Clients at Action Mental Health New Horizons North Down & Ards have been exercising their grey cells on National Puzzle Day. Tasha Hamilton put the finishing pieces to the puzzle that clients have been putting together over the past week, also including, (in pic from left to right) Leah Campbell, Matt Starrett and Violet Maxwell. Well done folks!

Piecing together jigsaw puzzles not only offers a range of physical health benefits, but also key mental health advantages. It helps to reduce stress by occupying and engaging the mind to help create a sense of calm and serenity. The act of working on the puzzle lessens external worries, decreasing stress as the mind focuses on the activity that is meditative and satisfying.

Action Mental Health are hosting an abseil at Belfast Castle on Sunday 24th February 2019

We are calling all thrill seekers to take part! Face your fears and help #TakeActionOnMentalHealth

Belfast Castle is set on the slopes of Cave Hill Country Park in a prominent position 400 feet above sea level.

You will abseil 100 feet down the side of the castle’s tower whilst taking in the spectacular views across the city. No previous experience is required and you will be provided with a full safety briefing on the day.

Registration fee of £35 and a minimum sponsorship of £70 is required per participant. REGISTER HERE!

Abseil time slots to be confirmed closer to the date.

Minimum age 16 years old.

For more information contact [email protected]

It’s three weeks into Dry January and chances are you’re looking forward to a little glass of wine with your dinner or a pint down the pub with your friends.

But according to Priory Health, lasting three weeks without alcohol is beneficial to your mental and physical health.

By week three of Dry January your blood pressure will have reduced, alongside the risks posed by alcohol to your heart as well as the chances of having a stroke. Your vision will improve as will your kidney health.

Not only will the period of abstinence improve your general health, you’ll also save a shed load of calories. Based on estimates that you’d have consumed 18 175ml sized glasses of wine by now – or three bottles – that amounts to 2880 calories – or three portions of fish and chips. It would have also drained your purse of just over £67. If you are denying yourself beer, 18 pints would have added 3240 calories to your diet and cost you £54.

If, like many you are waiting for the dawn of February to enjoy a moderate tipple – but you struggle with depression and anxiety – it’s best to adhere to the medical guidelines, and limit yourself to the standard 14 units of alcohol per week. That amounts to six pints of lager, or a bottle and a half of wine spread over three or more days, with a few days off.

The organisers of the Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon have recruited 19 ambassadors who will be taking on the challenge of running a marathon for the first time and we get to follow them on their journey!

With less than 16 weeks to go, the Experiment 26.2 Group will be more than race-ready, thanks to an amazing training package, put together by the event’s Official Partners – Stuart Kennedy (Official Marathon Coach), Framar Health (Official Nutrition Partner) and Better (Official Gym Partner).  They’ll receive complimentary Athletics NI and Mary Peters Track memberships, free entry to running events (SPAR Craic 10K, Titanic Quarter 10K and SPAR Omagh Half Marathon) and a goodie bag of products to help support their training from Deep RiverRock, Framar Health, White’s Oats, Linwoods, Tayto, SPAR and more.

All have chosen to run for one of the FIVE Official Charity Partners for the 2019 Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon – Belfast Arthroplasty Research Trust (BART), Cancer Focus NI, Stroke Association, Air Ambulance NI and Action Mental Health.

We are delighted that our very own Diarmuid McLaughlin, Skills Coach in AMH New Horizons Antrim is one of the group aiming to complete his first marathon in front of a home crowd and we will be following his progress closely and wish him well in his training! We will be revealing the other ambassadors #TakingActionOnMentalHealth shortly! Watch this space ……

The group met for the first time on Saturday 12^th January to complete an “ice breaker” challenge at The Jungle NI, Moneymore.  They were split into two teams to go head to head in a “Crystal Maze” team building challenge, the first of many mental, physical and endurance tests as they meet and train for their first marathon!

The Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon hopes that you will follow the Experiment 26.2 Group over the coming weeks and help motivate and cheer them on.  You can follow their progress online at www.belfastcitymarathon.com/training-blogs and on the event social media sites Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Maybe it will motivate YOU to take on your first running challenge and join them on Sunday 5^th May for either the Marathon Run & Wheelchair Race, Marathon Team Relay, 8 Mile Walk or Fun Run. 

SIGN UP for the 38^th Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon now at www.belfastcitymarathon.com via the brand new MyTicket App.  #ChooseBelfast

The Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon is sponsored by Athletics Northern Ireland, Daily Mirror, Belfast City Council, Better, Translink, Daily Mirror, Spar, Belfast Live and Framar Health. Sampling partners are Deep RiverRock, Tayto, White’s Oats and Linwoods.  This year’s official charities are Belfast Arthroplasty Research Trust (BART); Cancer Focus NI; Stroke Association; Air Ambulance NI and Action Mental Health. 

The Chief Executive of Action Mental Health has said that support for mental health services across Northern Ireland are in a downward spiral. David Babington was speaking after Professor Roy McClelland described the crisis at Muckamore Hospital as the “the tip of the iceberg” and that the system was failing patients at the hospital. 

David Babington said “The serious issues Professor McClelland raises about the state of mental health services in Northern Ireland have been building for some time. Just last month I was part of the delegation from the mental health sector to present to the NI Affairs Committee in Westminster. Our message was very clear – Northern Ireland has the highest incidence of mental health problems in the UK, and the lowest level of spending on mental health services. Fundamentally that is unsustainable. 

