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What's the 'Elephant in the Room'?

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If you visit Crowngate between 12th July and 5th September you will be able to see a virtual reality installation called ‘The Elephant in the Room. This augmented reality installation highlights how mental ill health can often be considered as ‘the elephant in the room’. People often feel uncomfortable to talk about it, or perhaps lack confidence to talk about it.  It is actually however extremely important that we, as individuals, feel that we can openly talk about mental health and support each other to seek advice, tools and support to improve our mental health. The installation provides information about both how people can improve their own mental health and wellbeing, as well as support others. We will also have staff available at peak times to offer tips, techniques and ideas to improve mental health, offer advice, recommend support options, and run wellbeing sessions designed to give you information or skills to improve your own wellbeing.

What does mental ill heath look like?

Look for the signs in others and in ourselves:

  • Avoiding social activities
  • Mood swings; feeling tearful and irritable
  • Changes in communication; speaking in a monotone voice, talking more, or very fast, and jumping between subjects
  • Changes to appetite; eating more or less, and/or drinking more alcohol
  • Indecisiveness, and becoming overwhelmed with day-to-day tasks
  • Worrying more
  • Tiredness and disrupted sleep
  • A lack of interest in appearance, people, and life

It’s important to know some people can hide their poor mental health very well. You may not see these signs simply by looking at them.

What does mental ill health feel like?

Recognise and empathise with other people’s emotions, and our own. Some common feelings and emotions include:

  • Feeling frightened, overwhelmed, exhausted, confused
  • The world looks and feels bleak
  • Feeling trapped, out-of-control, useless, like a failure
  • Being unable to rationalise thoughts and feelings
  • Experiencing paranoia and feeling vulnerable around others
  • Feeling you are being judged
  • Feeling unable to reach out and ask for help
  • Questioning your feelings, when you can’t relate them to a specific traumatic situation
  • Feeling you have no right to feel so bad, and comparing yourself to people in worse situations
  • Scared to let go because you will “fall apart”

How to help with mental ill health

How to help yourself:

  • Reach out and ask for help from others, as this is a strength, not a weakness
  • Become comfortable with being honest about the way you feel; it’s OK not to be OK
  • Make time for self-care; what does this mean to you? Perhaps it means going for a walk, reading a book, writing a journal, engaging in talking therapies, learning a new skill, or taking a bubble bath
  • Find out what helps you deal with stress and anxiety and get to know your signs and triggers; this can help you build coping skills and stop things from getting worse

How to help others:

  • Check-in with them regularly in a light way without pressure and ask questions such as: ‘how are things going for you?’, ‘how are you feeling today?’, ‘would you like to meet up for a cuppa and a chat?’
  • Listen to them and really hear what they are saying about how they feel
  • Don’t be afraid of their feelings and emotions, including when they may get upset
  • Be comfortable with silence and giving space
  • Don’t feel you have to find solutions to fix everything; simply being with someone, accepting and empathising with how they feel without judgement, can be incredibly helpful
  • Show kindness, as these small acts can mean the world, acts of kindness can mean the world
  • Understand when people are low or struggling that they may also need practical support to access help
  • Help them connect with others who have had similar difficulties, and who can understand from experience

Support Services:

National/Local Organisation Service Aimed At Phone Number Website
National Samaritans Helpline People who need urgent mental health support,  but not crisis 116 123 www.samaritans.org
National Papyrus Helpline For children and young people under 35 0800 068 4141 www.papyrus-uk.org
Worcestershire H&W Health & Care Trust Mental Health Crisis Team People Experiencing mental health crisis 0808 196 9127 www.hacw.nhs.uk/urgent-help
Worcestershire Worcestershire County Council Here2Help Advice and support for residents of Worcestershire 01905 768053 www.worcestershire.gov.uk/here2help
Worcestershire Springfield Mind Safe Haven People who need urgent mental health support,  but not crisis 01905 600400 www.springfieldmind.org.uk
Worcestershire Kooth Online support For younger people experiencing mental health issues   www.kooth.com
Worcestershire Community First Wellbeing Hub People experiencing eg: low mood 01684 312730 www.comfirst.org.uk/about_us2
Worcestershire Onside Plus (People Like Us) Supporting people over the age of 18 to feel less lonely  01905 27525 www.onside-advocacy.org.uk/plus
Worcestershire Onside Wellbeing Services People experiencing health issue relating to practical or social issues in their life, mental health problems or people wanting lifestyle advice. 01905 27525 www.onside-advocacy.org.uk
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