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Top tips for looking after your mental health at Christmas

December 17, 2024 actionmentalhealth

While Christmas is traditionally associated with merriment and good cheer – a time for getting together with friends and family for celebration – many people struggle with their mental health at this time of year, for a variety of reasons.

Whether it’s loneliness due to the prospect of facing Christmas alone, financial stress, depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), these are just some of the reasons why our mental health can suffer during the holidays. However, it’s important to understand that, if you or someone you know is struggling at Christmas, you’re not alone – and there are things that can help you cope and make things more manageable.

Managing stress and anxiety at Christmas

According to research from YouGov (2019), more than two-in-five people feel stressed during December, with anxiety affecting three-in-ten. Meanwhile, a quarter of people said they had felt depressed over Christmas, while just under a quarter felt lonely during the festive period.

“Feeling low around Christmas is especially common among people who are unemployed (38%), divorced (35%) or widowed (31%). It’s less so, but not unusual, for parents with kids living at home (23%).” (YouGov, 2019).

In addition to this, people aged between 25-34 years old are more likely to experience anxiety and loneliness (31%-40%), with women being more prone to mental health issues in general at Christmas time (51%).

If you already experience anxiety, then the busyness of the festive season can heighten this even more, what with events, visiting friends and family, buying gifts and the general intensity of the season. Increased traffic, people, lights and noise when you’re out and about can also trigger anxiety and led to overwhelm. It can therefore be helpful to bear the following points in mind, if you feel yourself getting anxious or, indeed, want to minimise anxiety at this time of year:

Plan ahead: If you’re going Christmas shopping, choose quieter times like early in the morning or later at night – and pick a location you know is going to be less busy. Alternatively, avoid the crowds altogether and shop online – you can still support local businesses this way and prevent the risk of getting overwhelmed in busy shops.

Know the signs: If you suffer from anxiety on a regular basis then you’ll be aware of what triggers this and the symptoms that present, but some people may only experience anxiety at certain times like Christmas, when life is particularly hectic. Signs of anxiety can include feeling faint, dizzy, disoriented or struggling to catch your breath, as well as having an increased heart rate (racing heart), feeling paranoid, fearful, tense or excessively worried. When anxiety hits, you can try to ground yourself by focusing on the present moment and noticing what’s around you – name five things you can see, hear or taste, for example. Taking deep breaths – extending your exhalation so that it’s longer than your inward breath – will also help to calm your nervous system. Removing yourself (when you feel able to do so) from the environment e.g. leaving the shop to get fresh air or even just sitting down if you feel faint, can all help to manage your anxiety in the moment as well.

Set realistic expectations: Christmas can invite comparison with other people as we see images on social media of what others are getting up to, or from what we see around us in the day-to-day. However, it’s worth remembering that we never see the full picture with anyone and comparing your Christmas to someone else’s runs the risk of making you feel anxious, if you feel that you aren’t meeting self-imposed or so-called social standards. Being realistic about everything from family gatherings to present-buying and festive activities will help to reduce anxiety and take the pressure off.

Practice self-care: Remembering to take time out for yourself – stepping away from the hustle and bustle and prioritising rest and relaxation – will help to manage anxiety. Say ‘no’ to things that might overwhelm you and limit what you do over the festive season. While you may not be able to avoid the busyness of the holidays completely, you can do what you can to minimise the triggers of anxiety. Eating well and not overindulging too much, talking to someone you trust and sticking to as much of your normal routine as possible can also help.

Sarah Grant-Jones, Head of Clinical Services within Action Mental Health’s counselling service, said it was important to manage expectations over Christmas.

“Family holidays can be wonderful but very intense,” she said. “People can feel the pressure to have the perfect Christmas – but there’s no such thing. The work we do with our clients is to help them manage their expectations around Christmas. It might not be quite how they expect it to be, so it’s about how to manage that if it’s not.

“I think it’s really about knowing yourself and being aware of what works for you. There’s going to be lots of thoughts and feelings that come up around Christmas-time. It’s a very emotive time – and can be like this for lots of different reasons, for example, if someone has experienced a bereavement at this time of year. You have to be aware of that and work with it personally or within your family. Be aware that you may experience lots of different thoughts and feelings over the Christmas period – and prepare for that.”

Anxiety can be one of the main symptoms of stress, along with feelings of overwhelm and finding it difficult to make decisions. Being restless and having a constant sense of dread or underlying worry can also be symptomatic of stress, so it’s important to be aware of these signs and to look out for yourself over Christmas.

Stress can particularly affect women over the festive season: “Christmas is especially tough on women’s mental health. While women are only 4% more likely to say Christmas affects them negatively, the difference is more glaring when it comes to stress and anxiety. While … 35% of men have felt stressed around Christmas, for women the figure is 51%. Over a third of women also say they’ve felt anxious, whereas less than a quarter of men say the same.” (YouGov, 2019).

Doing what you can to minimise stress – for example, setting spending goals for gifts, asking people for help with dinner preparations, taking time out for yourself and avoiding comparison with others – can all help to reduce stress.

“If you experience anxiety or low mood, then it’s about being aware of what triggers that – and the pressure points for you,” said Sarah. “Give yourself time for how you’re going to cope with things. For example, with social anxiety – how would you feel about attending that party or big family event? It’s about thinking through what potentially may be an issue for you and knowing that, whatever you’re thinking, is ok. Give yourself permission to feel that.”

Depression at Christmas

If you have depression, then Christmas can be a difficult time to navigate, particularly when everyone around you appears to be happy and the season sets an expectation for this. It can also be hard trying to explain to others that you feel low, even at Christmas, if they don’t understand the symptoms of depression or how it affects you.

Struggling with feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness, anxiety, intense sadness and low energy can all be symptoms of depression, along with fluctuations in appetite. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) can also strike at this time of year – either on top of pre-existing depression or as a standalone form of depression that some people only experience in winter. SAD – also sometimes referred to as the ‘winter blues’ – is low mood caused primarily during December, January and February due to reduced exposure to sunlight during the darker days of winter.

To help you or someone you know cope with depression over Christmas, here are a few tips on what may help:

Talk to someone: Discussing how you feel with someone you trust will help share the burden and make you feel less alone. If you isolate yourself then you can become stuck in your thoughts, which can create a vicious cycle of low mood. Talking to a friend or family member, however, can help prevent a downward thought spiral and ground you in the present moment. Explaining how you feel can also help you set boundaries with other people at Christmas and help them understand how they can support you.

Stay in touch with people but know when to say ‘no’: Isolating yourself can contribute to low mood, especially if you already experience depression, so it’s important not to cut yourself off from people completely over Christmas. If possible, maintain contact with trusted friends and/or family but avoid overwhelm by choosing when you socialise i.e. you don’t have to accept every invitation you receive – be selective. Setting boundaries will safeguard your mental health while also helping you stay connected, so your low mood doesn’t spiral, as being with other people grounds us and makes us feel less alone.

Be active: Keeping active helps to boost our mental wellbeing, so sticking to routines like going for a daily walk and just getting outside is important, especially at Christmas when schedules change with the holidays.

Know your limits: If you’re struggling with depression of any kind, then this is something you will also need to manage throughout Christmas. Recognising this and removing any pressure to ‘feel better’ over the festive season is important. Know what you can manage and how to handle the holidays in the best way for you. Placing unnecessary pressure on yourself to ‘do Christmas’ like those who don’t have depression is unfair on yourself and sets unrealistic expectations.