“The share of health spending which is invested specifically on mental health services in Northern Ireland is 6%. In England that percentage is almost 12% yet our incidence of mental health problems is 25% higher. We have the highest suicide rate in the UK and the highest rates of medical prescription. We also have increased instances of mental ill health in children. How can we deal with the problem of mental health if we are not prepared to properly fund the services? If we don’t break that cycle it is self evident that the problems will continue to mount and that mental health provision will continue to be the forgotten service in our NHS locally.

“Mental health spending in Northern Ireland is in a downward spiral. When small amounts of additional money are provided they are used to fill the gaps. To deliver first class mental health services which can provide the support that so many people need and can deal with the severity of the issues Professor McClelland has raised, we need a genuine investment in the service, and ongoing support for the services, all delivered through an overarching mental health strategy for Northern Ireland.”

Action Mental Health is delighted to announce its latest corporate partnership of 2019, with Podium 4 Sport.

The sports and fitness equipment retailer, based in Castlereagh, offers a range of sportswear for a vast array sporting requirements, from amateurs to  professionals and teams of all ages across a diverse field of sport.

The retail business selected Action Mental Health as its charity partner for 2019 and as the beneficiary of fundraising efforts over the period.

Action Mental Health is grateful to work with Podium 4 Sport, recognising that sport, like any physical activity, plays a huge role in keeping our minds healthy, as well as our bodies.

By actively supporting Action Mental Health, the company joins the diverse range of corporate partners which work to help eliminate the stigma still associated with mental health issues.

Action Mental Health Fundraising and Communications Manager Jonathan Smyth announced the partnership, stating: “Receiving the support of the corporate community, like that offered by Podium 4 Sport, helps to ensure the future of our programmes with children and young people which are becoming increasingly sought-after throughout Northern Ireland.

“Sports play an important role in helping to promote better mental health and well-being, reducing stress and clearing the mind. We are very grateful to have Podium 4 Sport on board as one of our corporate partners as we work tirelessly with both adults and young people across Northern Ireland to raise awareness and provide support through a wide range of dedicated recovery and resilience programmes.”

Craig Allen from Podium 4 Sport commented “It is our pleasure to be supporting Action Mental Health for 2019. The link between mental health and sport is longstanding and we would like to help build on that foundation.”

A hairdresser from Larne who understands the challenges facing people with mental ill-health, is offering a new service to people in their own homes. Toni Campbell, who has experienced anxiety and depression, will visit the homes of people who suffer similar issues, and who have a fear of, or are unable to leave their homes to visit a salon. Toni offers a cut and blowdry for just £15 and will be extending her services in the future. For now, she charges a small fee to cover travel costs.

Toni explains: “I really want to help people with genuine mental health issues, like I’ve suffered in the past so if that’s you, contact me.” 

She plans to open up a salon in the future, complete with a sensitively bedecked interior to create a calming and relaxed environment for her target customers.

“I’ll be offering a one-to-one service so there’ll be no crowds for people who want to fight their anxiety and get out,” she adds.

For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/Hairforyoularne/

We’re halfway through Dry January and if your resolve is starting to waiver, take heart: there’s just over two weeks to go! If your willpower is slipping, maybe it’s time to remind yourself of the reasons you attempted an abstemious start to 2019 in the first place. For many, it was perhaps part of your traditional new year resolutions, not only to detox from the excesses of the festive period, but also to kick off the new year with a healthy start.

Whatever the reason, just remember that shunning alcohol for brief periods is not only good for your body but also for your mental health. 

With the stresses of the fast-paced world of today often being the catalyst to us reaching for the odd drink or two, it is good to know the evidence behind warnings to be careful about your regular alcohol consumption.

Dr Andrew McCulloch, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation, in his forward to its report, Cheers? Understanding the relationship between alcohol and mental health, written by Dr Deborah Cornah, states: “The reasons we drink and the consequences of excessive drinking are intimately linked with our mental health, and this holds the key to dealing with growing worries about alcohol misuse.”

We drink alcohol for many reasons: to help us relax after a busy and stressful day at work, to give us ‘Dutch’ courage, to seal business deals and to toast life’s milestones and many, many more.

But it becomes detrimental to both our physical and mental health when we drink because we ‘need’ it, to numb ourselves from feeling unwelcome emotions and often because we can’t remember life without it.

Some 38% of men and 16% of women are now drinking above recommended limits and 1.1m people nationally are alcohol dependent, with the report finding that people often drink to alter their mood – or change their mental state.  And according to the World Health Organisation we are dicing with danger.

 “Sufficient evidence now exists to assume alcohol’s contributory role in depression,” according to the WHO’s Global Status on Alcohol report on alcohol, 2004.

The Mental Health Foundation refers to recent studies which have found that up to 12m adults in the UK drink to help them relax or overcome feelings of depression. However, drinking to mask anxiety, depressed mood or general unease has the opposite effect, once the drink wears off. This is why a physical hangover is very often accompanied by anxiety or low mood.

Evidence shows:

• significant connections between reported alcohol use and depressive symptoms
• people report using alcohol to help them sleep
• people drink more when experiencing moderate to high levels of shyness or fear
• anxious people use drinking ‘to cope’ and are more likely to avoid social situations where alcohol is not available
• as many as 65% of suicides have been linked to excessive drinking
• 70% of men who take their own lives have drunk alcohol before doing so
• almost a third of suicides amongst young people occur while the person is intoxicated
• anxiety and depressive symptoms are more common in heavy drinkers
• heavy drinking is more common in those with anxiety and depression
• there is a significant relationship between job stress and alcohol consumption
• many GPs believe that alcohol is a cause of mental health problems.

Read more on the Mental Health Foundation’s relationship between alcohol and mental health here:

For assistance in overcoming alcohol abuse contact: