Staff from across the charity Mind in East Kent supported the Wear It Blue campaign to mark Mental Health Awareness Week (Monday 15-Sunday 21 May).

Mental Health Awareness Week was established in 2001 and the aim of the annual campaign is to encourage positive conversations around mental health and wellbeing. The focus of this year’s campaign is around anxiety and how to deal with it.

To support the campaign, staff from Mind in East Kent were at various events across the region during the week, including in Canterbury, Herne Bay, Margate, Minster, Ramsgate, Reculver and Whitstable.

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems we can face. In a recent mental health survey, a quarter of adults said they felt so anxious that it stopped them from doing the things they want to do some or all of the time. Six in ten adults feel this way, at least some of the time. On a positive note, anxiety can be made easier to manage.

Focusing on anxiety for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week will increase people’s understanding of anxiety by providing information on the things that can help prevent it from becoming a problem.

Mind in East Kent had also been asking the public and staff to don a blue top and take a selfie photo, post it on social media and mention @MindInEastKent and #WearItBlue.

Simon Dolby, the Development Lead for Mind in East Kent, said: “The focus of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week was coping with anxiety and our services can offer support to people trying to overcome their anxiety or depression. Anxiety is a normal emotion in us all, but sometimes it can get out of control and turn into a mental health problem. A wide-range of support is available now and our team can signpost people to help for adults that is appropriate to them.”

For more information about Mind in East Kent services, visit: https://eastkentmind.org.uk/

Mind in East Kent is part of the registered charity Mind in Bexley and East Kent so donations or fundraisers using the JustGiving platform must select Mind in Bexley and East Kent to ensure funds go to support frontline services locally.

To visit the charity’s JustGiving page to make a donation or to create an online sponsor form to support a fundraiser, click here:
www.justgiving.com/campaign/WearItBlueforMindinBexleyandEastKent