The start of the new year is generally a very exciting prospect for most, the hype and buzz generally die down once you settle back into the general swing of things. For many people, the cold winter days, post-Christmas blues, the return to work and lack of money can lead to a significant dip in mood. It is thought that these feelings peak by the third Monday of the month, with this day being dubbed Blue Monday.​​

Christmas can be a challenging time for our stress levels and it’s even harder for those of us with mental ill-health.
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So many things that are part of our routines and we take for granted become disrupted by the change of pace in our lives.

Leaving all your preparations for Christmas until the last minute can cause unnecessary stress, but planning ahead can save you time and money. Making lists for jobs to do, presents to buy and groceries you’ll need helps to organise your thoughts, prevents you forgetting something (or someone) and makes it easier to stick to a budget.

World Mental Health Day, on 10 October, is a day for us to unite in our efforts to improve the mental health of people around the world. The theme selected for this year’s Day is suicide prevention. We will begin our efforts to raise awareness of the scale of suicide around the world and the role that each of us can play to help prevent it on 10 September, World Suicide Prevention Day (#WorldSuicidePreventionDay), which has been observed for more than 15 years. Our efforts will continue throughout the following month, until 10 October.

Every 40 seconds someone loses their life to suicide. 
#40seconds

Physical activity is good for your body but it’s great for your mind too. Research has shown that exercise releases chemicals in your brain that make you feel good – boosting your self-esteem, helping you concentrate as well as sleep, look and feel better. Not bad for something we can quite easily do for free!

Men's Mental Health week commences on the 10 of June this month so we felt that it was important to promote so tips and tricks that men can do on a daily basis to nurture there mental health.

On doing some research, we came across an article published in the Irish Times in 2016 by journalist Áilín Quinlan titled "12 Wellbeing Tips for Men". Click the below link to read the article, we hope that you find it informative!!

​Stress can be defined as the way you feel when you’re under abnormal pressure.

All sorts of situations can cause stress. The most common involve work, money matters and relationships with partners, children or other family members. Stress may be caused either by major upheavals and life events such as divorce, unemployment, moving house and bereavement, or by a series of minor irritations such as feeling undervalued at work or dealing with difficult children. Sometimes there are no obvious causes.
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Mental Health Ireland’s ‘National Insights Survey’ conducted by Ipsos MRBI asked parents if they talk to their children about mental health and wellbeing.

A welcome finding from Mental Health Ireland’s Survey confirms that 67% of respondents who are parents are already having a conversation about mental health and wellbeing.

​This finding spans both urban and rural communities in Ireland. The survey found that 75% of women were likely to broach the subject, with men at 58%.

‘Blue Monday’ is the name given to the Monday that falls in the last full week of January. It’s been suggested this particular day is the most depressing of the year.

However, research shows that it’s not the actual day that gets people down and makes them feel gloomy but simply the shorter days and less sunlight we have in January and throughout the winter months.

If people do find themselves feeling low during the winter months, there are a number of steps that they can take to improve how they feel