This week is Mental Health Awareness Week!
As things return to normal, it’s never been more important to recognise mental health in our Cobalt community.
This year’s theme is loneliness, which draws attention to those in our communities who may be feeling isolated or alone, especially after the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. During the lockdowns, Mental Health Foundation found loneliness was almost three times that of pre-pandemic levels. Loneliness is not about the number of friends we have, the time we spend on our own or something that happens when we reach a certain age. Loneliness is the feeling we experience when there is a mismatch between the social connections we have and those that we need or want. That means it can be different for all of us, but can contribute to poor mental health in a similar way.
To improve the way we connect and engage with our tenants, we are evolving our digital approach and have reopened our customer reception three days a week so tenants have the opportunity to come and speak with our team face to face.
This week, we will be sharing lots of useful advice and information on local support services and community groups that you or someone you know may benefit from getting involved with to help reduce loneliness or social isolation.
Today we are kicking things off with Norris Green Community Alliance‘s fantastic Men’s Group! Did you know, it is estimated that eight million men (of all ages) in the UK feel lonely at least once a week, with nearly three million reporting that it is a daily occurrence. The Men’s Group is open to men of all ages and offers an informal environment where men can come together to chat about a variety of different topics and take part in activities as a group! You can join them on Mondays from 10am-12pm at Ellergreen Community Centre.
