April is Stress Awareness Month and it comes at a time when we all may be feeling more stressed than usual.

As the world struggles to cope with our ‘new normal’, of social distancing and isolation, restricted movement, home-schooling, cancelled exams, pandemic-related unemployment and everything else, many of us are living in the grip of stress.

We may be stressed due to the fear of catching coronavirus on our grocery run, or reeling from losing out financially due to lost employment, feeling the separation from family and friends acutely, and some of us may be fearing for a loved one struck down by Covid-19. Even the lack of a daily routine will cause stress enough for many people.

Stress affects us in myriad ways and can result in irritability, mood swings, affect our appetites and can cause insomnia and disrupted sleep patterns and lead to uncomfortably tense bodies and tension headaches, plus many more.

In situations like these unprecedented times of uncertainty – with frightening news headlines – it could be easy to turn to coping mechanisms like abusing alcohol or other similar unhealthy means.

However, our dedicated teams from AMH MensSana have been busy curating the best advice available to help you through this difficult period, on dealing with stress, anxiety and social distancing, while AMH Works offers tips on getting the best out of working from home. We have also collated tips on encouraging a positive outlook throughout the pandemic, from embracing The Five Ways to Well-Being, talking to children about the global situation, and even specific advice, from AMH everyBODY, on helping people with eating disorders cope with the day to day upheaval of life in our current circumstances.

For our full list of helpful tips and advice visit: https://www.amh.org.uk/coronavirus/

You can read more on stress, how to recognise it and sources of support on:

We thought it was time for some fun art therapy for kids (and grown-ups too!), so we’re launching The Big Northern Ireland Easter Egg Hunt. Just print off our handy template, or design your own egg pattern and colour it in – using paint or coloured pencil – and place it in a window facing your street. By Easter, we hope to see lots of eggs while we’re out for our daily walk! Remember to tag us as well @amhNI #AMHEasterEggs

The gang at Action Mental Health’s Promote isn’t letting the coronavirus pandemic rob them of the fun they usually have at their Bangor-based service in times of normality.

They’ve been travelling the world, taking photography and yoga classes and are even learning sign language classes – all from the comfort of their own homes and gardens.

The group of adults with learning disabilities were among the millions across the globe to have their daily lives affected by the Covid-19 outbreak. However, that has not stopped their skills coaches from getting creative, giving lessons and offering tips on staying well and keeping active via videos and similar technology.

One of the classes scheduled to take place at AMH Promote in Conlig, before the pandemic, ‘The World Around Us’ is carrying on regardless, complete with video and quizzes, using BBC Bitesize resources.

Armchair yoga classes have been helping keep everyone fit, led by Skills Coach Tory, while tutor Laura has been encouraging clients to get outside with their cameras to take snapshots of whatever nature they find on their own doorsteps, being if flora or fauna.

The Promote gang have been getting busy in their kitchens at home too, thanks to helpful videos posted online from Skills Coach Jacqui. In their scheduled ‘I Can Cook’ and ‘Basic Cooking Skills’ groups, they were supposed to be learning how to make delicious fruit salads but thanks to technology, their imaginative tutor has them shucking strawberries and slicing sweet apples and oranges, via a helpful video on Promote’s Facebook page.

Promote clients have also been getting artistic, by creating animal pictures by tracing round their hands and using their imagination. The animal theme continues in sign language classes with clients signing symbols for four-legged creatures, using Makaton, a type of signing for people with learning and communication disabilities. Promote has been aided in these lessons courtesy of The Makaton Charity.

Promote Service Manager Niaobh Adams said the clients are really enjoying staying connected through technology.

“We are sharing our videos and lessons via Zoom for those who don’t use Facebook, and also interactive white boards, so no one will be left out of the vast array of resources we are creating. We just wanted to ensure our clients feel that they can still depend on their Promote family during these uncertain times.”

The arts, crafts and lifeskills classes – like this helpful video on how to iron a shirt – are set to continue throughout the length of the pandemic so check in to Promote’s Facebook page to marvel at their progress!

With so much uncertainty in the world at the moment, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by fear and anxiety. It’s important now more than ever, to look after your own and your employee’s mental health and well-being. We understand the new pressures organisations are facing and AMH Works are here to support you in any way we can over the coming weeks. Below are some helpful guides that we have developed with tips and advice to help you stress less and promote a greater sense of peace and control, feel free to share these with your colleagues.

We are also currently developing bite-sized sessions to deliver to participants online via Zoom, such as ‘Building Resilience in Uncertain Times’ which will teach employers and employees the best methods and techniques to better equip themselves to stand up to pressures and stresses of life. If you are interested in online sessions for your organisation please contact AMH Works Manager, Shelly Wilson on [email protected] or 07540 124083.

Download and share our resources

Taking Action on Mental Health

Action Mental Health is delighted to announce that its merger with New Life Counselling takes effect today.

This welcome news is recognition by the Boards of AMH and NLC that by combining resources, services and expertise, there is a better chance of developing and sustaining mental health support for our communities in these challenging times. Going forward, the AMH Board is determined to tackle the disparity of support between physical and mental health services and this development is a mark of its commitment to ‘Taking Action on Mental Health’.

The new partnership takes full effect from today, April 1^st, 2020, which means the two charities are now totally integrated. Whilst we are living through an unprecedented period, face to face services based at our usual locations have unfortunately been temporarily interrupted, however great efforts are now in place to continue to offer support to clients in a range of new ways. In future, once the effects of isolation and social distancing come to an end, all services will return to normal. The NLC service will, with a refreshed brand, retain its name, which is well known and recognisable to local communities, clients and professionals.

David Babington, Chief Executive of Action Mental Health, said:

“The Boards of Action Mental Health and New Life Counselling know there is a real need for quality counselling across Northern Ireland. By combining forces, there is a greater opportunity to provide the best possible outcomes for our clients regionally, provide greater staff security and maximise scarce resources.

“By combining AMH with such a recognisable and trusted brand we are confident that NLC will be able to develop and grow their service and reach even more communities across the region. There is a really good mix between the two organisations and existing services complement each other.  Most importantly, there is a great similarity in terms of ethos, values and commitment to best practice.   

“The current unprecedented environment is really challenging and I believe that it provides even further evidence that the merger is the best way of ensuring we continue to provide quality support to the people using all of our services. Action Mental Health is a charity focused on ‘Taking Action on Mental Health’ and we remain committed to keeping the people we support at the heart of everything we do.”

Our team at AMH everyBODY (AMH’s eating disorder service in the Southern Trust area) are still here for our clients and have devised a series of Coping Statements to help during this very uncertain and difficult time.

Coping Statements to deal with heightened Anxiety

Now, more than ever we want to remind you that you are not alone. AMH everyBODY, Action Mental Health’s eating disorder service, in the Southern Trust area, has had to adapt to these unprecedented times, but we are still here – we are still listening and we’re still here to offer you support. Please reach out if you need to. Contact – [email protected] or 077 9088 5438.

The brave workers of the NHS have been under incredible strain since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

This large band of key workers are doing extra hours, often in highly pressured environments, coupled with new social distancing restrictions. In response, our friends at Mental Health UK have compiled this helpful information which might help to lessen the burden of their physical work on their mental health.