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Stress Awareness Month 2023
We all face many challenges in life, which can make us feel stressed, or cause worry and anxiety. During this Stress Awareness Month (April 2023), be aware of how you are feeling and use the advice below to try and help reduce your level of stress.
HOW TO COPE WITH STRESS
You may find yourself worrying about a range of issues and feel increasingly overwhelmed or anxious. You might be worried or anxious about things like money, family, your health or work.
PAUSE AND TAKE A MOMENT
It is important to stop and take a moment for yourself when you start to feel stressed. If you are in the middle of doing something or in the presence of other people, excuse yourself and find a space where you can pause, breathe and take a moment.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE
It is important to remember that you are not alone and that others are feeling it too. Anxiety and worry will affect us all at some point in our lives.
When we are going through a tough time, we often think negative thoughts about ourselves, and we may feel very alone.
Even if you don’t have family or friends close by, you are never alone. You could join one of our Peer Support groups, refer yourself for Talking Therapy, or join Mind’s online community, Side by Side.
You can also call Samaritans on 116 123 (24hrs a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year)
THESE FEELINGS WON’T LAST FOREVER
When we are experiencing a stressful situation, it is difficult to look beyond it; it feels as though the stress will never end.
Talking to someone about how you’re feeling can help put things into perspective and help you to feel more positive about the future.
KNOW EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY
Be safe in the knowledge that if the feeling of ‘What if…’ occurs, you can solve it as you have with other difficulties.
ASK FOR HELP
Ask for help if you can. If you are feeling stressed at work, speak to your line manager, a colleague or the HR team. If your finances are causing you worry, speak to your bank or get advice from Citizens’ Advice.
Talk to a friend or family member about how you are feeling, or contact one of the organisations mentioned on this page.
THE 5 WAYS TO WELLBEING
The 5 Ways to Wellbeing can really help you to look after yourself and improve your overall wellbeing. Find out how you to introduce the five steps into your life.
IF YOU NEED ADDITIONAL SUPPORT…
If you are struggling with stress, anxiety or low mood, find out how Community Living Well can help you.
Author: Stewart Gillespie
Category: Community Living Well
Posted on: 31st March 2023
Supporting someone with a mental health problem
Supporting someone we love who is experiencing a mental health problem can be distressing and upsetting. Despite your good intentions and desires to help, you may feel powerless and ill-equipped to provide mental health support. Remember that for this person, even having someone check in on them may make a vast difference. It will help them feel less alone, as they are reminded of the fact that people care about how they are feeling.
What symptoms might they have?
The symptoms of anxiety and depression can vary drastically from person to person. Some of the physical signs you can look out for are:
- Lack of energy or feeling tired all the time
- Restlessness and agitation
- Poor appetite or overeating
- Trouble falling or staying asleep or sleeping too much
Emotional signs may be harder to spot if the person isn’t very forthcoming or communicative about their emotional state and their distress is not visible.
- Changes in behaviour and demeanour
- Low self-esteem and self-confidence
- Seeming sad and in low spirits
- Saying that they feel helpless or hopeless
- Withdrawal from social situations
- A lack of interest in activities that were previously pleasurable
- A decrease in concentration levels
- Being more irritable and impatient than usual
- Finding day-to-day life difficult e.g. household chores
- Trouble relaxing and symptoms associated with restlessness
Supporting someone with their mental health
Find a way to get time with them – Let you know you are there for a chat.
Create a compassionate space – Be kind, curious and patient; show your interest in helping.
Ask twice – Often we aren’t prepared to give a full answer when someone asks us how we are. Therefore, it is important to go beyond a passing comment and get to the bottom of how the person is feeling.
Reserve judgement – By fostering a warm and non-judgemental space, the person may feel more able to confide in you.
Ask open questions – Those that invite them to explain more how they are doing. For example – How are you feeling? Do you want to talk about it?
Active listening – Repeat back what they said to ensure you have understood it and pay attention to your body language, eye contact and facial expression.
