The third Monday of the year, known as Blue Monday, is the most depressing day in the calendar due to a number of factors: poor weather, dark evenings and festivities being over.
While Christmas can be a very happy and enjoyable time of year, for some it can be a difficult period; mental health doesn’t get easier just because it’s the festive season.
Here we have put together a list of five ways that you can make the festive season less difficult for yourself and others facing mental health challenges.
Lots of social events are organised over the festive period with colleagues, family and friends. It can feel quite overwhelming to be invited to so many events. Instead of feeling like you have to go to every single one of these social gatherings, consider which events you would most like to go to and choose the ones you really feel able to attend. If you don’t feel up to attending any, then that’s okay too. You can always organise for yourself and a close one to socialise alone another time.
Equally, if you are organising a festive gathering, don’t be upset if someone cannot make it or only comes for a short time. They might be struggling. Check in with them and ensure they know it is okay to not attend or leave early.
Lots of people have one or two weeks off from work or school over Christmas so your home can feel busier than usual. If you find yourself surrounded by family all of the time or you are continually busy, be sure to take some time to yourself when you need to. Go and take a bath, read a book or go for a walk. It is okay to need some time alone to unwind and take a break.
While there may be grey skies and a cold breeze outside, it is important to stay in touch with nature and not shut yourself indoors for the entire festive period. It can be easy to find yourself slumped in front of a screen and stuffed with food; but this can make you feel lethargic and low in mood. So take yourself and your family out for a walk to find the best Christmas lights in your area and improve your mood.
After the year we have all had, it is more important than ever to reach out to your loved ones this Christmas. Make sure they know you are there for support should they need it, even if you are not spending time with them over the festive season.
You don’t have to spend lots of money to let someone know you are there for them. You can send a card or letter in the post, give them a call or arrange a video chat over a cuppa. They will appreciate you taking the time to think about them!
Carrying out random acts of kindness is a win-win for all parties involved. Completing an act of kindness gives you a sense of meaning and purpose and lifts your mood. The person or people on the receiving end of your kindness will also appreciate that someone is thinking of them and it will lift their mood too.
If you would like to carry out a random act of kindness this Christmas, please consider making a donation to the Charlie Watkins Foundation so we can continue our vital work and give support to young people who need our help the most.
National Grief Awareness Week aims to make grief an easier topic to discuss and to ensure those who have lost loved ones feel they don’t have to suppress their emotions. Here we discuss why we need to normalise grief and start talking about it more.
Grief is something most people encounter at some point throughout their lives, yet the emotional experience of grief still has a stigma attached to it. Although it is a topic of conversation often avoided, we need to normalise grief and get talking to allow ourselves and each other to process these emotions.
It is important to be aware that grief affects everyone in various ways – people can react very differently to loss compared with others. Some may choose to be very expressive with their grief while others may withdraw into themselves.
There’s no right or wrong way to grieve, but it is important to check in with loved ones if they are going through a loss. They may look fine, but on the inside they could be struggling and in need of support and empathy.
Discussing grief can be a helpful way to work through your own emotions, whether this is done in a professional setting, such as with a counsellor, or in a casual setting like talking with a friend.
If you have the courage to speak up, you could share your story of losing a loved one, like Harry and Tim have. Your story could resonate with someone who has been through something similar and give them hope.
If you would like to cherish memories with your loved one in a different way, you could come up with a new personal tradition or alternative ways to remember them – such as putting together special memorabilia, looking back on photos, or meeting up with mutual friends and family. This can help you establish connections and prevent fear and illness caused by suppressed emotions.
Keep in mind that anyone you come across could be experiencing grief, so it is valuable to always be kind. Here are some ideas of how to look out for each other and to start a conversation about grief:
If you are looking for support for yourself or someone you know, please go to The Good Grief Trust for advice and guidance. Or if you would like to support the Charlie Watkins Foundation, please visit our ways to donate page.
If you are a business, you might want to consider becoming a mutual benefit corporate partnership.
We would be so grateful to any support are able to give, thank you.
On Saturday 20th November, International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day takes place. It is a day of healing where all those who have been impacted by suicide in any shape or form can connect and share their experiences. Harry Watkins, who lost his twin brother Charlie to suicide in 2017, reflects on the day and the impact on those who are left behind.
In 1999 Senator Harry Reid, who lost his own father to suicide, introduced a resolution to the United States Senate which led to the creation of International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day. The Day is also known as Survivor Day and is intended to bring together those who are affected by suicide.
