Health Exchange

How much do you know about Bowel Cancer?

Should you be screened?

In March we trained 13 of our health supporters as Bowel cancer Lay Educators, so they can educate their community and distribute information about bowel cancer prevalence and the associated risks. (more…)

Patrick Kwesiga, our Mental Wellbeing lead, shares 5 top tips for improving your mental wellbeing to lead a happy healthy lifestyle

In 2008, New Economics Foundation (nef) was commissioned by the UK Government’s Foresight Project on Mental Capital and Well-being to review the inter-disciplinary work of over 400 scientists from across the world. The aim was to identify a set of evidence-based actions to improve well-being, which individuals would be encouraged to build into their daily lives. Five tips to improve every-day life wellbeing were identified. These tips have been acknowledged by National Mental Health Development Unit (NMHDU) and major mental health agencies across the country. Our Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead reviews the tips.

1. Connect… With the people around you. With family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. At home, work, school or in your local community. Think of these as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing them. Building these connections will support and enrich you every day.

2. Be active… Go for a walk or run. Step outside. Cycle. Play a game. Garden. Dance. Exercising makes you feel good. You could join one of our free, local health walks. Most importantly, discover a physical activity you enjoy and that suits your level of mobility and fitness.

3. Take notice… Be curious. Catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the unusual. Notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment, whether you are walking to work, eating lunch or talking to friends. Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.

4. Keep learning… Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Sign up for that course. Take on a different responsibility at work. Fix a bike. Learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favourite food. Set a challenge you enjoy achieving. Learning new things will make you more confident as well as being fun.

5. Give … Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thank someone. Smile. Volunteer your time. Join a community group. Look out, as well as in. Seeing yourself, and your happiness, as linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and creates connections with the people around you.

For more information visit http://www.neweconomics.org/projects/five-ways-well-being.

*Patrick Kwesiega has worked in Mental Health for the past 6 years. He is a qualified clinical counsellor, accredited facilitator and a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psycotherapy. He also plays the African drummer.

Disclaimer: The information and tips in this blog should be read with the understanding that different individuals react differently to social, physical and emotional situations. What works for one may not necessarily work for another. It is always advisable to seek professional help when in doubt or mental health crisis.

Every month our Mental Health and Wellbeing lead, Patrick Kwesiega*, will be blogging helpful tips of maintaining on improving your mental health and wellbeing.

Mental health involves finding a balance in all aspects of your life — physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. It is the ability to enjoy life and deal with the challenges you face every day — whether that involves making choices and decisions, adapting to and coping in difficult situations or talking about your needs and desires.

Just as your life and circumstances continually change, so do your moods and thoughts, and your sense of well-being. It is important to find balance in your life over time and in a range of situations. It is natural to feel off balance at times: for example, sad, worried, scared or suspicious. But these kinds of feelings may become a problem if they get in the way of your daily life over a long period. When these bad feelings affect the way you do things or relate with people for a period of over 2 weeks, then consider taking steps to help your self or be helped. For example, when you are concerned about your mental health, talk about your feelings to a trustable person or agency. Help can be sought whenever you are not sure of anything or are in doubt. This can be to your family, friends, community and faith leaders and professionals like doctors or Counsellors. You may contact Health Exchange on 0121 663 0007 and we will point you to the right direction.

*Patrick Kwesiega has worked in Mental Health for the past 6 years. He is a qualified clinical counsellor, accredited facilitator and a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psycotherapy. He also plays the African drummer.

Disclaimer: The information and tips in this blog should be read with the understanding that different individuals react differently to social, physical and emotional situations. What works for one may not necessarily work for another. It is always advisable to seek professional help when in doubt or mental health crisis.

This week saw the Government announce a new intitiative for Mental Health; featuring a focus on prevention as opposed to cure, talking therapies and safe-guarding children.

Here at Health Exchange, we are pleased to see the Government taking active measures to improving services that affect so many individuals (1 in 4) knowing the knock on effect it can have on other areas of their life such as health, work and relationships.

In this coming year, we are committed to improving our approach to mental health by up scaling how to build resilience and promote mental health self-help caused by emotional distress. We will support healthy lifestyle in order to create a positive impact on community mental health and wellbeing. The overriding message will be: be well physically, be well emotionally, be well mentally.

We know each of us can take steps to protecting and improving our mental wellbeing, but sometimes we need a little help. That’s why we have outlined 3 of our services that could improve your Mental Wellbeing. Best of all: Their all FREE.

Walks – Regular physical activity improves mood, helps relieve depression and increases feelings of well-being, notes natural england. Our Health Walks provide light exercise in a safe and supervised route. Better still, all our health walks are in groups to help you natter, make new friends and prevent feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Health Trainer- Our Health Trainers can motivate you to achieve health goals you previously thought out of reach. By providing a realistic and personalised plan you are able to improve your health and gain a sense of control and confidence to achieve your goals, both short term and in the future.

Support plus – Our Support Plus buddies help you manage wider social determinants of health like housing benefits and access to services. By empowering you with specific life skills you are better equipped to combat these problem if they arise again.

Mental Health is such a large and complex area. Traditionally perceived as the hidden disease it is often difficult to spot and treat. We hope, together, we can go some way to making little changes that help improve the bigger picture.