Display empathy – Validate how they are feeling by reassuring them that you understand or sharing any similar experiences you may have. But try not to make the conversation about you though – always relate your experience to what they are going through.
Don’t try to diagnose – Or second guess their feelings or jump to conclusions.
Let them go at their own pace – Don’t fire too many questions at them and give them enough time to answer.
Respect privacy – Let them lead the discussion so that they can share as much or as little as they want to. Respect that the conversation may be nerve-wracking for them and don’t add to the pressure they may be experiencing.
Offer them help in seeking professional support – By offering to go to their GP with them for instance, or helping them talk to a family member or fill out a referral form.
Know your limits – Signpost to a mental health support service such as Community Living Well if necessary. However, if you believe they are in immediate danger, then always call 999.
You can refer yourself to Community Living Well here.
To sign-up to receive the Community Living Well magazine direct to your inbox, complete this form.
Author: Tamsin Cogan
Category: Community Living Well, Employment, Navigator, Self-Care
Posted on: 1st March 2023
Out now! Community Living Well Magazine Issue 12
We are pleased to share the 12th edition of Community Living Well magazine.
This issue includes informative stories and practical information and advice on a range of topics to help support your mental health and wellbeing, including:
- mental health support for carers
- exercise and mental health
- getting active in RBKC
- cost-of-living support
- looking after your mental health during the winter.
Plus, there are real-life stories from people who have used Community Living Well services, book reviews, useful contacts and more!
Read Community Living Well magazine Issue 12 (best for desktop viewing)
Read Community Living Well magazine Issue 12 (best for mobile device viewing)
To sign-up to receive the Community Living Well magazine direct to your inbox, complete this form.
Author: Stewart Gillespie
Category: Community Living Well
Posted on: 2nd February 2023
NHS Talking Therapies for Anxiety and Depression
NHS Talking Therapies for Anxiety and Depression – the new name for IAPT services
Improving Access to Psychological Therapy (IAPT) services are being renamed as NHS Talking Therapies for Anxiety and Depression, following a public consultation with close to 4,000 responses and a series of focus groups led by an independent research group.
NHS Talking Therapies for Anxiety and Depression services can help with a whole range of difficulties. CNWL has Talking Therapies Services in north west London and Milton Keynes. You can refer yourself or talk to your GP – just ask if you are unsure we accept referrals from anyone who feels their mood is impacting on their sleep or day to day life. Visit CNWL’s website to find out more. We’re just a phone call away https://talkingtherapies.cnwl.nhs.uk/
You can find out more about the new name below – CNWL will be refreshing its materials soon. We use the name Talking Therapies already but with enhance this with the new wording.
Update from NHS England
In 2008 new NHS IAPT services were launched that made a simple promise to the public – to provide effective psychological therapies to far more people experiencing the most common mental health problems: anxiety and depression. Immediately before this the average waiting time for psychological therapy on the NHS was 18 months. Now it is just a few weeks. The new services had three qualities embedded: that they would provide psychological therapies recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, with well-trained and supervised therapists, and would track and publish outcomes for every service. This promise remains the same, although the name of services is changing.
Thanks to the work of many, there have been great successes. As we enter the 15th Anniversary Year of these services there is a lot for patients, clinicians, educators and policymakers to be proud of. Since 2008 the services have provided a course of treatment to over 6.5 million people, with 665,187 treated in the last year alone. Around 50% of those receiving a course of therapy fully recover, with many more showing substantial improvement, results which were maintained even during the Covid-19 pandemic. Over time, the services have moved closer to equality of outcomes for all ethnicities. The services aim to be flexible, with patients often offered a choice between different effective treatments and how the treatments are delivered. We now have over 10,000 therapists and practitioners employed in the services, and employment advisors being rolled out in all areas. These advisors support people with anxiety and depression to pursue their goals for employment.
Over the years, however, we have been aware that naming the services “Improving Access to Psychological Therapies” is not the most appealing or clear. Because of this, many services developed unique local names. Although understandable, this meant it was not always obvious to the public that services delivering the IAPT promise were available in every part of the country.