The Day always falls on the Saturday before American Thanksgiving because holidays are often a hugely challenging time for suicide loss survivors. This is certainly something my father and I resonate with, having lost my twin brother Charlie four years ago.
With the festive season fast approaching, I am reminded once again of the impact of Charlie’s leaving; and it makes me more determined than ever for Charlie’s name to live on.
Losing a brother is hard enough, but losing a twin is immeasurable. As twins, you enter the world together and you expect to go through life by each other’s side. Through every milestone, through every life event; even through the small things, like going for a pint down at the pub. I expected to do that with Charlie for the rest of our lives. We’ll never grow old together and even though I will learn to cope with living without him, I will never forget the bond we shared as twins.
This is why the Charlie Watkins Foundation is a hugely important symbol for all those who continue to struggle the same fight that Charlie had.
We have some incredible projects that have been funded thanks to the generosity of our supporters. All these projects are actively helping young people who are struggling with mental health challenges across the UK.
This includes a hugely important school navigator role in Essex in conjunction with the Youth Enquiry Service (YES); an assessment tool with Student Minds which will give university students the opportunity to offer honest feedback on where there is room for improvement in mental health and wellbeing at their universities; and a set of crucial transition guides written by the Charlie Waller Trust which aim to help vulnerable students leaving home for the first time navigate support networks.
The support we’ve had as a foundation has been phenomenal and none of these projects would have been possible without our corporate partnerships or Charlie’s Champions.
Please remember that any donation, no matter how small, will go towards actively helping young people who are struggling with mental health challenges.
I often think about what Charlie might be doing now if he was still with us. But I know in my heart that he would be proud of the work we have done; and the work we will continue to do for young people’s mental health.
Thank you so much to everyone that is helping us to achieve our ambition.
The Charlie Watkins Foundation (CWF) has several charity partners which provide crucial support for young people who may be struggling with their mental health and wellbeing. Student Minds, the UK’s student mental health charity, has been working with CWF to further its shared objective of making a difference in the way universities approach mental health.
Read more on Charity Today
If you’d like to donate to CWF, visit our Ways to Donate page.
The importance of early intervention in mental health is something we focus on in our brand-new podcast with Dr Zoe Burgess. Around one in eight young people aged five to 19 experience a mental health challenge so it is crucial that early intervention is prioritised in young people.
Mental health, much like physical health, will affect nearly everyone at some point in their lives. However, the stigma surrounding mental health means that it is sometimes not spoken about as openly as it should be.
This is especially true in children and young people. As children are growing up there are so many stress factors and changes that happen which can be extremely daunting. This is why it is so important to intervene early to try and manage a healthy approach to promote good mental health before they reach adulthood.
According to the Mental Health Foundation, early interventions and home treatment for mental health challenges can reduce hospital admissions and shorten hospital stays.
Establishing an open line of communication is really important.
If you’re a parent who’s worried about their child, being open and honest yourself (while of course being sensitive to how much information you share), can show your child that it’s ok to talk about emotions and feelings.
This doesn’t have to be a sit-down conversation. You could do this through play or ask them to draw a picture about how they’re feeling.
If you remain concerned there is always the option to take your child to a GP; who will be able to help point you in the right direction for local support.
The Charlie Watkins Foundation supports vital projects which give support to young people to help them to have good mental health. In particular, to those who are experiencing change and stressful events in their lives which, if not helped earlier, can result in a number of serious issues that can lead to having poor mental health in the future.
One example is our work with the Youth Enquiry Service (YES) to fund a school navigator/counsellor role (Keran), who is currently working in ten schools across Essex. Keran has helped more than 104 students in the last four months by being there to provide face-to-face support and a listening ear.
If you’d like to help support projects like these, please consider becoming one of our Champions and raising money for CWF.
If you’re a business, you might want to consider becoming a mutual benefit corporate partnership.
Or if you’d simply like to kindly leave a donation, you can do so via our JustGiving page.
We would be so grateful to any support are able to give, thank you.
The Charlie Watkins Foundation is extremely fortunate to have many Champions who give up their free time to raise funds for our cause. One group of selfless supporters took part in the Charlie Watkins Foundation Cricket Day in August and have to date, raised £1,200.
Read more on Charity Today
If you’d like to donate to CWF, visit our Ways to Donate page.
Did you know that mental health challenges are the number one cause of sickness absences in the workplace? And that’s not all. Statistically, those suffering with these challenges are more likely to hide the real reason why they’re absent.
