Jayne’s Blog: Be More Dog

I began to take notice of nature, I noticed the little things – the acorns, the bluebells, the blackberries, I listened to the birds tweeting and it did ease my pain.

Around 20 years ago I suffered an unexpected bereavement on my birthday. I was having lunch with some friends when I had a phone call to tell me to go home and found the police waiting for me to tell me the news. It wasn’t the birthday that I was expecting.

Initially I was numb with shock and didn’t feel much but it was in the coming weeks that the enormity of the situation hit me.
I was far too stressed to go into work, so I went to the GP for a sicknote. Thankfully my GP was very understanding and gave me that sicknote for 2 weeks and told me that if I need to come back, inform the receptionists that I was to see him. Unfortunately, those 2 weeks were not enough, and I needed to go back. When I did go back, the GP didn’t rush me and sat there and listened while I cried and ranted and I must have been there for over 30 minutes with no pressure to leave. He said that he would not give me tablets but gave me this invaluable advice …..

He said – you have dogs, take them into the woods every day and if it’s quiet, shout, scream, swear – do whatever it takes to get rid of the pent-up feelings. He said watch your dogs loving being outside, look at their joy, feel their joy. Listen to the birds, listen to the wind in the trees, take time to appreciate the greenness and smell the wildflowers. Do you know what? HE WAS RIGHT!!

I began to take notice of nature, I noticed the little things – the acorns, the bluebells, the blackberries, I listened to the birds tweeting and it did ease my pain. I found joy in watching the dogs meet up with other dogs and their joy was simple. Just say hello and appreciate the simple things. I talked with fellow dog walkers, they started as complete strangers but each day we’d see each other and would stop to chat. I could feel my smile coming back.

Getting out into nature, meeting people and keeping things simple brought ME back. People without dogs would also stop and chat – it seems dog walkers will chat to anyone, usually about the weather and dogs. I realised that those without dogs may have been in the park walking not only for their health but for someone to chat to too.

The GP’s prescription worked! I found ME again.

During lockdown when the local park was closed, I could feel those dark feelings creeping back. Walking the dogs around the streets was not the same. However, as soon as the park re-opened, we were back walking in the woods. I watch the dogs playing and sniffing and thoroughly enjoying the simple things in life. I’m just happy watching them be happy.

It’s simple – BE MORE DOG

#DoOneThing #WorldMentalHealthDay

Find out more about the #DoOneThing campaign, and what you can do to support your mental health and wellbeing this World Mental Health Day: https://www.mind.org.uk/get-involved/world-mental-health-day-2020/

Rhiannon’s Blog: The Importance of Self-Care

I know that I am better undertaking the tasks in my roles, that I am a better partner, mum and daughter if I look after myself as much as I look after others.

Life can be difficult at times, even more so within the current climate and there are times that I experience mild to moderate mental health issues which often present themselves as symptoms of anxiety and low mood. I lead a busy life, I have a challenging job in a challenging environment, I am a mum of two young girls, a sole carer for my mother who suffers with physical health issues and less than 9 months ago I experienced the sudden loss of my father.

There are times that I encounter a range of symptoms; I overthink, I have trouble sleeping, I use food as a comfort, I avoid social activity, I get agitated and grumpy too.

I have come to understand that it is important for me to use self-care as a preventative measure to ensure that what I give out to the world comes back in. Self-care can be had through a variety of means but essentially comes down to taking time for oneself.

Some of the ways I have found to be useful for my general wellbeing and mental health are, organising myself better; planning out important tasks for the week, giving each task enough designated time to carry them out and asking for help when I need it. This approach makes time feel more manageable and less stressful. By doing this alone, it helps me to free up some time to have to myself to do other things such as think about nice family dinners and cook or bake from scratch, which not only offers a welcome distraction from the everyday pressures but my family get to enjoy and benefit from the sitting down and eating a hearty meal together.

Time to myself also allows me to be creative, to work freely on a blank canvas and use thick gloopy paint and a pallet knife therapeutically and often the paintings end up in extended family and friends homes to spread the visual joy.

The last thing I do is regularly attend a local gym. I used to find this activity a real slog, but I also recognised that a fitter, healthier me strengthens all of the above. Fitting it in with my busy life however did not come too easy either for reasons around time restrictions, or lack of energy at the end of the day. I overcame this by nipping down to an instructed class or joining one of the gym’s online zoom classes at sunrise! Not only did the workouts become more accessible to me but it now allowed me to start the day feeling accomplished and motivated!

I know that I am better undertaking the tasks in my roles, that I am a better partner, mum and daughter if I look after myself as much as I look after others.

#DoOneThing

Find out more about the #DoOneThing campaign, and what you can do to support your mental health and wellbeing this World Mental Health Day: https://www.mind.org.uk/get-involved/world-mental-health-day-2020/

This World Suicide Prevention Day 2020, we are pleased to announce Big Lottery Wales funding of £353,000 for Project SPEAK. Launcing this November, Project SPEAK stands for ‘Suicide’ ‘Prevention’ ‘Education’ ‘Awareness’ and ‘Kindness.’