“It’s about acknowledging what’s going on for you and validating that; knowing, ‘what will help me to lift my mood?’” said Sarah.

“It’s good to have a repertoire of coping strategies to hand, or kept on your phone. For example, maybe time-out helps you cope. And – be kind to yourself. Allow yourself the opportunity to not do more than you feel you want do or are able to do. It’s ok not to be ok – and if you don’t feel ok, reach out.”

Alleviating loneliness during the festive season

Christmas festivities can exacerbate feelings of loneliness during the holidays, especially if you’re spending it alone, are divorced, separated, single or have recently been bereaved. Feeling like everyone else is having a great time together can also make you feel even more alone, even if perceptions based on what you see online or on the street aren’t always accurate.

Loneliness can co-exist alongside various mental health issues and can become a more serious problem itself, if left unaddressed. That’s why, if you or someone you know is experiencing loneliness – or anticipate it over Christmas – there are things which can help to alleviate it.

Connect with people: Whether it’s volunteering at your local animal shelter, visiting a friend or going out for a walk and just saying hello to people, find ways to avoid isolation. Spending time with people boosts our wellbeing and helps us feel less alone, while having a conversation with someone about anything at all can lift our mood and ground us in the present moment.

Structure your days: If you’re lonely and are also coping with a bereavement at Christmas, then this can make the holidays even more difficult to navigate. Planning your days and giving them a structure can help, while walking/exercise that gets you moving and outside, rather than sitting indoors watching TV all day, can also help to support your mental wellbeing.

Practice self-care: From saying ‘no’ to invitations and giving yourself time to rest, to planning activities you enjoy and removing any guilt you may feel about putting yourself first, practising self-care will help prevent overwhelm over Christmas.

Ask for help: Even during the holidays, support from the Samaritans is always available, while Cruse Bereavement Care also provides support for those who are grieving (check online for opening hours).

“We have a safety plan that we use with our clients, with three things people can do to help work with their thoughts and feelings,” said Sarah. “For example, have three people you can contact if you need to. Think about who you can reach out to and where you can go for help.

“There are also sources of support available over the holiday period. Sometimes, it’s just about being in someone’s presence or talking to someone. We would always say to children and young people to go to a trusted adult.”

Keep Christmas on track

Taking things in moderation, avoiding comparison, practicing self-care and staying connected with people are just some of the ways you can look out for your mental health this Christmas. Whether it’s in relation to yourself or someone you know, being aware of the signs of poor mental health and knowing what to do to minimise triggers can help.

Meanwhile, setting boundaries around activities and knowing your limits for socialising can also support better wellbeing at Christmas, without isolating yourself. Talking with someone who you trust and explaining how you feel about the festive season can also help to make Christmas more manageable. Ultimately, being kind to yourself is key.

If you are in crisis or distress, please remember that Lifeline operates 24/7 throughout the holiday period – you can call them and talk to a trained counsellor on: 0808 808 8000.

The Samaritans can also be contacted 24/7 by calling: 116 123.

For young people, Papyrus operate HOPELINE247 at: 0800 068 41 41.

Contact Childline on: 0800 1111.

Reference:

https://yougov.co.uk/health/articles/26954-christmas-harms-mental-health-quarter-brits

AMH News

Carving out a community in the Men’s Shed

November 21, 2024 actionmentalhealth

For our second blog this Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, we paid a visit to one of Action Mental Health’s three Men’s Sheds, to chat with the members and find out why they love going along…

Known affectionately as ‘the Shedders,’ the team at Men’s Shed Steeple Antrim, which sees an average 15-20 people attend four days a week, are a very welcoming – and busy – bunch. With a focus on fun, friendship and learning new skills, the Shedders do everything from woodcarving, photography and cooking to singing, pyrography and much more.

Having won the Community Champion award from the South Antrim Community network in 2024 for “creating opportunities to build capacity or bring innovative ideas to the community,” this is a group which benefits both members and the wider community.

men's mental health — **Gerry is a longstanding member of Men’s Shed Steeple Antrim.**

It’s clear from the outset just how much everyone enjoys coming to the Shed during the week, with one member saying that, “We have a great community.” Other members add that the Men’s Shed “gives us a purpose” and that “it’s all about having fun.”

A longstanding member of Men’s Shed Steeple Antrim, Gerry was one of the first to join the group, when it launched around a decade ago. The Men’s Shed phenomenon had reached Northern Ireland and Action Mental Health decided to set one up in Antrim. Having recently retired, Gerry found out about the plans for the Steeple Antrim Shed from his daughter, who was working at Action Mental Health at the time. She suggested he go along but he wasn’t very keen, initially.

“I didn’t want to be retired and be around old people, so I didn’t go,” he said. “But it was going to fold if they didn’t get enough members, so I came up. I got some people to join and never looked back.”

As one of Northern Ireland’s first Men’s Sheds, he said that Antrim Steeple led the way at that time and was a great place to mix with people and meet new friends – which, of course, it still is.

“I enjoy the craic,” he said. “I was always used to getting up early for work so it’s a reason to get out of bed and come in and meet your friends in here. Some of us actually socialise outside of here as well! We’d maybe get the train to Dublin for the day.

“The craic is good and there’s the freedom to go down to the garden too, amongst the plants. What would the men be doing, otherwise?”

Magic moments down in the Shed

With recent research [1] revealing that 17% of men in Northern Ireland showed signs of loneliness in 2022/23 – 20% of these aged between 55-64 and 16% aged 65-74 years old – initiatives like the Men’s Shed are an ideal way to help combat this. Creating community spaces where men can gather to enjoy a cup of tea and some craic – as well as the opportunity to take part in a whole host of activities (optional, of course), is a concept which obviously works.

Ronald, who’s originally from South Africa but is now settled in Northern Ireland, joined Men’s Shed Steeple Antrim a year ago and keeps the crew entertained with his magic tricks, which he happily demonstrated during our visit.

“My library told me about the Men’s Shed, so I thought I would come and check it out,” he said. “It gets me out of the house. When I don’t come here, I go lawn bowling.”

Russell is another Shedder who has been part of the Antrim Steeple group for just over a year, having heard about it when he was seeking employment support. Describing himself as an anxious person, he said it was a couple of months before he managed to get along but that, once he did, he wished he’d done it sooner, as he enjoyed it so much.

“I was suffering from depression and anxiety,” he said. “Getting your feet in the door is the hardest part but one day I just got it into my head to go. I was walking by and called in. I wish I had done it earlier.

“I was doing courses with the ESA – getting back to work schemes – but they weren’t for me. I found this better – more relaxed. This place is completely different. You can take your time at things. When I came, I initially thought, ‘what have I got myself into here?’ I didn’t know anybody at all. It’s daunting at the start. I was always a quiet person so it’s brought me out of myself a bit.”

Explaining that his approach now in life is to take everything as it comes, Russell said that when new members come to the Shed, they can always expect to be made welcome with a cup of tea and some chat.

He added: “It’s up to the individual, though – you have to be ready for it. I think men don’t come sometimes because they’re scared.”

Reflecting on the fact that November is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, Russell said he thought it was difficult with men – particularly those from previous generations – as they often bottled things up and didn’t address their mental health.

“Some older men don’t like talking about things,” he said. “They keep everything in. I didn’t talk much at the start [when I came to the Shed] because I didn’t want to bother anyone. But people listen. Everyone here’s in the same boat. They’re a good crowd of people.”

With his favourite aspect of the Men’s Shed the various activities, Russell added that he’d learned lots of new skills and done all sorts of things he’d never tried before – or thought he would, such as wood-carving and painting.