It’s no secret that there’s a real taboo when it comes to talking about mental health in the workplace. There’s a genuine fear that being honest about how you are feeling; and any mental health challenge you are experiencing could suggest that you are no longer capable of doing your job.
This is why it is so important that employers are actively promoting good mental health in the workplace; and taking steps to ensure that there is an open conversation around mental wellbeing and recognising when their colleagues need support.
The term Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) refers to actions taken by a business; which are intended to have a positive influence on the world.
There are all sorts of examples of CSR including reducing your carbon footprint, volunteering within your local community, and donating to charity.
CSR has many benefits such as building public trust and a better business reputation. This is why here at the Charlie Watkins Foundation; we talk to businesses and encourage them to consider supporting our work as part of their CSR.
Young people are the future. Some are already in employment and others are future employees. They are future employers and our future leaders. According to a paper in the British Journal of Psychiatry in February 2021, around 7% of children have attempted suicide by the age of 17 and almost one in four say they have self-harmed in the past year. Sadly, the numbers continue to grow at an alarming rate. Suicide in young people is a very real problem; and we all have a responsibility to help and support those who are struggling.
The Charlie Watkins Foundation supports a variety of charities who are actively trying to help young people who are struggling with their mental health by providing funding and help.
From the beginning of 2022, we have been funding a second school navigator role with the Youth Enquiry Service (YES), which will help a huge number of students. We have also funded a set of transition guides for vulnerable young people making the move to university with the Charlie Waller Trust; and funded an assessment tool with Student Minds to recognise and reward universities seeking to gain the Charter Award Scheme accreditation as defined by Student Minds’ University Mental Health Charter.
By choosing to support the Charlie Watkins Foundation, we can offer you a corporate partnership profile on our website which links back to your own website, showing all our visitors that you are supporting our vital work.
We will also work with your PR team to provide tailored communications to demonstrate your commitment to your CSR; and provide you with website and social media graphics that show your support to us. We can also help with fundraising events and support the objectives of your mental health committee. If you’d like to find out more about how you can support us as a corporate partnership, get in contact with us. We’d love to hear from you.
The Charlie Watkins Foundation works with a variety of charity partners who have the same ambition: to better support young people who may be struggling with their mental health and wellbeing.
So when the foundation came across the Charlie Waller Trust (CWT), a charity whose story almost mirrors that of CWF, it was clear that they could make a difference together.
This is the final blog in the mental health support series with Dr Zoe Burgess. Here, Zoe discusses Psychotherapy as well as Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Following my last blog on CBT, I will be exploring and summarising two other types of therapy, psychotherapy (including interpersonal and psychodynamic) and EMDR.
IPT is another time-limited, structured therapy that focuses on relationships and emotions and is most commonly used to treat depression. The underlying belief is that the person’s symptoms are often a response to difficulties they have interacting with others.
The resulting symptoms can then also affect the quality of these interactions, causing a cycle. The thought process behind the therapy is that once a person is able to interact more effectively with those around them, their symptoms can improve.
Sessions will typically be weekly for 50-60 minutes; however the number of sessions will vary depending on the type of mental health difficulty and the level of need that the person has.
This therapy is aimed at understanding the reasons behind symptoms, emotional distress and relationship difficulties. It helps people to understand difficulties in their current life through looking at past experiences, current ways of thinking/relating and anxieties about the future.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy assumes that part of our mind operates outside of our conscious awareness; and that early experiences in life lay down patterns of relating to others, of dealing with feelings and life’s challenges.
There is a great emphasis on the quality of the relationship between the individual and the therapist; and it is believed that this is a key factor in the success of this therapy.
Sessions will typically last 50-60 minutes and the number of therapy sessions varies. If the difficulties are longstanding, then it is not unusual for sessions to continue over many months. This type of therapy typically lasts a lot longer than those previously discussed.
This is the therapy that you may have recently heard that Prince Harry opted for! It is most commonly used to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and involves the person recalling the traumatic incident whilst simultaneously making eye movements.
This is usually done by following the movement of the therapist’s finger. Other methods may include the therapist tapping their finger or playing a tone.
Through accessing the traumatic memory, new associations are forged between the traumatic memory and more adaptive memories or information. Sessions will typically last 60-90 minutes and the number of sessions varies.
As stated at the beginning of this series, this is by no means a comprehensive summary of all available treatments out there. It’s more a glimpse into those that are commonly more routinely available within NHS settings.
If you’d like more information on anything I have discussed in this blog or the series as a whole, you can find the information you need on the NHS website or the National Institute of Health & Care Excellence (NICE).
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