We want to bring your attention to Mental Health Awareness Month, which runs through May, and Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs from May 15th to May 21st. This week is all about raising awareness of the impact of mental health and resources that can help you when in need. This year, the theme of Mental Health Awareness Week is anxiety. Here’s what the Mental Health Foundation says about anxiety:

Anxiety is a normal emotion in us all, but sometimes it can get out of control and become a mental health problem.

Lots of things can lead to feelings of anxiety, including exam pressures, relationships, starting a new job (or losing one) or other big life events. We can also get anxious when it comes to things to do with money and not being able to meet our basic needs, like heating our home or buying food.

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems we can face. In a recent mental health survey we carried out around stress, anxiety and hopelessness over personal finances, a quarter of adults said they felt so anxious that it stopped them from doing the things they want to do some or all of the time. Six in ten adults feel this way, at least some of the time. On a positive note, anxiety can be made easier to manage.

Focusing on anxiety for this year's Mental Health Awareness Week will increase people's awareness and understanding of anxiety by providing information on the things that can help prevent it from becoming a problem. At the same time, we will keep up the pressure to demand change - making sure that improving mental health is a key priority for the government and society as a whole.

Around 1 in 10 people are struggling with anxiety at any one time in the UK. Visit https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/public-engagement/mental-health-awareness-week for more resources on how to cope or help someone you know with anxiety. Further resources can be found at https://mentalhealth-uk.org/mental-health-awareness-week/ and https://www.mind.org.uk/get-involved/mental-health-awareness-week/