“There’s always new things to try out,” he said. “For example, Francesca from Action Mental Health did a course with us that I found helped with my anxiety. I try everything. I would do a lot of the OCN courses and am part of the gardening group too. It gets your mind working again and gives you more confidence.”

At the time of our visit, the Shedders were adding the finishing touches to a Christmas post box they’d made for a local supermarket, while they also had a herd of wooden reindeer lined up and ready to go on display at the Enchanted Winter Garden in Antrim.

men's shed steeple antrim — **The Shedders have made a festive post box for Christmas.**

“It’s about going out into the community as well,” said one of the men. “They give us a donation but it’s not only about selling what we have. We’ll be talking about the Shed as well and letting people know about it.”

Whether it’s getting out and about to spread the word about the Men’s Shed, enjoying a cup of tea and conversation or getting stuck into gardening or general grafting, it seems the Shedders are on to a good thing…

The Shedders will be selling their Christmas crafts on Friday, November 29 at St Joseph’s Parish Community Hall in Antrim from 6pm-8pm.

The Men’s Shed Steeple Antrim meets Monday-Wednesday and on Fridays and is funded by the National Lottery’s Community Fund.

Find out more about Men’s Shed Steeple Antrim on their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/MensShedSteepleAntrim?locale=en_GB

Find out more about Action Mental Health’s other Men’s Sheds in Downpatrick and Fermanagh here: https://www.amh.org.uk/services/mens-shed/

Reference: [1] Devine, P. (2024). Men’s Health in Numbers: Northern Ireland Men’s Health Report Card 2024. Dublin: Men’s Health Forum in Ireland. Available at: https://www.mhfi.org/MensHealthInNumbers3.pdf

**More artwork created by the Shedders.**

**A restoration project the men are working on.**

**A ‘Chatty Bench’ handmade by the Men’s Shed.**

AMH News

OUR Generation Project launch

November 18, 2024 actionmentalhealth

The OUR Generation Project was officially launched in Belfast on Wednesday, November 13, supported by Northern Ireland’s Education Minister, Paul Givan, MLA, who said it was a “critically important” initiative which would support many young people.

Also attending the event at the New Forge Sports Complex and Event Hub were project partners, funders and supporters. These included the Director of Programmes, Managing Authority at the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), Paul Beattie and Social Psychology Lecturer at Ulster University, Dr Claire Campbell.

Opening the proceedings, Minister Givan said he was delighted to have been able to attend and that he thought it was important he supported the event.

Describing OUR Generation as an “important programme,” he said that with “a continued rise in mental health issues amongst young people,” the project would “create significant opportunities” and deliver much welcomed additional mental health support.

“The demand on existing mental health and wellbeing initiatives has been significant and because of this funding more young people will benefit,” he said. “For many young people, access to high-quality programmes for mental health has changed their lives and in some cases, has saved lives. It makes a lasting and positive change for communities.

“Often, the work that you do can be unseen by outside society… But that network is critically important in our society. It’s vital we can support that.”

Reflecting on his own life, Minister Givan added that everyone faced challenges and difficult days, posing the question – how do we get through it?

“Challenges will always come in your life,” he said. “Creating that resilience is so important, especially for our young people. If you don’t provide the right support at the right time, that can take you down into dark places. My grandmother took her own life when my father was 16 years of age… I never got to know her. It got to the point where she wasn’t able to cope anymore.”

Reflecting on the fact that people will “always face really difficult, dark moments in their lives,” Minister Givan said it was therefore important to support our young people – particularly in “a world where there’s so much uncertainty.”

“How do you support people to come through those difficulties and challenges? That next generation – how do we support them? That’s why I just want to say thank you for all the work you’re doing. I really look forward to seeing the outcomes of the project.”

Empowering young people as ambassadors

As a cross-border initiative led by Action Mental Health, OUR Generation is focused on youth mental health and wellbeing, with fellow project partners including Donegal Youth Service, Cooperation Ireland, Youth Action NI, Youth Work Ireland, Playboard NI, Boys & Girls Clubs NI, Include Youth and Ulster University.

The latest phase of the project will run from 2024-2027, taking place in various education, youth and community settings across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland. It will subsequently develop and deliver programmes focused on increasing mental health literacy, enhancing emotional resilience and building leadership skills in children and young people aged between nine and 25 years old. The project will also lead on research into mental health and the impact of trauma upon our communities.

It is anticipated that approximately 33,000 children and young people, along with 5,000 key youth workers will participate in the project overall.

Paul Beattie, Director of Programmes, Managing Authority at the SEUPB.

Paul Beattie, the Director of Programmes, Managing Authority at the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), said it was important that one of their six key themes was dedicated to empowering young people.

“By involving young people we’re empowering them to act as ambassadors within their communities,” he said.

He added that investing in projects like OUR Generation gave a focus to community leadership, as well as helping to sustain peace and good relations, supporting young people living with the legacy of the Troubles.

“Overall, the project will make a contribution to peace and reconciliation,” he said. “There’s an increasing demand to impact the mental health of young people and we really look forward to seeing the immense work of OUR Generation in touching the lives of more young people.”

Panel discussion

Following a brief video about the OUR Generation Project, which featured messages from the various partners, a panel discussion was facilitated by host, Curtis McCosh, from Cool FM. Taking part was Youth Wellbeing Specialist and counsellor, Sinead McIlvenna from Belfast charity, Lighthouse, along with Youth Project Coordinator, Mick Meehan, from North Belfast charity, Tackling Awareness of Mental Health Issues (TAMHI). Joining them was Stephen O’Donnell a volunteer from Donegal Youth Service (DYS) and Adam Murphy from Youth Action NI (YANI).

(L-R) Sinead McIlvenna from Lighthouse, Mick Meehan, from TAMHI, Stephen O’Donnell from Donegal Youth Service and Adam Murphy from Youth Action NI.

Having been introduced to the OUR Generation project through Cooperation Ireland, Sinead said they had done various work with young people as part of this, including around gender awareness. She added that trauma-informed counselling had been very beneficial to the young people they worked with in schools, while laughter yoga had also been a hit.

“Laughter yoga is brilliant, as some kids are very shy and introverted,” she said. “It really helps the kids engage. Laughter is very infectious, so when one person laughs, everyone laughs. Cooperation Ireland offered us the training, so we’re now all trained in laughter yoga.

She added that the leadership conference which had taken place in Derry-Londonderry previously, had been “amazing” as an opportunity to see how other organisations were working.

This was a point reiterated by Mick from TAMHI, who said that, “getting to actually meet other organisations and do some collaborative work was first-class.” He added that being part of OUR Generation to date had enabled them to deliver cross-border play schemes, helping them further in fulfilling their objective as a charity, which was to “shape change and save lives.”

“We teach mental health through play,” he said. “You go in and ‘play out’ hardship and then explain it through play. You can do it from primary school level right up to the highest pay grade. When we were invited up to Derry-Londonderry it was brilliant to go into a room and see so many positive people – and to meet some amazing people through the programme.”

Having come up with OUR Generation’s tagline of ‘Growing up better, together,’ fellow panelist, Adam, from YANI has been involved in youth work from a young age. He said it was great to have gone from being an OUR Generation project participant to a volunteer to now being a peer educator.

“The project helps you to learn new things and meet new people,” he said, adding that OUR Generation had made a massive difference to his work within the youth sector, opening up opportunities across wider Northern Ireland.

