WATCH: Mental Health Awareness week
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
ONE in four adults feel lonely some or all of the time.
Are you one of those one in four?
If you are, it is important to reach out for help and support.
Anyone can experience mental health challenges at any time in their life.
It is not a sign of weakness to ask for help, or talk to someone about how you are feeling.
It is very much the opposite, and it takes a strong person to open up about their mental health.
Mental Health Awareness Week from May 9-15, run by the Mental Health Foundation, is one of the biggest events of its kind in the UK.
There’s no single cause to feeling lonely and there’s no one solution.
The longer you feel lonely, the more you are at risk of mental health problems. Some people are also at higher risk of feeling lonely than others.
The last two years of the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated many feelings experienced by people, among them low mood, loneliness, anxiety and depression.
Coronavirus restrictions meant people were unable to leave their homes or interact in person with other people for months on end.
That cumulative stress has impacted on lots of people in different ways.
Mental Health Awareness Week aims to get more people thinking about the impact of loneliness on their mental health and the practical steps people can take to address it.
You can find out about a range of support groups and agencies which can help at NHS Inform
Support and self help is also available at Clear Your Head
Or what about Living Life to the Full
These are just some of the resources available to support and maintain your mental health.