Anxiety and depression are very common difficulties and many of those experiencing them have not found their way to an IAPT service yet, despite all services allowing you to refer yourself without seeing your GP first. Many of those who do find their way to services are looking for help with other difficulties that the services are not set up to treat, such as psychosis or complex emotional needs associated with a diagnosis of “personality disorder”. These problems are better tackled by other services, where psychological therapies are also being expanded. We wanted a new name that was appealing and supported people finding the right service for them, first time.
Talking Therapies
This term was strongly preferred by patients and the public. It is a shorthand for the range of psychological therapies and interventions that the services offer. Within NHS Talking Therapies services most of the psychological therapy will be quite practical. It may involve working through self-help materials with guidance from a clinician, possibly via a dedicated online platform (which we call ‘digitally enabled therapies’). It may involve help with problem solving skills or practical exercises to examine and overcome your fears. It may involve facing and working through traumatic memories in a safe way. It is likely to involve suggestions to follow through between therapy sessions. And, of course, it will involve talking – in a focused way that helps things to change.
for Anxiety and Depression
NHS Talking Therapies services can help with the following common problems with anxiety and depression:
- agoraphobia
- body dysmorphic disorder
- depression
- generalised anxiety disorder
- health anxiety
- mixed depression and anxiety
- obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- panic disorder
- post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- social anxiety disorder
- specific phobias (such as heights, flying, spiders etc.).
These problems may present themselves in a whole variety of different ways. Everyone is different. You don’t need a “diagnosis” to come for therapy, a skilled practitioner will help work out with you whether and how the service can help.
(Source: CNWL NHS)
Author: Stewart Gillespie
Category: Community Living Well, Talking Therapies
Posted on: 1st February 2023
Housing and mental health
Housing and mental health problems are often linked. Poor mental health can make coping with housing problems more challenging. Homelessness or housing issues can cause a deterioration in your mental health.
What impacts can housing have on mental health?
Your relationship: Struggling with your rent payments or living conditions can cause arguments and place a strain on your relationship.
Sleep: Stress, worry and noise may keep you awake at night and disturb your sleeping pattern.
Your social life: Living in an unsecure environment can negatively affect your self-esteem and cause you to withdraw from social situations. Decreased levels of interaction can produce feelings of loneliness and isolation.
On your career: Your housing situation might depend on you being able to carry on working. If your mental health is affecting your ability to keep up your job, this can cause housing problems.
Physical Health: If you live somewhere that is damp, mouldy or dirty, it can affect your air quality and you risk developing respiratory problems. Additionally, if your housing has inadequate facilities, this can impact how you look after yourself i.e. personal hygiene and maintaining a balanced diet.
Practical difficulties: Having a mental health problem can make it harder to:
- Keep on top of bills and rent
- Talk to landlords or people from housing associations.
Stress and anxiety: Feeling unsafe or living in a dangerous environment can generate feelings of stress and worry which may increase any anxiety you may be experiencing.
Our Navigators meet people who are struggling with complex housing issues regularly. While every case is different and has its own unique set of factors, our Navigators use their expert knowledge of local services to tailor their support to your individual needs.
Sarah’s story
Sarah was struggling with rent arrears after moving out due to over-crowding issues. Physically, emotionally and financially, Sarah found it impossible to resolve this issue alone. A consequent cut in her benefits coupled with a lack of support from her landlord caused a severe decline in her mental health.
Sarah met with our Navigator, Maeve, and they developed a wellbeing plan together that focused on building Sarah a support network. Maeve accompanied Sarah to meetings with her landlord and spoke on her behalf to several agencies that provide specialist advice.
After this additional support, Maeve and Sarah began to talk about ‘endings’. It is natural to feel apprehensive about support coming to an end. Our Navigators will help build your confidence by equipping you with information on your rights and entitlements and make sure you possess all the tools and resources necessary to feel able to access services without their support.
