One of the most important days in the calendar of “World Days”, “International Days” and “National Days” is upon us: Mental Health Day.
Why is World Mental Health Day still so important? Statistics suggest that one in four of us experience some form of mental health each year and we can all probably say that even if we haven’t experienced mental health problems ourselves, we know someone who has. And we all need to take care of our own mental health.
Mental health and wellbeing still has a long way to go to remove the stigma that surrounds it. Whilst we good ol’ British folks are terribly polite, we’re not very good at talking about our problems or airing ‘our dirty laundry in public’. Mental health can affect anyone, everyone and all of us and it’s so important to get the conversation going with friends, with family, with loved ones, with yourself to realise that we are not alone in our problems.
We have therefore compiled a list of our Athena top picks for social medias, website resources and local charities who can provide help. But most of all, we want to let all of our readers, followers, friends and members that you can always be you with us. We are here for you. Reach out and please don’t suffer in silence.
Scottish Association for Mental Health
This was recommended to us by mental health care professionals – they share great interviews and articles. You can find their website here or like them on Facebook.
Health in Mind
A great Edinburgh charity who not only provide support but they also advertise vacancies to those who work in the field as well as training courses. Their website is currently under construction but they do have some resources available.
Ruth Finn Leiser
Ruth is a mental health advocate who you can find on Instagram, recommended to us by one of our members.
The Junction
The Junction, amongst many other resources, offers free counselling to young people aged from 12-21 in Leith.
See Me Scotland
Using the hashtag #myunfilteredlife people have been sharing their mental health stories with See Me Scotland across social media helping to end the stigma. Their website also has lots of fantastic resources. One of our members shared her story:
Sofie Hagen
Sofie is Danish comedian who now lives in the UK. Often, the topic of mental health is discussed on her podcast, Made of Human – in an honest, relatable and informal way with her interviewees.
Young Women’s Movement Scotland
A wonderful resource for a wide variety of topics, what we particularly love are the regular reminders on Facebook and Instagram that self-love and self-care are really important.
Kara Brown
Kara is the CEO and Director of Young Women’s Movement Scotland (their youngest ever) and is a vocal advocate of ending the stigma around mental health. She regularly shares her own stories on Instagram.