“A lot of the times, rural young people can feel they’re not being heard,” he said. “Being able to be involved in those conversations and then to go back into my local community means I can say, ‘this is where it’s going’. That’s had a massive positive impact on their outlook.”

Concluding the panel discussion, Stephen from DYS said that OUR Generation was a vital project for highlighting mental health resilience. He added that it gave “young people the power to understand that, if something is going wrong, there’s coping skills and methodologies to get through what’s going on.”
“Through talking, it will give you the chance to slowly come through and find your feet again,” he said.

Diverse social groups key for mental health

Also speaking at the launch was Dr Claire Campbell from OUR Generation partner, Ulster University, who highlighted the importance of social group membership for good mental and physical health. Using a practical activity to illustrate the point, Dr Campbell said that social identity theory showed people were “hard-wired for group membership.”

Dr Claire Campbell from Ulster University.

She added: “With more social group membership you have better physical and mental health, emotional wellbeing, quality of life, coping and resilience.” She added, however, that it was important to not only be part of social groups, but for those to be “across communities, not just in your own,” to ensure higher social identity complexity and a more open-minded attitude.

Preceding the final element of the day, which was a vocal performance of Unwritten from Cori Strain (YANI), David Babington – CEO of lead partner Action Mental Health – made the event’s closing remarks and wished the project well.

“Having just recently launched our “I AM SOMEONE” fundraising and mental health awareness campaign, we at Action Mental Health are all too aware of the very real stories behind the mental health statistics,” he said. “Statistics which, unfortunately, are still quite bleak – with one in five adults experiencing a mental health issue in their lifetimes and one in eight children facing emotional difficulties.

David Babington, CEO at Action Mental Health.

“Indeed, Northern Ireland continues to have some of the highest rates of mental ill-health in the UK and transgenerational trauma is a significant part of this. That’s why projects such as OUR Generation are so important – to safeguard the mental health and emotional resilience of the next generation and to equip them with leadership and life skills which they can carry forward into a more hopeful future.”

David added that the project would complement the great work already taking place within the mental health sector in Northern Ireland and that the programmes would “ultimately give youth a voice and allow them and their communities to be heard, regardless of religion, race, gender, identity or background.”

OUR Generation is supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). PEACEPLUS represents a funding partnership between the European Union, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Government of Ireland and the Northern Ireland Executive.

AMH News

Focus on: Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month

November 15, 2024 actionmentalhealth

While our mental health matters all-year round, dedicated awareness days, weeks and months are great for shining a spotlight on particular issues and helping to raise awareness of these. They help to get people talking about subjects previously often deemed taboo and act as signposts to vital services which can support those who are struggling.

November is one such month, with both International Stress Awareness Week, Stress Awareness Day and Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month all taking place.

According to the Office for Statistics Regulation, a review of mental health statistics in Northern Ireland shows that: “The legacy of violence and socio-economic factors are frequently cited as key contributors to poor mental health.” [1] With Northern Ireland subsequently having some of the highest rates of mental ill-health in the UK, supporting men in this area is crucial, particularly when they’re often less likely to seek help in relation to their mental health.

Research shows that in 2022, 156 men took their own lives in Northern Ireland [3] – each of these a person with friends and family who subsequently suffered a devastating loss. There are many reasons why someone may suffer from poor mental health, but opening up conversations around this is key to helping reduce the stigma around this and to encourage men to seek support.

As part of Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s important to remember that both men and women experience a wide range of mental health issues. However, due to societal habits and traditions, men often don’t talk about how they feel, or seek out help when they need it.

What men think about their mental health

Research from Priory [2], the UK’s leading independent provider of mental healthcare and adult social care, surveyed 1,000 men across the UK to find out more about how they thought about their mental health. They found that 40% of men had never spoken to anyone about their mental health, despite the fact that 77% of those polled said they had experienced symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress.

A further 40% of UK men said they would only be motivated to seek professional mental health support if they had thoughts about taking their own life, or of self-harm. The figures also revealed that the reasons men stated for not discussing their mental health or seeking help were because they felt “too embarrassed” to talk about it (29%) and because of the stigma surrounding mental health issues (20%).

Other reasons included men not wanting to be a burden on anyone else (36%), not wanting to admit that they needed support (17%) and not wanting to appear weak (14%). A further 40% said they had “learnt to deal with it,” while 14% said they had no one to talk to.”

The top causes of poor mental health in the men surveyed were:

Work (32%)
Finances (31%)
Health (23%)

With Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month falling just before Christmas, it’s also significant to note that amongst men aged 35-44, the pressure/cost of the festive season also contributed to their poor mental health.

Signs of poor mental health in men

While men and women experience the same symptoms for mental health conditions, the research shows that some of these are more often found in men – so it’s good to be aware of what they are.

Commonly shared symptoms include things such as feeling constantly overwhelmed and sad, withdrawing from friends and family and experiencing persistent worry. Feeling fatigued, as well as finding it difficult to concentrate and having headaches or being short of breath can also be signs to watch out for.

When it comes to men’s mental health, however, additional factors (which again, can also occur in women but are usually more prevalent in men) often include substance abuse, working obsessively and sleep issues, as well as being angry and more irritable. Men can also be more likely to engage in reckless behaviour when struggling with their mental health.

According to Devine (2024) 1,989 men were treated for problem alcohol or drug use in Northern Ireland in 2022/23, with 67% of these being males. [3]

In addition to this, it was found that “19% of men had low or medium levels of satisfaction with life, while 18% of men had a high score on the GHQ-12 scale, indicating a mental health problem. 14% of these men were aged between 35-44 or 65 years+, with 24% of them aged 45-54.”

Tips if you’re a man struggling with his mental health

There are various things you can do if you’re struggling with your mental health, one of which is speaking with a professional. Talking to anyone – be it a friend, family member, your GP or a mental health charity – is so important. Meanwhile, there are also various coping strategies which you can do on your own alongside this, to help keep support your mental health in the day-to-day.

The Five Ways to Wellbeing are a great place to start and are focused on connecting with people, getting active, taking notice of things around you, learning a new skill and giving.

Here are some ways to help your mental health, if you’re struggling:

Socialise: Connecting with other people gets us out of our own heads and prevents us from feeling lonely, which is when negative thoughts or bouts of ruminative thinking can often occur. By engaging with other people, be it friends, family or taking a walk and saying hello to a stranger, being social helps us keep things in perspective and reminds us that we’re not alone.

Be active: Whether it’s going for a run, walk or heading down to the gym, when we move, it helps us feel good, as our brain releases endorphins. So, any movement is good – just get up and go outside as a first step. Once you start moving, the next step becomes easier.

Reduce your alcohol intake: While socialising with friends is great, cutting down on alcohol will help your mental health, as drinking has depressive effects and, if you’re already feeling low, it will only add to this. It might be hard to say ‘no’ if you’re stressed and it’s become your go-to ‘crutch,’ but try to swap out alcohol for a soft drink or non-alcoholic version – or do something which doesn’t involve drinking at all, if you’re meeting friends.

Learn some relaxation techniques: If you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed then simply taking notice of five things around you – things you can touch, see, hear or smell, for example – can ground you and focus your mind in the moment. Focusing on your breathing is another good way to relax – try breathing in for a count of four and then extending your outward breath for longer than this. The longer outward breath will help you to feel more relaxed, calming your parasympathetic nervous system.

If you need someone to talk to …

If you’re struggling with your mental health, then it’s important to speak with someone – and help is out there, should you need it. If you’re in crisis, then talk to your GP, as they can diagnose conditions and outline possible treatment options. You can also contact the organisations below at any time.