Funded for three years, Project SPEAK will create a number of new roles that will be tasked with suicide prevention; a range of training programmes; awareness raising campaigns, and postvention support across the Cwm Taf region.

Over 800,000 people die by suicide annually, representing 1 person every 40 seconds. In the UK, on avaerage around 6,800 people die by suicide, and in Wales around 350 people annually. Around three quarters of all suicides are by men, and men in the 40-44 age bracket are most of risk of suicide.

The recent pandemic has seen an increase in suicides globally, so this announcement of funding comes at a crtical time. Through Project SPEAK, we aim to have a significant impact in suicide prevention across the Cwm Taf Morgannwg region.

Cwm Taf Morgannwg Mind Director, Julian John comments:

We are excited to announce this new funding from Big Lottery Wales. Over the next three years we will engage in a programme of work across our communities, especially those at greatest risk, delivering training programmes, awareness campaigns and postvention support.

We will be particularly focusing our campaign work on men under the age of 50, as this group is at most risk of suicide. We will engage with men within our communities, working alongside gyms, barbers, rugby and football clubs, encouraging men to talk about their feelings and signposting them to appropriate support.

Project SPEAK will officially launch in November with two new roles being created to drive forward the project’s aims. We will be recruiting for a Suicide Prevention Trainer and a Suicide Prevention Awareness & Campaigns Officer to start in November. Adverts for these new roles will go out shortly.

For more information on World Suicide Prevention Day, please visit https://www.iasp.info/wspd2020/

For free support for you or anyone you know who is at risk of suicide, you can call the Samaritans freephone number: 116 123.

For more information on mental health campaigns and resources in Wales, please visit the Time to Change Wales website here: https://www.timetochangewales.org.uk/en/

For more information about Project SPEAK, or any other of Cwm Taf Morgannwg Mind’s projects, please contact us on 01685 707480 or email info@ctmmind.org.uk

How Welsh local Minds are changing to support you in the lockdown

Early support brings success against stress

(International Stress Awareness Week – 4th to 8th November 2019)

Merthyr & the Valleys Mind, as the trusted mental health charity in the region, have been delivering an Active Monitoring service to GP Practices over the last two years. This service provides early intervention support to patients showing early signs of mental health problems, including stress and anxiety, bringing down GP waiting times, preventing future demand on wider health service, and supporting patients at a point before they may need medication or longer-term intervention.

Merthyr & the Valleys Mind want to highlight the success of this service, which is a guided self-help programme using a CBT approach, as it has already proved to have benefitted the majority of those that have used the programme.

During International Stress Awareness Week it is important that people are aware of the importance of acknowledging stress at an early stage and to know that there are tools and services available to help them manage any problems and to stop them developing into something that will impact their lives more.

One of the patients that received Active Monitoring support through this programme said:

“I have improved my symptoms of stress, anxiety and anger and I am confident I will continue to improve as I have a better understanding of what can help me. This service has helped me 100% and I am so glad to have been given the opportunity to attend.” (Ynysybwl)

The importance of early intervention and prevention is key to the work the Government and the Minister of Health and Social Services are focussing on, Vaughan Gething said:

 “We all need to be aware of early warnings of stress and anxiety and knowing there are support services, such as Active Monitoring, on the ground should help us seek the help we need. Early intervention and prevention not only relieves pressure on health services; more importantly it gives people back their lives.”

 

The benefits of Active Monitoring outweigh any costs, for example over two years in only one cluster of surgeries (with 1,504 patients taking part in the programme) over £12m of benefits to their wellbeing alone. Wellbeing Valuation is the latest thinking in social impact measurement, it allows you to measure the success of a social intervention by how much it increases people’s wellbeing (this is not including additional benefits recorded including less reliance on alcohol etc. or wider savings to society).

Merthyr & the Valleys Mind CEO, Julian John commented:

“We know the benefits our work and our programmes can bring to people, but we need more people to be aware of what services exist in their area. We want people to come forward and ask for help or guidance as soon as they start to feel any distress or any need for mental health support. We take an interest in the person behind the problem, and like many others, we are here to help!”

 

The theme of this year’s International Stress Awareness Week is Resilience: the power to succeed! Making people aware of the effects of psychological distress and of the many coping strategies and sources of help available to address it.

The call for this week is to reach out for help if you feel you need it or to reach out to those around you that may need help. Merthyr and the Valleys Mind and other support organisations there to help you, they exist for better mental health for all, making a difference through quality services delivered by knowledgeable, professional and qualified staff.

Local charities using the power of physical activity to tackle mental health problems

We are calling on the people of Merthyr to join us at Cyfartha Park next Monday (23^rd September) at a free outdoor event, which promotes the benefits of exercise for mental health.

We have teamed up with Valleys Steps to host our ‘Mindful Monday’ event, which will include sessions on mindfulness and pilates. The event takes place between 10am and 2pm and forms part of the European Week of Sport in partnership with ukactive.

