We Are Proud To Support (tw)

Mental Health Awareness Week

by roundabout

For 2023 the Mental Health Foundation have chosen the theme of anxiety. Throughout the week we have been sharing how our team of dramatherapists support clients of all ages in dramatherapy sessions develop ways of coping when they are anxious. We have also shared ways the team find helpful to cope when they feel anxious. Roundabout has been delighted to send out at First Aid Mental Health Kit to our supporters, full of techniques to help in those anxious times.

‘Uncertain Times: Anxiety in the UK and how to tackle it’ an outstanding report from Mental Health Foundation which looks at the current levels of anxiety in the population with excellent easy to understand definitions, including symptoms, causes, and recommendations.
Some of the key points from this report are:

  • Feelings of anxiety are a natural and important human response to stress or perceived danger. They are feelings of unease, worry, or apprehension. Anxiety is a part of our body’s natural ‘fight or flight’ response that helps us react quickly to potential threats.
  • Anxiety can become problematic if it is persistent over a long period of time, is overwhelming, or stops us from doing things we want or need to do.
  • Anxiety levels amongst the population increased throughout the pandemic and have not yet dropped to pre-pandemic levels

Here are a few of the activities that our dramatherapists suggest when you are feeling anxious:

Incorporating mindfulness techniques to calm the nervous system, for example deep breathing. Sensory and movement work can help calm the body and mind too.  We have some breathing and meditation activities on our website for you to try.

Gather a selection of nature postcards or photographs, think about calm and inner quiet and what that might be for you and then choose a card to reflect that. Hold on to that image whenever you start to feel anxious through the day.

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Squeezing stress balls and using sensory toys can help when you are feeling anxious.

Finally there is an excellent video created buy the Anna Freud Centre for young people Let’s Talk About Anxiety