Minding Your Head: Access information about mental health and the issues that can affect it, along with tips on how to maintain good mental health. www.mindingyourhead.info/

Lifeline: A Free 24-hour crisis response helpline for people who are experiencing distress or despair, where trained counsellors will listen and help immediately on the phone and follow up with other support if necessary. Tel: 0808 808 8000 / www.lifelinehelpline.info

Samaritans: A registered charity aimed at providing emotional support to anyone in emotional distress, struggling to cope, or at risk of suicide throughout UK and Ireland, often through their telephone helpline or online chat. Freephone: 116 123 / www.samaritans.org/

Find information on local men’s mental health organisations at: https://findhelpni.com/find-help-near-me/Mens-Support

References:

[1] https://osr.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publication/review-of-mental-health-statistics-in-northern-ireland/pages/2/#:~:text=The%20latest%20official%20statistics%2C%20from,%25%20females)%5B2%5D.

[2] Priory: https://www.priorygroup.com/blog/40-of-men-wont-talk-to-anyone-about-their-mental-health

[3] Devine, P. (2024). Men’s Health in Numbers: Northern Ireland Men’s Health Report Card 2024. Dublin: Men’s Health Forum in Ireland. Available at: https://www.mhfi.org/MensHealthInNumbers3.pdf

AMH News

Overcoming stress and isolation through therapy: Kapeela’s story

November 8, 2024 actionmentalhealth

The beginning of November marks International Stress Awareness Week (with Stress Awareness Day on November 6), which aims to raise awareness about stress, as well as highlighting ways in which we can combat it. With the theme for World Mental Health Day this year also centred around burnout and improving mental health in the workplace, if you’re experiencing any of these issues then it’s important to know that help is out there.

When Kapeela – a young professional working far from home in Northern Ireland during the pandemic – found her mental health deteriorating due to stress and related issues, she realised that she needed support.

Having moved to Northern Ireland seven years ago to study, Kapeela, now aged 28, had been in employment for the past four years, with things going well for her during that time. However, a series of stressful experiences, including working during the pandemic, along with a relationship breakup, new job and moving into a new home, ultimately took its toll on her mental health.

Initially, it was the pandemic which impacted upon her mental health, prompting Kapeela to seek private counselling.

“It was difficult being away from family,” she said. “That was my first instance with ill mental health. I got private therapy and managed to go home for a while and then when I came back, life was back to normal.”

In 2023, however, Kapeela bought a new home while simultaneously taking on a new job. She was also newly single, all of which negatively affected her mental health and prompted her to contact her GP for help.

“It was a very stressful time in my life but also, financially, it was quite difficult for me to access private therapy,” she said. “It was quite an isolating time and I didn’t feel I had the right support in place to keep me going. So, that’s why I got in touch with my GP and they referred me to Action Mental Health and I then had therapy for six weeks through Action Mental Health.

“I was able to have talking therapy consistently every week with my counsellor. We went through lots of helpful tools – working on guilt, shame, self-esteem. I had that nine months ago and am still able to apply most of those tools to my day-to-day life. It made a huge impact and I really needed it, so I was grateful that the service was there and accessible and free. I definitely benefitted from it.”

Finding a safe space

Having reached out for help when she was “at breaking point,” Kapeela said that attending therapy at Action Mental Health had been a “very cathartic” experience.

“I was nervous,” she said. “But it was a very safe space. It was online and I definitely felt that I was in good hands. My therapist was very experienced and knew how to work with me. I think during those six weeks it was a very helpful experience.”

Due to her experience with therapy previously, Kapeela added that she was keen to ask her counsellor this time around for more information about mental health – and to really delve into the tools and techniques that could help her. Her sessions subsequently looked at, amongst other things, addressing Kapeela’s core beliefs, as well as discussing areas such as guilt, shame and self-esteem.

“My counsellor was able to provide me with tried and tested methods of training to cope with my core beliefs,” she said. “She was able to answer my questions and was available through email as well. She told me to contact her any time during those six weeks. She also encouraged me to journal and to bring (what I wrote) along to the therapy sessions so we could discuss them. It felt like a very involved experience – like we were in it together trying to cope with the issues. I was then able to lean on others a lot more, too.

“After the therapy sessions ended I realised what my coping mechanisms might be. They highlighted my strengths – that were really inside of me the whole time – and I was able to rely on myself a bit more and have more confidence in myself to use those tools and get back to my day-to-day life.”

Ultimately, Kapeela said that her therapy experience with Action Mental Health had helped her to share her problems and to feel less alone when at the time, she’d felt the opposite. She added that being able to lean on other people had also removed that feeling of having the “entire weight of the world on your shoulders.”

“It can feel very isolating when you think that your problems are not relatable to somebody else, but speaking to a talking therapist… they’re able to get to the crux of the situation and to draw things out of you and work through it with you,” she said. “That’s something my therapist at Action Mental Health was able to do.”

Supporting the “I AM SOMEONE” campaign

As someone who has benefitted from the support offered by Action Mental Health, Kapeela said she was delighted to have been able to give back by assisting with the “I AM SOMEONE” campaign. With private therapy too expensive for her previously, she added that removing the financial barrier and accessing the free services at Action Mental Health had enabled her to seek professional help when she needed it.

“Donating to the service would mean someone else doesn’t need to think about that either,” she said. “I would just like to say thank you to Action Mental Health and I’m just very grateful that there’s opportunities for us to volunteer as well – to be able to give back. We [often] think we only have to give money but you can give your time and you can be compassionate to somebody else. It’s so rewarding.”

She added that the “I AM SOMEONE” campaign was “going to be so helpful for people to realise that the service is out there” for those willing to take that first step and ask for help.

“It’s accessible, it’s free, it’s easy to get in touch with Action Mental Health, so I would really just recommend anyone who’s struggling at the minute to ask for help,” she said. “It gets easier.”

Looking to the future

Now in a much better place with her mental health, Kapeela said that she was ultimately reassured by the fact that the support from Action Mental Health was still out there, if she needed it again.

“That in itself provides a bit of security to me,” she said. “Knowing that I’ve benefitted from the service and can still access it if needed and that there’s still somebody out there who can listen to me and provide that support.

“But in the past nine months I’ve been able to go back to work and engage in tasks and activities I wasn’t really able to engage in when I was feeling quite low. So, I’ve managed to regain that aspect of my life through therapy and have the confidence to go back to my day-to-day life.”

While she still does miss her family and home, Kapeela has various mementos, which she said had helped her alongside the therapeutic support. These include photographs of her family, given to her as part of care package that also contained messages, along with art from her nieces and nephews and letters.

“It was a surprise, as I didn’t know any of it was coming,” she said. “They gave it to me when I left at the airport, so that was really special.”

Meanwhile, her new home in Northern Ireland is one that also provides its own support, as Kapeela loves getting out in nature and enjoying the many green and coastal spaces here.

“I work in a very busy environment and being out in nature, it’s so tranquil, so serene,” she said. “I love being by the beach. Being able to connect with nature is very important to me and I think that’s something Northern Ireland has an abundance of – nature, seaside, scenery – it’s one of the reasons I’ve stayed on and haven’t gone back to another busy city. I really enjoy being in Northern Ireland.”

Reflecting on her progress to date, Kapeela added that her life was a lot more settled now and that she was no longer the lonely person she had been when she was struggling with her mental health.