People of all ages and abilities are welcome to attend this free event, and people are encouraged to bring a packed lunch.

Organisations across England and Wales will be taking part in ‘Mindful Monday’ on 23^rd September hosting a range of events tailored around mindfulness and physical activity. There is good evidence to suggest that, as well as improving physical health, regular exercise can boost your mood, help beat stress and even reduce risk of depression.

Merthyr and the Valleys Mind Director, Julian John comments:

“We all have mental health just as we have physical health and the two are closely related to one another. We know that physical activity can play a vital role in the lives of people with mental health problems. Research even suggests that regular activity can reduce the risk of depression by up to 30%. We’re really excited to be involved in Mindful Monday and working alongside Valleys Steps to encourage more people to get engaged with physical activity for better mental health. If you’re interested in getting involved please do get in touch!”

Anyone interested in taking part in Mindful Monday should contact Merthyr and the Valleys Mind on 01685 707480 or email info@ctmmind.org.uk People who want to show their support for Mindful Monday online can use the #BeActive and #MindfulMonday hashtags.

Swansea Skydive Challenge – Could You Jump 12,000 ft for Better Mental Health?

We are looking for brave fundraisers to take part in our Swansea Skydive Challenge on Saturday October 12th 2019. The event forms part of our World Mental Health Day 2019 (WMHD) celebrations.

The focus for this year’s World Mental Health Day is suicide prevention.

Merthyr and the Valleys Director, Julian John, comments: 

In the UK, suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 50, and globally it is the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year-olds. Earlier this year we launched our #ItTakesBallsToTalk campaign, which aims to raise awareness of self-harm and suicide. We have been working alongside local rugby clubs to target young men across Merthyr and the Valleys, providing info and advice on match days.

(See our video below:)

 

We are now looking for brave participants to take part in our Swansea Skydive Challenge on October 12th in the Gower, Swansea. All funds raised from the Skydive Challenge will go towards supporting and sustaining our #ItTakesBallsToTalk campaign throughout 2020.”

To take part in the challenge, you need to raise a minimum of £395 (this covers all fees for training, equipment, insurance and a donation of £100 to Merthyr and the Valleys Mind). All jumps are completed in tandem with a qualified, experienced instructor at Skydive Swansea. (Check the website for FAQs and weight restrictions).

We will provide you with administration and fundraising support in order to take part in the event.

Please contact Jayne Young to register your interest:
01685 707480 / jayne.young@ctmmind.org.uk

The Blaengwawr Inn, Aberdare is planning a weekend of fundraising activities following the tragic suicides of two local men. The owners of the public house, Derek and Elaine along with staff Mathew Jones and his partner Angharad, have organised a sponsored walk this Saturday and a charity football match on Sunday with all proceeds going to Merthyr and The Valleys Mind.

Mathew Jones explains:

“Our whole community has been shocked by the suicides of two of my close friends, Nolan John (43) and Gary Williams (28). Myself and my partner felt like we needed to do something to raise awareness of mental health and to let people know that there is support available. We have around 50 people taking part in the sponsored walk on Saturday, and on Sunday we’ll have a football match between the Blaengwawr Inn team and friends and family of Nolan and Gary.

“Derek and Elaine from Blaengwawr Inn have very kindly agreed to provide the entertainment and complimentary budget for the events. All proceeds will be donated to Merthyr and The Valleys Mind to support the work they do, but more importantly we want to raise awareness of the support available and hopefully get men talking about their feelings.”

Male suicide is often called the ‘silent killer’ as it is the single biggest cause of death for men under the age of 45 in the UK. Recent statistics reveal that 84 men take their own life each week.

If you or someone you know has been struggling with suicidal thoughts, Mind can provide you with information, advice and support by clicking here.

Alternatively call us at Merthyr and The Valleys Mind on 01685 707480, email us at info@ctmmind.org.uk or call in and see us on Merthyr High Street 115.

 

We want to say a huge congratulations to Nadia Currie who has taken part in a number of running events in London to fundraise for Mind. Nadia recently ran at events in Regent’s Park and Alexandra Palace as a way of giving something back to the charity that has helped with her own mental health problems. Nadia explains:

“I suffer from severe depression and anxiety and during those hard times I have reached out to Mind to talk about my feelings. I think it is extremely important that people who suffer with mental health issues feel there is a safe place to seek help without being judged. Mind has given that to me and I want to raise awareness to those who may be suffering in silence that there is always a place to turn to when you need it.”

Nadia is originally from Trehafod and grew up with Merthyr and The Valleys Mind Director, Julian John. Julian comments:

“I’ve known Nadia since we were young, growing up in Trehafod. From a personal and professional point of view I am glad that Nadia has been well supported by Mind to manage her mental health problems, and I think it’s a fantastic achievement and gesture that she has taken part in these races to raise funds for, and awareness of the work that Mind does locally and nationally.”

If you would like to fundraise for Mind and promote awareness of the work that we do, then please get in touch with us on 01685 707480 or email us at info@ctmmind.org.uk