Men’s Sheds and World Mental Health Day
The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day, Saturday October 10th, is Mental Health for All: Greater Investment, Greater Access. Everyone, everywhere. This year, we at Mental Health Ireland are inviting members of Men’s Shed around the country to stop for a moment and reflect on how far they’ve come in the face of uncertainty and what they hope, not only for their own future but for others facing their own mental health challenges.
The Mens Shed movement is known for being community-orientated, resilient, forward thinking and an enduring support to its members during the toughest of times.
The cup of tea in the shed, the meet up with other members to discuss a new project, or simply debating the latest political changes all seemed small at the time, looking back now, gave us a sense of connection and belonging. For many, this year has put our resilience and personal strength to the test. We may have needed that support more than ever before.
This World Mental Health Day, we are inviting members of the Mens Shed to celebrate how much they’ve overcome and how much they’ve grown during these toughest of times.
This might be getting out of bed in the morning, asking for help, lending a hand and a listening ear to a neighbour. If we dig deep, we’ll realise we have all unearthed strengths we probably never knew we had during the last few months.
Reflect, Plant & Grow
While we all take a moment this World Mental Health Day, Mental Health Ireland will be sharing wildflower seeds across the country to give people the opportunity to reflect on their growth during recent tough times and their hopes for the future. We will distribute plantable bookmarks to encourage people to take a moment to reflect on how far they have come in the face of all the unprecedented challenges of the year and to plant seeds of hope for better times ahead.
All the seeds need to grow is a little water and soil, a symbol of how we don’t need much at all to blossom – just a little care.
You might like to take the opportunity to reach out to local members of your shed and come together, outdoors, to plant these bookmarks together over the coming weeks. Reach us by emailing carmen@mentalhealthireland.ie for your plantable bookmarks.
For some of us, reflecting on the past might be too much right now. For some of us, we will have said goodbye to family members or friends during the past few months and that loss can be a challenge to cope with alone. For others the pandemic brought very little or no positives and some were merely functioning in survival mode. In any case, we would encourage you to reach out to someone close to you if you are still finding dealing with the loss or the pandemic a challenge. You can also book an appointment with your local GP to discuss your concerns.
Further Support:
- ALONE – Supporting Older People to age at home have a dedicated Freephone line for support, information or advice at this time on 0818 222 024.
- The Samaritans telephone service is available 24 hours a day for confidential, non- judgmental support on 116 123.
- To find mental health supports and services near you, free phone the national information line on 1800 111 888 or visit yourmentalhealth.ie.
About us:
Mental Health Ireland is a national voluntary organisation whose aim is to promote mental health, wellbeing and recovery to all individuals and communities in Ireland. We have a dedicated list of resources for minding your mental health and wellbeing during this time, which include a number of key resources for people who use mental health services and their families/carers, more information at www.mentalhelathireland.ie
Written by:
Bill Vaughan
Mental Health Ireland Development Officer – Co. Donegal