“I definitely feel that that part of my life is something I’ve gone through but that it’s not a part that I’m going through at the minute,” she said. “Therapy definitely helped me to move on from feeling that low – and whenever those feelings come up again, I know I’m able to navigate through them with the support of my family and the tools I’ve gained from therapy.

“I feel I’m in a much better place now, which is great.”

To find out more about “I AM SOMEONE” and/or donate, visit www.amh.org.uk/iamsomeone

AMH News

How yoga can help during the menopause

October 29, 2024 actionmentalhealth

With October marking Menopause Awareness Month, we’ve been speaking to various women who are all raising awareness of the menopause and helping other women navigate this significant stage of their lives. Having previously featured Dr Siobhan Kirk, along with Roisin Hillman from the Menopause Together charity and Siobhan Kearney from Menopause NI, our final blog as part of Menopause Month is with local yoga instructor, Lisa Copeland.

Specifically trained in menopause-specific yoga – and with 20 years general yoga teaching experience – Lisa explained how yoga can help to alleviate perimenopause and menopausal symptoms, both physical and mental.

“I think yoga always helps women – it helps everybody,” she said. “It has certainly been the anchor I needed. What the menopause yoga course does is it gives women the tools that they need to manage each stage of the menopause.”

According to research carried out by Abiç and Yilmaz Vefikuluçay (2024), the psychological, somatic and urogenital symptoms of menopause may be reduced by yoga. Their findings came from a randomised control study which focused on menopausal women aged between 40-60 years old who completed 60 minutes of yoga twice a week for 10 weeks.

Meanwhile, Petra Coveney, whom Lisa trained under and who created the world’s first accredited yoga and wellbeing programme for women experiencing menopause in 2013 – Menopause Yoga™️ – says the following on her website:

“Yoga is scientifically proven to reduce stress and inflammation, which exacerbates many menopause symptoms such as anxiety, hot flushes, joint and muscle pain. Yoga may also help with sleep, digestion, fatigue, general mental health and may help prevent falls and fractures by developing posture, balance (proprioception), inner sensory awareness (interception) and muscle tone.”

With yoga for menopause increasingly popular amongst women, Lisa pointed out that it wasn’t something which would magically solve all menopause-related issues, but was best used alongside various lifestyle changes. These include things such as diet, weight training to increase bone density and potential HRT use – with regular reviews of what you’re doing the key to ensuring a holistic and more effective approach to managing symptoms.

“It’s important to consider the effect that low oestrogen has on the body during menopause,” she said. “According to the Royal Osteoporosis Society, one in two women over the age of 50 will break a bone due to poor bone health and replacing oestrogen, as well as making lifestyle changes, can help reduce this statistic. Cardiovascular health can also be affected during the menopause, as well as mental health.”

While the feedback has been incredibly positive from women who have attended Lisa’s yoga sessions, she said her initial motivation to become a menopause yoga teacher was very personal.

“I’m 55 years old now and I was going through the perimenopause in my late 40s but didn’t realise I was,” she said. “I hadn’t even heard of the word ‘perimenopause’. My own experience of this journey called menopause has been challenging and difficult. Yoga for menopause is a very specific course and Petra Coveney approaches this from a scientific and clinical basis, so when I saw the opportunity to do the course I just went for it.

“I came to it when I was post-hysterectomy, so I had been going through a very rough time, both physically and mentally. It was another aspect of my menopause journey. I did the course for myself first and then I thought I could decide if I wanted to share it. It was so beneficial to me.”

What to expect during menopause yoga classes

With the course for menopause yoga comprising four weeks, each session takes women through the key stages of the menopause journey, incorporating discussion, breathing techniques and modified yoga poses. There is also mindful meditation, while Lisa always signposts women to useful sources of information at the end of sessions, as well as providing healthy snacks and nutrition information.

She said that one of the first things women said about yoga for menopause was that it offered an inclusive and welcoming space where they felt safe and able to share aspects of their own journeys. Indeed, classes typically comprise 10-12 women and always begin with a shared conversation session, where attendees can discuss as much as they wish about their own peri/menopause experiences.

“It’s very helpful, that protection aspect of it, which helps with feelings of overwhelm and exhaustion,” said Lisa. “I’ve found that many of the women who come to me are absolute beginners and have never come to yoga before. They’re attracted to it because it’s specific to menopause.

“They’ve maybe felt in the past that yoga wasn’t for them and that you had to be really fit and flexible. So, when it’s specially tailored to their needs, it’s more appealing. They get the information they need – with take-home techniques and tips that are easy to put into their day – and leave feeling empowered and enlightened.

“It’s been a real eye-opener for me, for the need for women to get into a space like that. And then, of course, it’s great fun as well.”

In week one, women receive an overview of the menopause journey and what they might expect throughout this, although of course, it’s very much a unique experience for each person. Lisa added that the cooling breathing techniques incorporated into the sessions helped with feelings of overwhelm and anxiety, which can often cause the heat to rise.

“The mental health issues can also really rear their head during menopause,” she said. “For example, a fear of driving. There are grounding and relaxing techniques I teach on the course to help with this, which again are easy to use and access in the moment.”

Adapting sessions to suit the needs of the room at any given time, Lisa rounds off the four-week programme with “a lovely class in the final week where women are encouraged to find their ‘second spring’ and find that they’ve come full circle.”

She added: “A lot of women come back for another four weeks. There’s such a need for this. I remember one woman, who had never done yoga before, said at the end of the course that it had been an eye-opener and that every woman should do it, as it looked after both your body and your mind.

“I think the compassion element is really interesting. Women can be very hard on themselves. From a mental health perspective, that’s the worst thing you can say to someone – to pick yourself up and get on with it. But we often do it with the menopause. For me, it’s always about meeting women where they are and teaching from my personal experience.”

Also a qualified reflexologist, Lisa provides bespoke treatments for menopausal clients. Again, she teaches techniques that women can then take home, as part of her mission for educating and empowering women.

For anyone considering coming along to a yoga for menopause class, she said there were multiple benefits, not least in the fact the sessions created that safe space where women could share their thoughts and emotions – something which supports their mental health.

“These emotions they’re feeling – particularly that really low mood – is all part of the menopause journey, but the classes show that there’s help there and they can also help themselves,” she said. “Anhedonia – that feeling of nothing being of interest to you anymore – becomes really prevalent in menopause. It can become a vicious cycle.

“For some women, the yoga for menopause classes are the very first time they’ve shared anything about their personal journey. Quite a lot of relief comes with that. It’s a very bespoke programme that has been tried and tested and I just love it.”

Why women love menopause yoga

“Menopause yoga with Lisa was the most fantastic and relaxing shared experience with women at different stage of their menopause journey. It really helped me sleep and my sanity and set me up for the week.”

“I attended Yoga for Menopause and it has been a lifeline for me.”

“Every session was enlightening. I left each class with a sense of calm and inner strength.”

“It’s a beautiful four-week journey which takes you through the four seasons of the change. I never thought positively about menopause before this programme and now I’m embracing my ‘second spring’ with much more understanding and compassion.”

