This Self-Care Sunday we talk about the mental and physical benefits of getting out in nature. Whether that’s by exploring a nearby forest or woodland, sitting by the ocean, taking a dip in a secret stream, basking in the sunshine in your local park, or tending to your house plants (and if you don’t have any, get some!)
Stuart has documented his journey from living with long undiagnosed rapid-cycling bi-polar disorder, and after experiencing burnout in an urban corporate environment, he radically changed his lifestyle, and received help and support that enabled him to now live largely symptom free.
For World Suicide Prevention Day, Stuart brings us some tips and guidance on how to seek, or give, support for those who are struggling.
York St John’s, Counselling and Mental Health Centre is teaming up with Treasure Chest to bring new parents in our community a breastfeeding support group that will be based on YSJ’s campus in the chapel.
For this week’s self-care Sunday, we’re going to look at some of the types of self-care there are. Self-care covers a range of areas, so we thought we would focus on just six of the main ones; Practical, Physical, Mental, Social, Spiritual, and Emotional. Prioritising our self-care is important, and if we can, we can do what we can to improve these areas, and in doing so, our mental health and wellbeing. As we mentioned before, self-care can look different for everyone, but to help start us off thinking about what we can incorporate into our daily lives, we’ve listed some suggestions and things to think about
Sophie-May, a Psychology and Counselling Student at York St John University, joined the Centre’s new Cuppa and Conversation group in May, and has come back to CMHC to not only join our blog team, but also speak to us about her experience joining our new emotional support programme.
What is self-care, and why is it important?
Most of us have heard the term ‘self-care’, but what actually is it and why is it important? Every week we’re going to delve into this topic a bit more, and specifically the things we can do to support ourselves in our own self-care. So we thought it would be best to start at the beginning.
Dr John Wilson, Director of the Bereavement Service at CMHC, has specialised in bereavement counselling for 20 years and has recently published ‘The Plain Guide to Grief’, which in plain language, tells you how you can manage your grief following a life changing loss.
In todays blog, John speaks to us about the course of grief, what you may experience, and provides some tips and guidance that may help.
As you may know, the Counselling and Mental Health Centre is expanding to meet the increasing need for mental health services in York. We’re moving to a new home on Clarence Street and would love you to be involved.
Our new Centre needs a new name, and we thought who better to ask than the people who make the Centre what it is – that’s YOU.
Everyone feels angry sometimes. But how do we know when that anger is a problem?
So many people struggle with managing their anger in a healthy way, and it’s so important that you find a way to cope and find a source of support. Getting angry doesn’t make you a bad person; it’s a complex emotion that needs communicating and expressing in a healthy and productive way, and that can be a difficult thing to learn how to do.
Today is National Bereaved Parents Day. Organised by A Child of Mine, it’s an opportunity to raise awareness of parents and caregivers who have lost a child. By sharing our stories and keeping the conversation going we continue to show the bereaved parent community that they are not alone.
To help us carry on this important conversation, we speak to Dr. John Wilson, Director of the Bereavement Service at the Counselling and Mental Health Centre, who shares his experience and perspective.