In this case, Sarah was notified of:
- Her local Citizen’s Advice Bureau’s drop-in times
- Benefits’ support offered by the Department of Work and Pensions and
- Other wellbeing services such as Peer Support that could address her social needs.
Are you experiencing some of the issues mentioned here?
Navigators offer practical support with a range of issues and support you to access specialist advice, information and other services. Refer yourself to the service on our website.
Sign up to receive our monthly e-newsletter for all the latest updates.
Author: Michelle Jackson
Category: Community Living Well, Navigator
Posted on: 13th January 2023
Coping with Christmas and the festive season
Coping with Christmas and the festive season
The festive season can often bring extra pressure, and your worries and fears may seem worse during this time of year because of what is happening around you. This can affect your mental health in different ways, so it’s important to be kind to yourself and take care of your wellbeing.
We have pulled together some information and advice that you may find useful.
Useful Resources
Community Living Well – festive season opening times
Grenfell Health & Wellbeing Service – Staying well during winter and festive season
SMART – view newsletter to see all the opening times and activities
RBKC Health and Wellbeing booklet
Warm Spaces – list of places where you can go to stay warm, get refreshments and connect with others.
St Francis is offering Christmas dinner on Christmas day after the service. Spaces must be booked in advance [email protected]
Tips and Advice
Take time for yourself
– pay attention to how you are feeling. Track your mood and look after your emotional health. Mind has information on how to identify what you’re feeling and ways to try and manage these feelings.
– focus on what you enjoy. It could be doing something creative, watching your favourite film or TV show, or spending time outdoors.
– take a break from social media and the internet in general, like reading the news. Take part in an activity like we mentioned above and have a break from your phone.
– it’s ok to say ‘no’. If it’s difficult for you to take part in something or you’re invited to an event or meet-up that you don’t want to go to, then politely decline. You don’t need any additional worry.
Connect with others
If you are feeling up to it, connecting with other people can help boost our mood.
– arrange to talk to people over the phone or via video call if you don’t want to go outside. This might be a trusted friend or family member who you’re comfortable opening up to.
– go online and connect with other people who might be spending Christmas alone. You could try Mind’s online community, Side by Side.
– engage with your local community. Some local events might not be happening, but you may be able to find virtual events to join. Take a look at the Community Living Well events calendar and see if there are activities you’d like to try.
Choose to not celebrate, if that feels easier
– tell others about your plans so they know whether or not to mention Christmas.
– exchange any gifts in advance.
– stay off social media and try to avoid festive adverts on TV or online.
– eat the same foods and do the same activities as you would any other day.
For more information and tips, visit the Mind website.
If you need additional support, you can refer to the Community Living Well service here.
If you need urgent help with a mental health crisis, see our list of contacts.
Author: Stewart Gillespie
Category: Community Living Well
Posted on: 15th December 2022
Community Mental Health Transformation evaluation
Community Mental Health Transformation evaluation – service user and carer survey
Central and North West London NHS Trust (CNWL) are seeking feedback from service users or their loved ones on the changes made to mental health services over the last couple of years.
Local mental health services in Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Brent, Harrow and Milton Keynes have changed from “Community Mental Health Teams” to “Community Mental Health Hubs”. The teams have not all moved buildings, but the structure of the staff team has changed. This is called the “Community Mental Health Transformation”.
Using this survey, we would like you to tell us how well it’s working, and where improvements can still be made. As service users and/or carers, your responses will be vital to help us improve the service.
Your answers to the questions will not have any effect on the care you or your loved one will receive. The feedback is anonymous, confidential and cannot be kept on your mental health records.
Please take 5-10 minutes to complete this short survey and answer the questions as honestly as you can.
If you do not feel comfortable completing this online, we’d be happy to take your feedback over the phone. To arrange this, just email Hidayah on [email protected]
Thank you for your valued participation.
