Over 40% of us identify as experiencing anxiety to a ‘medium or high’ degree. Anxiety is a natural emotion for each and every one of us to feel as fear is one of the primary hard-wired emotions that we feel in response to being faced with a ‘fight and flight’ situation, so it certainly has a positive place in each of our worlds. But for many, that protective and instinctive emotion is connected to a range of situations and subsequently can ruin our day-to-day lives. Managing anxiety can be mastered in many ways, but first and foremost accepting that you need help and then taking the steps to ask for help is the most important step in a journey back to overcoming such a debilitating feeling.
TOTUS/Care First 24
Here Michael Bird, Psychotherapist, working on a joint venture with Care First 24 Ltd and TOTUS, shares his expert advice:
In a world where people are being more and more encouraged to identify, discuss and improve their mental health, we first need to identify what is an accurate definition of mental health.
Well-being is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy.” However, it is important to recognise that well-being is a much broader concept than moment-to-moment happiness. While it does include happiness, it also includes other things, such as how satisfied people are with their life as a whole, their sense of purpose, and how in control they feel.
Well-being can be understood as how people feel and how they function, both on a personal and a social level, and how they evaluate their lives as a whole. At TOTUS – which is Latin for ‘The Whole’ – we believe that the central considerations for the term mental health include our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. We believe it centres around how we think, feel, and act – which in turn encapsulates how we perceive our life, how we handle life’s challenges, how we relate to others, and ultimately how we make choices. The TOTUS ethos is to work with ‘the whole person’ – hence the link to its Latin meaning – with a hope to help as many clients/families/staff as possible.
It is a really exciting opportunity for both companies to develop a valuable partnership and become trailblazers in the care industry.
Mental Wellbeing
Measuring your well-being can be done in a number of ways – there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach. But one useful way of measuring well-being is the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale where there are 14 positively worded items, designed to measure both the feelings and functioning aspects of positive mental well-being. For example, the scale includes items such as ‘I’ve been feeling optimistic about the future’, ‘I’ve been thinking clearly’ and, ‘I’ve been interested in new things’. You are asked to choose the answer that best describes your experience of each item over the last two weeks, using a five-point scale.
The end result is a score between 14 and 70, with a higher score indicating better well-being. It can be helpful, as a guide, for us to measure our well-being to gauge where we are on our own scale.
This helps us to evaluate what we do, or don’t do, how it impacts our lives, and which aspects of our lives we feel most dissatisfied with. We can also use these skills and information by helping others. Such as looking at how people are ‘in themselves’, how well they feel they are coping with everyday life, and how hopeful and confident they are about achieving their personal goals.
Talking about our problems and verbalising our negative feelings to friends and family has been a source of relief for centuries. In different forms of psychotherapy, from psychoanalysis to existential and cognitive-behavioural approaches, the vital component is the bond of trust between client and therapist that supports clients’ self-disclosure, the process of sharing their problems, and emotional pain. Studies have shown that simply talking about our problems and sharing our negative emotions with someone we trust can be profoundly healing — reducing stress, strengthening our immune system, and reducing physical and emotional distress.
Talk to Us
There is so much research that suggests that talking to someone, anyone, can provide stress relief, and can lighten the load of a concern someone might be feeling. So please take the time to talk to someone as it may not only benefit them, but you too.
The Samaritans held their annual ‘Talk To Us’ awareness-raising campaign throughout July 2023 to remind people that they are there for anyone who needs someone to listen to any time day or night.
The Samaritans want to challenge everyone in the UK to become better listeners and share any tips on how to be a better listener too.
Talking about our problems and verbalising our negative feelings to friends and family has been a source of relief for centuries. In different forms of psychotherapy, from psychoanalysis to existential and cognitive-behavioural approaches, the vital component is the bond of trust between client and therapist that supports clients’ self-disclosure, the process of sharing their problems, and emotional pain. Studies have shown that simply talking about our problems and sharing our negative emotions with someone we trust can be profoundly healing, reducing stress, strengthening our immune system, and reducing physical and emotional distress.
Mental and Emotional Support
Care First 24 Ltd is a company that, alongside its partner TOTUS, has recognised the importance of the mental wellbeing of its clients and the need for them to have an advocate. Giving a strong voice to the client, which can at times be lost in complex care packages, is central to our ethos and something that will be identified, supported, and acted upon.
Our partnership is also designed to support the families involved with the client as they are also an important part of any package of care. The mental and emotional support for family members is often overlooked, but we will be sure to aid those around the client that need help too. So, in a world where the challenge to maintain such a positive and balanced level of mental health is greater than it has ever been, committing to helping clients, families, and staff to recognise, consider and accomplish such a goal is no small task, but one we are ready to undertake!
So, if you are one of the many that are facing such a challenge, please speak to a family member, a friend, or a colleague – or if possible, seek out a mental health professional as there really is help and support out there.
Be kind to yourself everyone!
Thank you for taking the time to read this Blog. We understand this is a subject that needs to be treated empathically, with understanding and sensitivity.
If you wish to talk to one of our qualified staff members regarding any issues in this blog, please get in touch with us by telephone at: 01732 790001 – by email: [email protected] – or visit our website for more information on our services at www.carefirst24.co.uk