September sees the start of a new school term. For many children and young people this means a return to a new school year. This might be familiar to them, as they may be returning to the same school or college but for others, it will bring new excitement and challenges as they start at…

When people around us, whether it be loved ones or a colleague at work, suffer mental ill health or poor wellbeing it can be distressing. This is because you are worried about them and maybe unsure how to help.

Background International Fathers’ Mental Health Day is a relatively new concept and was co-founded in 2016 by Mark Williams (UK) and Dr Daniel Singley (USA)

What is Stress? Stress can lurk in all aspects of our lives whether that be in response to personal or professional pressures, or sometimes a combination of both

What is Resilience? Being resilient means adapting and bouncing back when something difficult happens (Miles, 2022)

Parental Mental Health and Managing Family Stress Being a parent brings a lot of challenges and for parents that have a mental health problem, these challenges can be exacerbated

On this day, we think about the women, in this country and throughout the world, who are not free to make their own decisions and who live in fear and conflict.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? The Children’s Society (2024) reports that: 1 in 6 children aged 5-16 are likely to have a mental health problem. 17 to 23 year old women are the most at risk group of developing a mental health problem. SUPPORTING MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING There are various things parents and carers can…

Time to Talk Day emphasises the importance of communicating with friends and family and in some circumstances, with professionals

We see January as a great opportunity to develop healthy habits, whether that means trying something new or building on existing skills or routines

Mind state that Christmas can affect your mental health if you

Recently, I caught the tail end of a discussion, on the radio, about oestrogen rich foods

Feeling stressed out? You are not alone! Stress is everywhere. Work. Relationships. Money, Parenting. There are ways to deal with all of this. Stress means something different to everybody but essentially, it is wanting things to be different to how they are now. Meditations and mindfulness can help to cope with stress. The techniques will…

Menopause is a natural stage of life experienced by the majority of women

World Mental Health Day takes place annually on 10 October. This year’s theme is ‘mental health is a universal human right’.   The purpose of this annual event is to raise awareness of mental health and to drive positive change. One of the main factors for this is having more conversations about mental health and…

What is Wellbeing? Wellbeing refers to “the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy” (Mental Health Foundation, 2015).

With children and young people returning to or starting a new school/college, we thought it imperative to share an article focusing on children, young people and parent/guardian mental health and wellbeing.

Financial Wellbeing is essential because it means feeling secure and in control of day-to-day finances (CIPD, 2023).

Volunteers’ Week takes place 1-7 June, celebrating the positive contribution volunteers make to society. At Maxwell Hodge, we have Employer Supported Volunteering (ESV) meaning our people can go and volunteer with a charity/organisation during work time. We are using Volunteers’ Week to encourage our people to utilise ESV because of the many benefits it has:…

The theme for this Mental Health Awareness Week is Anxiety

Resilience Becoming more resilient is important for individuals and businesses. This is because building resilience means we can react better to situations. On an individual basis, this means we can deal with stress more effectively. For businesses, resilience enables a positive response to the ever-changing world of work, thus being in a better position to…

Today, 14 March 2023, is My Whole Self Day. This is an annual campaign by Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England, the purpose of which is to drive positive workplace culture change

Whether you are in a relationship or not, you may experience difficult emotions around Valentine’s Day. You could particularly struggle at this time of year with heightened feelings of loneliness and/or low self-esteem. Idealised relationships often presented on social media and TV can trigger or worsen such emotions.

Our Mental Health and Wellbeing Team are focusing on Healthy Habits this month.

This week, 7th-11th November 2022, is International Stress Awareness Week. In recognition of this, we have prepared this short blog emphasising the importance of managing stress effectively. WHAT IS STRESS? In order to develop techniques for managing stress, it is important firstly to understand what stress means. HSE define stress as ‘the adverse reaction people…

Theme The Theme for this years’ Mental Health Awareness Week is Loneliness.

It was recently Anti-Bullying Week, which took place 15th-19th November. The theme for this year was One Kind Word, which emphasises the significance that our words have and whether how we treat others has a negative or positive impact. Bullying can happen to anyone at any time, whether you are a child at school, a…

Today is “World Menopause Day” – a day where we can raise awareness and highlight the support available for our health and wellbeing.

PURPOSE The purpose of Maternal Mental Health Matters Awareness Week (4-9 May 2021) is to encourage important conversations regarding mental illness during pregnancy and/or after giving birth and signposting women and their families to dedicated organisations offering advice, information and support to enable recovery. The Facts According to The Mental Health Foundation, the most common…

Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to celebrate loving relationships. However, many of us will suffer with our mental health because Valentine’s Day can heighten feelings of loneliness and self-worth.

WHY IT MATTERS The Mental Health Foundation states that 1 in 10 children and young people will experience a mental health problem.

Today, Thursday 4th February 2021, is Time to Talk Day.

Christmas can be such a wonderful time for many of us as we get to connect with loved ones and spend time with one another. However, Christmas can also have a negative impact on our mental health.

What is Mental Health?

Mental Health & COVID-19 The long-term mental health implications of COVID-19 are currently unknown, but what we do know is that there are several factors to consider.

To highlight stress awareness this year, our Mental Health First Aid Team asked the Board of Directors what stress management means to them and the techniques they use to overcome stress:

What is Stress? Stress is the body’s reaction to change. Naturally, we use physical, mental and emotional responses to deal with any change that requires an adjustment or response and therefore, stress is a normal part of life.

Loneliness, low self-esteem and difficulty managing mental health in a relationship can all heighten due to Valentine’s day and whether or not we are in a loving relationship, we can all feel left out on days like Valentine’s day.

Habits provide the basis for our most positive outcomes in life; mindfulness, becoming fitter/stronger and giving work our full attention – but our habits nevertheless create most of the problems that we encounter in our lives, such as getting lost for hours on social media instead of being present for the people we love.

Christmas can cause high levels of stress, pressure and conflict.

Maxwell Hodge has a legal duty of care to all employees, which means that all possible steps need to be taken to protect individual wellbeing and provide necessary, and sometimes crucial, support. Maintaining a healthy workplace is a priority.

I recently attended Mental Health First Aider in the Workplace Course along with Claire, Kris and Sarah. It was a two day course which proved to be quite intense and in turn, emotionally and mentally challenging.