Author: Stewart Gillespie
Category: Uncategorised
Posted on: 12th December 2022
Talking Therapies: Chris’s story
Before the pandemic hit in early 2020, Chris was leading a busy life; working in a voluntary role as a board member, exercising and receiving physical therapy for an injured shoulder, and socialising with friends. However, all of this had to stop when the first lockdown was introduced. Like many of us, Chris was forced into isolation; he couldn’t even go to spend Christmas with his recently widowed father.
It wasn’t until early 2021 that Chris realised how much all of this had affected his mental health. He was having trouble sleeping, and if he did sleep, he found it hard to get up in the mornings. He was finding it difficult to make decisions or organise plans, and struggled with increasing pressure at work.
After talking to a friend, Chris decided to make an appointment with his GP, who suggested he consider Talking Therapy. We spoke to him to find out more about his experience.
How did you hear about Talking Therapies?
It was through my GP. I had a scheduled call with him about something else. During the conversation, he asked how I was and I told him how I’d been feeling and what I’d been through recently. Afterwards, he said he thought that I was quite possibly suffering from depression.
The doctor proposed therapy. I wanted to try something different to tackle the way I was feeling, so he suggested I look at the Community Living Well website. I had a look through all of the options and, after completing a self-referral and talking with one of the CLW advisers I decided on CBT with Talking Therapies.
I had reached a point where I needed someone to reassure me, point me in the right direction, and just keep an eye on me. That’s quite scary to accept, strange to be scared of something like that. But it was very useful.
When you started your sessions, how were theses arranged?
I had my sessions online, via a video call. The first session was an introduction, covering background information, what the therapist needed to know about me, and what my approach would be to particular exercises, so that she could work out which ones to set. By the end of first session, we got onto setting some tasks for the week.
I had 6 sessions in total. You have to have sessions regularly, obviously as it’s trying to re-establish a routine. It made perfect sense to have the sessions at the same time on the same day, but they could be flexible if I needed to change an appointment because of another commitment.
Did your therapist give you any exercises or tools to practise at home?
Yes. The first one was simply keeping a diary of what I do every couple of hours. Just writing down what I did. If I’d done nothing, then that’s what I wrote, and it progressed from there.
I was having issues with some of my work where problems I was trying to solve were just too big. I couldn’t recognise what I needed to do in order to solve them. I should’ve known to break the work down into smaller tasks. It takes the knowledge of the therapist to tell you to put the brakes on and take a look at the situation.
In became clear to me in the first few sessions, ‘why didn’t I speak to someone the first time around?’
Keeping the diary triggered my brain to break my day down so I could manage it. The therapist also asked me to write down what I wanted to achieve from therapy, what problems did I have that I wanted to be on track to sort out myself.
I wanted relief. I wanted to get back to exercise regularly, I wanted to get out and enjoy my hobbies, re-do some of my boating courses. These were all building blocks. My first priority was to get out of a board-member role I had. I knew I had to get out as it was causing so much stress. The hardest thing for me was leaving a situation behind. But just recently I walked away from it – I’d spent two-and-half years fighting to keep it on track for my own sense of pride. Therapy made me see it for what it really was. Ten minutes after I got home after leaving, I felt 6-feet tall. No regrets about leaving at all.
Are you still using the techniques now that your sessions have finished?
I still keep a diary; breaking tasks down – I used to do it all the time and got out of the habit. But now I write it all down. It helps to take some of the stress away from organising a task. You put it in the order it needs to be done, allocate time to each task. Then you can plan a walk, arrange to meet up with friends – it makes it all clear.
For me to accept the hole I was in was probably the hardest part of it all. I was brought up to sort out my own problems; it was a dent to my pride to realise that I couldn’t. Then I realised that it’s not about pride anymore; it’s about relieving the pressure on yourself that you’ve built up in your mind.
You don’t get your pride back by beating yourself up about something. You get your pride back by standing up, accepting the problem and walking away to help yourself.
I’ve completely rebalanced everything I do now. I make more time for myself, make sure I finish work on time and never miss my social arrangements or things I enjoy.
Would you recommend Talking Therapies?