Resources:

NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause/
British Menopause Society: https://thebms.org.uk/
Women’s Health Concern: https://www.womens-health-concern.org/
International Menopause Society: https://www.imsociety.org/?v=7885444af42e
Abiç, A; Yilmaz Vefikuluçay, D. The Effect of Yoga on Menopause Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Holist Nurs Pract. 2024; 38 (3):138-147. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38709129
Menopause Yoga: https://www.menopause-yoga.com/
Dr Siobhan Kirk: https://www.drsiobhankirk.com/
Menopause NI: https://menopauseni.com
Menopause Together: https://menopausetogether.org/
CIPD research: https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/reports/menopause-workplace-experiences/
Royal Osteoporosis Society: https://theros.org.uk/latest-news/women-s-health-strategy-needs-to-go-big-on-osteoporosis-emergency-affecting-one-in-two-women-over-50/

AMH News

How trees can teach us to thrive

October 22, 2024 actionmentalhealth

With October 21-27 marking Book Week NI 2024, a joint initiative from BBC NI and Action Mental Health partner, Libraries NI, it’s a great time to get re/acquainted with your local library and curl up with a good book.

Dr Ross White, Professor of Clinical Psychology at Queen’s University, Belfast (QUB), recently published his debut book, The Tree That Bends: How a flexible mind can help you thrive. He spoke to us about why he decided to write the book and why trees are at the heart of it all…

With the rather intriguing title of The Tree That Bends, Professor White’s book is one which, at first glance, requires a second glance – something which the author said was done purposefully. Described on the cover as being ‘both a manifesto and a research-based programme for developing psychological flexibility to thrive,’ the book ultimately grew out of a desire to communicate helpful information to the public in an accessible way, said Ross. He added that people often asked him for book recommendations and that, while he had some to give, he’d realised it might be useful to write a book which allowed him to contribute his own individual perspective. As for the tree metaphor which gives the book its title, that all stemmed from a Tanzanian proverb – ‘The wind does not break the tree that bends.’

“I was in Sub-Saharan Africa and Uganda, doing work on the idioms of wellbeing and this Tanzanian proverb was mentioned to me,” he said. “I think it really inspired me in putting the book together. I was curious as to how we might map psychological flexibility onto the anatomy of the tree. I was basically coming at it from the angle of us being like trees and how we can learn a lot from trees about what it takes to thrive.

“Interestingly, the publisher wasn’t that keen on The Tree That Bends as a title. I just felt quite passionate about having the centrality of the tree there, though. And there was something about adding a little bit of intrigue as well.”

With more than 15 years’ experience as a clinical psychologist, Ross specialises in providing mental health and wellbeing support to people working in high-performance environments, alongside his lecturing responsibilities at QUB. Currently halfway through a one-year career break from QUB, however, he has spent some of that time focusing on his passion for communicating psychological information to the public in an easily digestible way, hence the publication of his book.

Indeed, with social media rife with mental health quotes and tips, he said it was important that people be discerning about where they access their information.

“I think that’s really important – to be a discerning consumer of information and to question the sources that people are basing their claims on,” he said. “I think we as a profession (psychologists) have a responsibility for helping to educate the public around that. To help people understand what’s credible.”

Split into three sections, The Tree That Bends was written, said Ross, to empower the “smarter, more flexible versions” of who we are. “It’s about breaking through without breaking you – taking care of yourself so you can continue to take care of business,” he added.

Indeed, the book explores how to find that balance between doing what matters to you while also stepping back when needed to allow yourself time to reset and rest. Using the terms ‘Get,’ ‘Threat’ and ‘Reset’ to describe three distinct motivational modes or systems in our lives, Ross writes about how having a flexible mind can help us navigate these better and therefore look after ourselves.

‘Get mode’ refers to our more industrious go-getter approach to life (striving), while ‘Threat mode’ (surviving) relates to the various threats we may face along the way. If our ‘Get’ and ‘Threat’ modes are left to operate unchecked, the risk of experiencing burnout increases. ‘Reset mode,’ meanwhile, refers to how we go about reviving ourselves – taking short-term ‘momentary moves’ to help with this, such as practicing gratitude, mindfulness and self-compassion or initiating ‘bold moves’ which require more conscious planning and help us in the longer-term e.g. embarking on a period of travel or considering a change of career.

“The way that modern society operates, it’s almost drawing us away from Reset Mode,” said Ross. “It’s all about ‘do more to be more.’ I think it’s important for us to have all those opportunities for reset, however, even if at times they feel counterproductive.

“A key point for me is the need to be passionate and clear about what matters to you in life. By all means, invest time and energy into realising that. But just like trees, we need periods of dormancy to rest and reset.

“Particularly in the third section of the book, the tree is described across the seasons. Trees have their own ‘Get’ mode, when they are full of industry and growth in spring and summer. They need to endure throughout the year, bracing themselves against storms and protecting themselves from potential infestations from bugs that could kill them – that’s their ‘Threat mode.’ And, finally, trees have their ‘Reset mode’ in autumn/winter – they need that period of dormancy so they can revive again.

“Just like trees, ‘Get,’ ‘Threat’ and ‘Reset’ modes are key points in all our lives.”

Handling burnout at work

With this year’s theme for World Mental Health Day centred on prioritising mental health in the workplace to avoid burnout, The Tree That Bends also addresses this particular topic.

Although not defined as a mental illness, burnout is a very real threat to employees and reflects, said Ross, “the very significant effect that working environments and cultures can have in creating it.” With the classic signs of burnout being reduced energy and increased cynicism regarding the organisation, along with a reduction in the level of effectiveness in the workplace, he added that to effect positive change in this area, it had to be addressed from both sides.

“I highlight in the book that the research evidence suggests that psychological interventions aimed at individuals aren’t sufficient to bring about a shift in the dial in burnout levels ordinarily, because you need to be also working with the culture,” he said. “You need organisational change. When you think about burnout, that’s when our ‘Get’ and ‘Threat’ modes can be very highly active. The ‘Reset mode’ isn’t getting sufficient opportunity to be accessed.”

Working with people in the sports world, Ross said that he also provided psychological support to the staff responsible for various athletes, such as medical professionals and coaches. “Often, in the cut and thrust of sport, they don’t feature enough in the conversations,” he said.

Within the book, meanwhile, Ross also shares parts of his own story – including the fact that he’s presently living out his own ‘Reset’ period, being partway through his career break. Indeed, another point that he said was important to highlight was the idea of adopting a “strong intention, light attachment” approach to life, something he was conscious of doing himself.

“We can be strong in our attitude to realising our sense of purpose but I think we also have to be lighter regarding the notion that there’s a single way of doing that,” he said. “I think we need to take this broader frame of reference, to know that there are other ways and opportunities to realise our sense of purpose. Have your aspirations and carry yourself lightly and kindly in pursuit of them. “No defeat is ever final. When you think about failures – perhaps failures are feedback. There’s a quote from Nelson Mandela that I like as well – ‘I never lose. I either win or I learn.’”

To receive monthly insights and tips from Professor Ross White, check out 5 to Thrive, which is a five-minute read with five tips to help you thrive.

AMH News

Conference highlights mental health issues in animal welfare sector

October 19, 2024 actionmentalhealth

Working collaboratively across sectors is the key to creating safer, more compassionate communities for everyone, with benefits including improved mental and physical health in both humans and animals, according to experts in animal welfare, psychology, veterinary science and law.

Representatives from organisations including Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, Dogs Trust and animal welfare charity Naturewatch Foundation, joined vets, researchers and a leading psychologist at Stormont on October 2 for Northern Ireland’s second annual animal welfare conference. Organised by Causeway Coast Dog Rescue (CCDR), the conference took collaboration as its theme and was entitled ‘What does collaboration look like to improve companion animal welfare?’ The event audience, meanwhile, included attendees from the PSNI, along with MLAs, various animal welfare organisations, Action Mental Health and the media.

