Friday, 10 October, marks World Mental Health Day. The theme this year is ‘access to services – mental health in catastrophes and emergencies’. The theme highlights the importance of people being able to protect their mental health during times of global instability.
The world is going through a tough time right now, and even if you’re not directly affected by events, it can still feel like a lot to cope with. It’s okay to ask for help, no matter what you or anyone else is going through.
It’s normal to feel down from time to time when we come across bad news, but constant exposure to negative online content could negatively affect our mental health. ‘Doomscrolling’ is a relatively new term used to describe the impact of consuming large amounts of upsetting news online. If you’re looking for ways to spend less time doomscrolling, the Mental Health Foundation have some useful tips that might help.
We may not have the power to influence or change everything we’d like to on a global scale. However, there are things we can do to protect ourselves and others from feeling overwhelmed and hopeless in the face of current events. These include setting boundaries about when you watch the news or visit news websites, talking to others when you’re feeling overwhelmed, and focusing on what you can control. Small actions still matter; taking positive action can help shift feelings of helplessness into a sense of purposefulness. Read more tips from the Mental Health Foundation here.