Oh yes, in fact I already have! I know from my discussion with friends that different types of therapy suit different people in different ways. It’s important to have a look, talk to someone about it. Call Community Living Well and discuss the options. I’d spoken to someone from the referrals team and was told how things would be broken down, how it worked, did this sound right for me, etc.
I certainly can’t fault it, I got into it very easily. It’s such a step forward to be able to self-refer. The wait time wasn’t as long as I expected either, which was good. It gave me time to prepare myself for the therapy, rather than start immediately.
It was a relief to get it out in the open. I’d spoken to my GP, but it wasn’t the same. To sit and talk to someone, just to get it off your chest, it takes such a weight off. And the knowledge you’re going to get help, such a relief.
It’s a good service; I think many more people should consider some form of therapy. It is so helpful to talk to someone about how you’re feeling.
More information…
If you have been experiencing similar feelings to Chris and you think you’d like to try Talking Therapy, you can refer yourself now. Just complete this online form or ask your GP to refer you to Community Living Well.
This story was originally published in the Summer 2022 of Community Living Well magazine.
Author: Stewart Gillespie
Category: Community Living Well, Talking Therapies
Posted on: 5th December 2022
Annual Community and Maternity Champions Conference
“The Community Champions Programme offers a range of activities aimed to improve health and wellbeing, reduce isolation and develop community cohesion. The program operates across RBKC and WCC and comprises 11 Community Champion projects. Each is based in neighbourhoods that have the highest health inequalities in the boroughs.
In November, I attended the 10th Annual Community and Maternity Champions Conference with Michelle Poponne (Community Development Manager). This conference is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the Champions, whilst also providing space to think together about how to tackle issues faced within the community.
At the event, Michelle and I facilitated an adult mental health workshop with Champion volunteers and partners. The conversation was useful for us to learn how we can improve as a service to better meet the needs of local residents. Themes that came up were improving trusted referral pathways, the importance of self-care and taking a holistic approach to health.
The discussion was also valuable for us to share information about the variety of services Community Living Well offers. Many Community Champions noted that they looked forward to suggesting our services to friends, family and neighbours in the future.”
– Isabel Gillespie, Senior Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner
Author: Stewart Gillespie
Category: Community Living Well, Talking Therapies
Posted on: 1st December 2022
New Mental Health Crisis Assessment Service (MHCAS) to open at St Charles Hospital
CNWL is developing a Mental Health Crisis Assessment Service (MHCAS) to provide a therapeutic alternative to attending Accident and Emergency (A&E) for those experiencing a Mental Health (MH) crisis this winter.
The service, which will open soon, will:
- Reduce mental health attendances in all A&Es in North West London (NWL) over the winter
- Reduce mental health acute inpatient admissions, reducing overall occupancy of mental health acute wards and help eliminate the use of out of area placements (OAPs) in north west London
- Give London Ambulance Service (LAS) and the Police the ability to take people experiencing a mental health crisis directly to the new crisis assessment service, reducing pressure on emergency services
- Reduce the time taken to be seen and improve the patient experience.
Saru Mutema, CNWL’s Borough Director for Kensington and Chelsea, said
“The high stimulus environment often found in a busy A&E department is distressing for someone experiencing a mental health crisis. It has been demonstrated that symptoms can be exasperated whilst an alternative, low sensory setting can help a patient decompress and receive the therapeutic support they need whilst being assessed. “
CNWL’s St Charles Mental Health Unit offers a central location for this new crisis centre.
To accommodate this facility, the Talking Therapy (IAPT) service (part of Community Living Well) currently located at St Charles will be moving to a nearby location, The Pall Mall Centre (150 Barlby Road).
Staff from the Community Living Well Talking Therapy Service will still be working from St Charles, but patients may find that you are asked to go to a different location for your appointment. This will be within walking distance of St Charles.
You will always be informed if your appointment will be in a different location (by your therapist, a text message or an appointment letter).
This will be a gradual process while we find a new permanent home nearby and we will remain in North Kensington.
Author: Stewart Gillespie
Category: Community Living Well, Talking Therapies
Posted on: 21st October 2022
