Mental health awareness week 2026

Mental health awareness week has been incredible in previous years and has shaped the narrative around mental health drastically. There is more awareness on the importance of mental health and empathy towards others suffering. However, it is but a starting point and charities such as Mental Health Foundation and Mind are encouraging everyone to start to take action.

This I believe is a great concept as we are more aware of mental health being an important topic, we need to start doing more about it at an individual, local and larger scale. This may sound rather daunting but it is amazing how much we each can do with small steps. This will leave us feeling more hopeful and powerful.

"We need to start doing more about it (mental health) at an individual, local and larger scale"

I am going to cover the three points of action (for yourself, for someone else and for all of us) with some ideas for each. If you have some other ideas I would love to hear them in comments of my social media posts.

For yourself

Make steps to increase your own awareness of your mental health and actively trying to do things that improve it. Talking to others and journalling can be great ways to increase your awareness through self-reflection. This can highlight things that work and do not work for you, giving you a starting point towards change. Having help such as from a counsellor can assist with this, as a more neutral person can be of great benefit.

Mental health links into other aspects of our health so doing more exercise especially in nature can be beneficial to our mental health. This could be a great first step for yourself. Walking in nature a couple of times a week could be a realistic starting point. As can taking more time to yourself to express yourself creatively through writing or drawing. Art can be a great way to feel more connected with yourself.

If smaller things feel too much of a struggle reaching out for more support can be helpful. This could be speaking to your GP, using online resources, an employee assistance programme your employer may provide and many other services that are out there. A quick google search will show you a wide variety of options you have to get some support.

For someone else

This can be from people very close to you to the wider community. This can include researching mental health topics to better be able to understand and support others. Maybe even watching films with specific topics can help you feel more empathetic to experiences people have that you were previously unfamiliar with. Attending local events and supporting local charities also can help you aid those in your local community.

Not only will these help others close around you but you will also get needs of community and belonging met through these activities. This in turn will help support your own mental health, thus helping the for yourself part.

For all of us

This focuses on supporting larger scale action such as helping national charities push through legislation and policies to improve mental health support and factors that can aid mental health. For an example shelter and security are key human needs but many still face difficulty getting housing and with financial security, this will reflect in their mental health. Considering things from this lens shows how important many factors are to mental wellbeing. Contacting your local MP, signing petitions, supporting national charities and attending events can help you change mental health for all of us.

"Shelter and security are key human needs but many still face difficulty getting housing and with financial security, this will reflect in their mental health."

I hope this blog has been useful in giving you some ideas to start towards action.

Please do let me know your ideas and how you get on, on my social media channels.