect with others within the organisation, from across the UK. Offering the chance to share achievements, join groups of similar interests, and voice thoughts, the platform gives colleagues the space to form new friendships – building communities and fighting isolation.

Whether it be connecting on Yammer, or joining a What To Do session, we hope these resources helped lighten the load of loneliness for anyone who experiences it throughout Mental Health Awareness Week and beyond.

Whilst some initiatives are exclusive to our colleagues, our Walking For Wellbeing Toolkit and What To Do sessions are open to everybody – click here to visit What To Do and find out more about the upcoming sessions, or here to download our Walking For Wellbeing Toolkit today.