Doing good does you good (MHF e-bulletin 25th May
Nga mihi mahana kia koe
A new report from the UK shows that helping others has benefits for our mental and physical health.
Dr Andrew McCulloch says there is scientific evidence that doing good: promotes positive psychological changes in the brain associated with happiness; brings a sense of purpose and reduces isolation; helps get rid of negative feelings such as anger, aggression or hostility; and may even help us live longer!
A large majority of participants in Dr McCulloch’s research said they thought people were more selfish and materialistic than 10 years ago but, on the upside, even more people (80%) agreed that being kind to others makes them feel good.
Life has sped up and it can often feel like we don’t have the time or energy to think of others. However, the researchers say we don’t need to do big things: it can be the small things that count the most, such as opening a door or giving someone a seat. To help you brainstorm on ways to spread a bit of kindness, they have produced a pocket guide to helping others.
That’s my good turn for the week!
Naku iti nei
Kim Higginson
Information Officer
Mental Health Foundation
When a colleague takes his own life…
One Friday morning, radio breakfast host “Butt Ugly Bob” was chatting on-air about his upcoming surfing weekend. The next day his colleague Mike Puru took a call to say Bob was dead.
In this frank and moving video, Mike talks about his reactions and “if onlys” during that time, and how his ‘second family’ of work colleagues came together to support each other. He offers ways that workplaces can help their staff cope when there is a suicide, how to check in on workmates you are concerned about, and what to do when you need to talk about it.
If you would like to talk to someone after watching this video, contact Lifeline (NZ)0800 543 354.
Video from the SPINZ website - www.spinz.org.nz
Autumn is here in New Zealand. It is still a great time of year to get out and about and enjoy the outdoors.
new campaign in Scotland to help people find what they are looking for
Nowhere to go?
More than 800,000 people in Scotland
say they don’t know where to get help
for their mental health.
25% wait more than a year to seek help
after becoming concerned
about their mental health.
That’s why we’ve launched the
Know Where to Go campaign.
SAMH believes that with the right help, anyone can recover from a mental health problem. But too many people simply don’t know where to get help for their mental health.
When people do seek help, the support that is available might not be suitable for the person needing help or their problem. What’s more, waiting times for help and treatment are often too long, leaving people without support when they need it.
That’s why we’ve launched our new campaign, Know Where to Go, to enable people in Scotland to get the help they need for their mental health, when they need it. And we need your help to make this happen.
There are lots of ways to support the
Know Where to Go campaign:
Visit www.samh.org.uk to find out more about the campaign, where to go to get help for your mental health and how you can support the campaign
Follow us on Twitter and tweet about the campaign by using the hashtag #knowwheretogo
Read Know Where to Go: Your Guide, our innovative pocket-sized guide to getting help. You can read this online or order a copy from our website
Set up your own “pop-up” mental health information centre in your local community. Visit our website to find out how
