MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK 2020

Mental Health Awareness Week takes place from 18th -24th May 2020 and the theme this year is Kindness.

Each day we will be putting some resources on our page to help everyone, so be sure to check back each day!!
Today's resource is the 'Kindness Matters Guide'

You may recognise the expression “it is better to give than receive”, but did you know this is backed up by research?  

People who are kind and compassionate see clear benefits to their wellbeing and happiness. They may even live longer. Kindness can also help reduce stress and improve our emotional wellbeing.

We all have so much going on in our lives - including competing strains and stresses – not to mention the current Coronavirus Pandemic. This can see kindness pushed to one side, in favour of what is urgent or trending now.  

It can be easy to signal kindness by posting online and following a trend, but harder to commit to kindness in our daily words and actions.   

But if we take the time to be kind to other people, we can reap the emotional dividends. It can really make a difference and especially for people who are vulnerable or struggling.   

Now is the time to re-imagine a kinder society that better protects our mental health.  

Kindness could be built into business decisions, government policy and official systems in a way that supports everyone’s mental health and also reduces discrimination and inequality.-But that can start by individual commitments to showing kindness in our words and our actions. 

We have written this guide to show the positive impact helping others can have on your own mental health, including some tips and suggestions to inspire you.   

So, take a few minutes, have a read and think about doing something kind for a friend or a stranger today.  

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week/kindness-matters-guide

HBSC HOLIDAY ARRANGEMENTS

Please note our Office will be closed from Friday 12th July to Friday 19th July inclusive. We will reopen on Monday 22nd July.

If your enquiry is urgent, please leave a message on our mobile no 075 9763 8419 and a Member of Staff will get back to you.

Wishing all our Clients a lovely Holiday.

Mental Health Awareness Week 13th -19th May 2019

Mental Health Awareness Week takes place 13-19 May 2019. The theme this year is Body Image - How we think and feel about our bodies

HBSC are proud to be supporting Mental Health Awareness Week. 

More information is available at 

 https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week

 #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek

Time to Talk Day Thursday 7th February 2019

Time to Talk Day 2019 is taking place on Thursday 7 February. However you do it, make a conversation about mental health.

Mental health problems affect one in four of us, yet people are still afraid to talk about it. Time to Talk Day encourages everyone to talk about mental health.

This year’s Time to Talk Day is all about bringing together the right ingredients, to have a conversation about mental health. Whether that’s tea, biscuits and close friends or a room full of people challenging mental health stigma, we want you to get talking.

However you do it, make sure you have a conversation about mental health this Time to Talk Day.

Tips for Talking about Mental Health

1. ASK QUESTIONS AND LISTEN

Asking questions can give the person space to express how they’re feeling and what they’re going through, and it will help you to understand their experience better. Try to ask questions that are open and not leading or judgemental – such as “how does that affect you” or “what does it feel like?”

2. THINK ABOUT THE TIME & PLACE 

Sometimes it’s easier to talk side by side rather than face to face. So, if you do talk in person, you might want to chat while you are doing something else. You could start a conversation when you’re walking, cooking or stuck in traffic. However, don’t let the search for the perfect place put you off!

3. DON'T TRY & FIX IT 

It can be hard to see someone you care about having a difficult time but try to resist the urge to offer quick fixes to what they’re going through. Learning to manage or recover from a mental health problem can be a long journey, and they’ve likely already considered lots of different tools and strategies. Just talking can be really powerful, so unless they’ve asked for advice directly, it might be best just to listen.

4. TREAT THEM THE SAME 

When someone has a mental health problem , they’re still the same person as they were before. And that means when a friend or loved one opens up about mental health, they don’t want to be treated any differently. If you want to support them, keep it simple. Do the things you'd normally do.

5. BE PATIENT

No matter how hard you try, some people might not be ready to talk about what they’re going through. That’s ok – the fact that you’ve tried to talk to them about it may make it easier for them to open up another time.

And there are lots of things you can do to support them even if you’re not talking:

• Doing things together

• Sending a text to let them know you’re thinking of them

• Offering to help with day-to-day tasks.

“For more information on Time To Talk Day click on:-
https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/

Glens Coastal Hub Celebration Event

We were delighted to have been invited by @CarrickEnter to the Glens Coastal Hub Celebration Event held today in Ballygally Castle. 

Hayley Burgess from HBSC had the pleasure of mentoring some of the participants on the program in Health and Safety and Fire Safety. 

Today we got to celebrate the success of the programme which was delivered by Carrickfergus Enterprise and Causeway Enterprise Agency. 

We also enjoyed hearing from Kelli Bagchus Manager of Carrickfergus Enterprise, John McGrillen, Chief Executive Tourism NI, Linda Dixon, Causeway Enterprise Agency, The Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Cllr Brenda Chivers and participant on the programme Liz Weir from Ballyeamon Barn.  

Congratulations to all the participants!  

HMRC take a break from catching tax dodgers to dodge fires!!

HB Safety spent the day with HMRC RFTU Unit yesterday equipping Staff with the skills to fight fires. The training covered both theory and practical elements. Staff spent the first part of the course in the classroom learning about how fires start, how they spread and how they are ignited. After a short break it was all hands on as Staff got to try out what they had learned and had the opportunity to extinguish live fires.  

Fire Training is a legal requirement in order to comply with The Fire Safety Regulations (NI) 2010. If you would like any assistance with meeting your statutory obligations, please get in touch and we can offer assistance in all areas. 

staff getting some hands on experience with Fire Extinguishers. 

Abbey Surestart Get to Grips with Manual Handling and putting out Fires.

Today saw the Staff of Abbey Surestart get together for some Fire Awareness Training and Manual Handling Training. The training delivered by Hayley Burgess was a mixture of theory and practical with plenty of questions along the way!!

Staff learnt the principles of Fire Safety and Manual Handling, critical training to have for the roles they are performing every day. 

We hope the Staff all enjoyed the training and found it to be fun and educational!