A few weeks ago, several prominent child and adolescent mental health experts called on the government in an open letter to prioritise young people as the country begins to lift lockdown restrictions. Despite Johnson’s initial statement that he expected all primary school aged children to be back at school before the summer holidays, the government … Read more
To say the last few months have been challenging is an understatement. Covid-19 has had major impacts worldwide, both on people’s health and almost every aspect of their lifestyle. Several countries (the UK including) have tried to slow the spread of the virus through imposing ‘lockdowns’, in which everything but the most essential activities are … Read more
Previously, I’ve written about the effect several lifestyle factors such as exercise, outdoor space, food, and self care can have on our mental health. Whilst there is some evidence that all of these factors can impact our mental health, how can this knowledge be used to create an effective intervention to help improve people’s mental … Read more
It’s probably no surprise to you that our environments have an impact on our mood. We describe neglected indoor environments (think doctors waiting rooms) as ‘depressing’, or feel uplifted when our homes are decorated for Christmas. However, recent research has explored the more significant effects on our environment – particularly whether exposure to different types … Read more
Back in September, the charities Mind and Heads Together launched a new initiative to raise awareness of mental health in the workplace. This was in the light of a recent Mind study, which found that 48% of people reported experiencing a mental health problem in their current workplace (Heads Together, 2018). The Stevenson/Farmer report (2017) … Read more
Yoga is something that I really enjoy, and try to practice at least 3 times a week. As well as doing something which challenges me physically, I have found that yoga has been so useful for my mind. It helps me to switch off, something which I can find quite difficult, and I definitely feel … Read more
Having a strong network of family and friends around us is generally perceived as a good thing, meaning we have people to talk to if we have a problem or help us when we are in need. However, what if there’s more to it, and having a social network (the real, not the Facebook kind) … Read more
Self care is a bit of a buzz word at the moment, with tonnes of articles about the benefits of taking time out to look after yourself. Sometimes, self care is used as another way to describe pampering, with things like bubble baths or face masks cited as a type of self care. Self care … Read more
Imagine living with depression. It affects every aspect of your life, from your work to the time you spend with your family. You experience intrusive negative thoughts. You begin to suffer from insomnia, which in turn increases feelings of anxiety. Imagine living with depression, but being told you are not ill enough to qualify for … Read more
One exciting and emerging field of mental health research which is gaining in popularity is the relationship between microbiomes in our gut, and our mental health. Our gut microbiome contains up to 1 trillion bacteria, as well as viruses and fungi, which form a kind of ‘eco-system’. Our microbiome begins forming after birth, and can … Read more