**Claire Sugden MLA addressing the conference**.

Welcoming everyone to the event, host Claire Sugden MLA, highlighted the links between animal abuse and human violence and said, “The system can’t function if there’s no collaboration.” She added that it was important that anyone who reported an animal welfare issue was then updated about that, as a lack of communication with the public after reporting a welfare concern was a key issue in Northern Ireland.

“This erodes trust in the system and creates a hesitancy to report in the future,” she said, adding that there was also a need “to support both animals and their owners during tough times – for example, with mental health providers and social workers.”

“The emotional toll of working in this sector is huge,” she said. “People working on the frontline of animal welfare are at risk of burnout, trauma and fatigue from witnessing animal abuse. We must also care for the mental health of those dedicating their lives to animal care.”

Recognising trauma in animal welfare workers

**Dr Tara Quinn-Cirillo from the Human Animal Welfare Alliance**.

Protecting the mental health of those working within the animal welfare sector was something echoed by psychologist and author, Dr Tara Quinn-Cirillo, who has set up the Human Animal Welfare Alliance (HAWA) to help address this issue. Currently working on developing the UK’s first Emotional Health Toolkit for animal welfare workers, this digital tool will include resources “to help staff manage their emotional health.” The initiative also includes monthly emotional health check-in sessions where staff can speak in a safe space, along with targeted mental health training on vicarious trauma, stress, anxiety, overwhelm and burnout. Meanwhile, staff who need to discuss a particularly traumatic event can also arrange a one-to-one debrief session on the phone.

Discussing her ongoing research into the mental health issues experienced by animal welfare workers, Dr Quinn-Cirillo said that, while trauma was often present, employees didn’t always identify it as such.

“Quite often, there are different factors, where people don’t recognise that they’re going through trauma,” she said. “Trauma shows up so differently and can mimic things like anxiety and depression. Stress, overwhelm and burnout are trending words… but people aren’t being supported to recognise trauma, or they don’t realise you can get trauma from this sort of situation. It’s important to identify trauma because the way I work with that, as a psychologist, is very different from how I work with stress.”

She added that complex trauma was also an issue within the animal welfare sector, where events in people’s personal lives overlapped with those of their working lives to create a more multifaceted type of trauma. Meanwhile, vicarious trauma was another type of trauma experienced by some employees.

“Vicarious trauma is where you’re absorbing other people’s trauma,” said Dr Quinn-Cirillo. “That’s a really massive issue in animal welfare too – as is grief. People often don’t realise that grief isn’t just about loss through death. It’s about the grief that accompanies dealing with animals being handed in to shelters in distressing circumstances and the animals who are then later rehomed – there can be grief around that loss as well, which quite often isn’t acknowledged.”

**Psychologist, Dr Tara Quinn-Cirillo, pictured with Claire Savage from Action Mental Health and Christine Alexandra from Mid Antrim Animal Sanctuary.**

Dr Quinn-Cirillo is now beginning to work with animal charities across the UK, providing free online Monthly Emotional Health Sessions as part of the HAWA. Speaking to Action Mental Health after the conference, she said that anyone in Northern Ireland working in animal shelters could access this support and that she was in the process of recruiting more psychologist volunteers onto the project to help deliver it. Her long-term goal, she added, was to create bespoke toolkits for individual rescue organisations, to help address the specific issues they faced, alongside the more general mental issues experienced within the sector as a whole.

“What I really want to do in the long-term is to come up with a model of mental health support they can implement themselves, as each rescue might have slightly different needs,” she said. “The Human Animal Welfare Alliance isn’t a tick box project. We have a survey on the website that animal shelter workers can fill in and let me know what they’re feeling. The Monthly Emotional Support Sessions then give them a space to be heard – as do the telephone debriefs for key incidents. It’s not therapy or counselling, just straightforward debriefing, which is so important.”

Links between animal and human abuse

Also speaking at the conference was Animal and Human Nurse, Helen Ballantyne, who discussed One Health and what that means in terms of collaborative working. “The human-animal bond needs reframing,” she said. “There’s a lack of understanding about how animal welfare links to human welfare.”

Referencing the Independent Investigation of the National Health Service in England (September 2024), she said the evidence showed the nation’s health was deteriorating and that “our companion animals are a barometer for our own public health.” Dr Paula Boyland, BVetMed MRCVS Chair of The Links Group and Veterinary Director of Dogs Trust, also discussed the crisis link between animals and people and gave an example of a domestic abuse incident involving first a pet dog and later, a baby. On both occasions the reason given for injuries sustained was that they fell down the stairs – first the dog and, on the next occasion, the child. Dr Boyland said this was a case where the animal abuse had clearly preceded the human abuse, adding that, “this link between abuse of animals and abuse of humans is being more recognised.”

**Mark Randell, Naturewatch; Dr Paula Boyden The Links Group and Dogs Trust; Helen Ballantyne, One Health**.

Indeed, research conducted by the Links Group in 2021 found that nine out of ten domestic abusers also targeted pets. Dr Boyland further outlined how domestic abusers also sometimes gave pets to their partners as presents, letting them bond before exhibiting coercive control over the other person. She added that, not only did any emotional and physical abuse inflicted impact upon the person targeted, but it also adversely affected the pet. Indeed, a real-life video clip played at the conference clearly showed how distressed a dog became when witnessing its owner being physically hurt.

“Domestic abuse has a massive impact on the dogs as well,” she said. “Specific pet foster services can help. There’s a huge need for pet fostering services in Northern Ireland, so we’re hoping we can get a service here.”

She added that pets could also be a barrier to someone leaving a domestic abuse situation, as they wouldn’t leave their animals at the mercy of the abuser, something also highlighted in a Belfast Women’s Aid article in 2017. The article stated: “Many women will simply not want to leave their pets in a volatile and dangerous home and at the hands of an abuser who will utilise every means possible to establish and maintain power and control over his victim. He is not afraid to harm. Unfortunately in Northern Ireland, Women’s refuges do not have the means or facilities to temporarily home these pets.”

Reiterating the overall theme of the conference, Dr Boyland said that collaboration with animal and human welfare groups was therefore key, along with vet training for the entire protection team involved in such incidents. Meanwhile, providing mental health support for those involved in such work was also a crucial element of this.

Former senior police detective and current campaign manager for Naturewatch Foundation, Mark Randall, addressed the conference in a similar vein. He said that taking crimes against animals seriously would ultimately protect people too – both physically and mentally. Indeed a key part of his work now revolves around training police and others on recognising the importance of animal welfare and abuse within relationships, family units and communities.

“When you see that red flag, you need to do something about it,” he said. “Protecting animals isn’t ‘extra work.’ It helps keep relationships and communities safer, reduces abuse and violence towards people… issues that are always public protection priorities.”

Tara Cunningham, manager and lobbyist at Causeway Coast Dog Rescue (CCDR) said the charity’s objective with the conference had been to be “positive and productive.”

“CCDR is like many charities in Northern Ireland, we rescue and rehome unwanted dogs, to ensure they have a second chance with a caring and loving family, free from abuse and neglect,” she said

“We look at animal welfare from a different perspective than any other charity, which is through legislation and governance, identifying the gaps and implications on the services being delivered. We look to ensure that there is accountability and transparency included by the three government service providers responsible.”

She added that they were “calling for the ministers of DAERA to support the movement and oversight of legislation and enforcement” in Northern Ireland and for councils to “fulfil their legislative remit.” Only in this way could the ongoing animal welfare crisis – which impacted upon both animal and human physical and mental health – be addressed. Ultimately, collaboration between organisations was key.