Great Mental Health Day 2023 is celebrating the power of community kindness and telling the story of how we’ve come together for one another across London.
In a year that’s remained challenging for many of us, it has been our communities, friends and families which have played the most important role in in getting us through difficult times together.
Great Mental Health Day is here to help get us talking about our mental health and wellbeing and to help break that stigma that so often exists around the subject. It’s also an opportunity to learn more about the great local initiatives and support services that are available right across London.
Great Mental Health Day 2023 acts as a reminder that we can all do our bit to spread hope and kindness, and to help each other.
Where to get help to support your mental health
We know that when times are tough, it’s important that we look after our own and each other’s wellbeing.
Great Mental Health Day aims to get us talking about mental health, and sharing what we do to boost our own resilience and support those around us.
- Local residents are able to access local support services via the Lewisham Council website.
- London has a digital wellbeing service called Good Thinking. It has resources to help you manage your mental wellbeing, including advice, apps, blogs podcasts and a tool to help you assess your own mental health. Since its launch in 2017, more than 700,000 people have used the free, digital service to tackle anxiety, stress, low mood, sleep problems and other concerns.
- You can refer yourself to local NHS talking therapies.
- For free, urgent, support from mental health professionals, call your local NHS mental health crisis line on 0800 731 2864.
- You can call the Samaritans day or night on 116 123. You can talk to someone if you are feeling low or are concerned about someone else.
FoodCycle Lewisham
Come and enjoy company and conversation with others from your local area over a delicious meal, prepared with care by FoodCycle volunteers.
When?
Every Saturday @ 1:30pm
Where?
Lewisham Irish Community Centre, 2A Davenport Road, London, SE6 2AZ
Find out more here
Good Thinking’s guide to looking out for those around you in tough times
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM
London’s digital wellbeing service, Good Thinking will be launching quick guides for GMHD 2023 on looking out for those around you, and supporting those who may be struggling with their mental health. The team is running a webinar to run through three simple steps to help you support others. Register via Eventbrite or sign up using the form below.
Confidence to be – why you should make confidence building your no.1 priority – 12pm
Join this free session led by Nadine Pfeifer, Founder of confidence start-up Hopstair and Kirsty Knowles, Coach, Consultant & Writer and Founder of ThinkBeing.co.uk, as they delve into the science and importance of self-confidence to unlock your potential. Self-confidence is a critical but undervalued factor in developing good mental health. Through this session you will develop tips and techniques on understanding the importance of self-confidence, how to build it and how to sustain this in daily life.
Please follow this link to register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/confidence-to-be-why-you-should-make-confidence-building-your-1-priority-tickets-516973600957
A Radically Caring Pause – 1PM – 2PM
Join us for for a Radically Caring Pause to mark London’s Great Mental Health Day 2023.
Radical Self-Care (RadSec) is a training programme which addresses people’s own anxiety and shame-based self-criticism, often internalised from the society and context in which we live. RadSec draws on our innate capacity for awareness and for care. The model supports people to ‘draw from our own strengths, just as we are’, so that we are better resourced to look after ourselves and each other, allowing respect and care to affect the way we live our lives.
RadSec stands for and works from the principles of intersectionality, lived experience leadership, and trauma-sensitivity. Mental health is understood in the social context of people’s lives. Find out more about RadSec.
Ikebana Workshop – At 2PM and 4PM
Come and join a relaxed, hands-on workshop which uses the power of nature to boost your mood and appreciate the wild and wonderful art of ikebana.
The ancient art of ikebana was originally intended as a way to use flowers to communicate stories and it is still used today as an effective tool to connect your hands with your mind to find flow while appreciating nature.
In this workshop, you’ll learn about a few of the modern interpretations of ‘ikebana’ or ‘giving life to flowers’ and have the opportunity to create your own art to represent yourself or express your thoughts.
We’ll be facilitating two 45-minute workshops during Great Mental Health Day, at 2PM and 4PM. This is a very interactive session and places are limited. Register here.
GMHD on social media
Londoners can get involved using the hashtag #GreatMentalHealth to share your own stories, experiences and plans for the day across all social media platforms.
