Mental Health Blog

At fifty years old I thought, "Why not?" A triathlon—short, and a sensible shot. A swim, bike and run? How hard could it be? The answer arrived about fifty metres in at sea. The lake looked pleasant, the wetsuit looked right, I'd trained and prepared with admirable might. But confidence, sadly, can sometimes misjudge How much water it takes to humble a grudge. That swim was a teacher with very wet plans, And panic came sprinting while I waved with my hands. The suit squeezed my neck like an overkeen tie, While my legs floated upward attempting to fly. I clawed at the water with questionable grace, Hyperventilation was clearly winning the race. A kayak appeared and I borrowed some calm, Clinging to plastic with desperate charm. A scratch on a boat became all that I knew, One breath, then another, then finally two. The shore never moved quite as fast as I'd hoped, But somehow I finished by stubbornly coped. Back up the hill in a wetsuit-born feud, With swearing and wobbling and questionable mood. Then onto the bike where the joy reappeared— I hunted down cyclists exactly as feared. The run was a slog on exhausted old pins, But medals are forged where discomfort begins. Because minds grow stronger when life isn't fair: We stretch when things challenge us, not when they're rare. Ease builds nice mornings; hard days build the soul. The struggle's not pleasant—but that's half the goal. For somewhere past panic and doubt and despair, We find we're far tougher than we knew was there.

Loneliness is something most of us experience at some point in life—but it’s still something many people find hard to talk about. You can feel lonely in a crowded room, in a busy workplace, or even surrounded by people you care about. That’s because loneliness isn’t simply about being alone; it’s about feeling disconnected, unseen, or lacking the kind of connection we need. In the UK, evidence shows just how common this is. Recent research commissioned by Marmalade Trust found that 82% of UK adults have experienced loneliness at some point, yet 61% of those people have never told anyone they feel lonely. That silence matters—because loneliness often grows in silence. And while loneliness itself is a normal human emotion, it can affect our wellbeing if it becomes prolonged. According to NHS and UK government evidence reviews, ongoing loneliness is linked with poorer mental wellbeing and can increase the risk of anxiety, depression, and reduced quality of life. The good news? Loneliness is not a life sentence—and small actions can make a real difference. Sometimes loneliness appears during major life changes: moving house, becoming a parent, retiring, bereavement, starting university, remote working, or simply feeling out of sync with others. In England, around 3.1 million adults reported feeling lonely “often or always” in the latest Community Life Survey. That’s millions of people quietly feeling what many assume they’re feeling alone. One of the hardest parts of loneliness is that it can create a cycle. The longer we feel disconnected, the easier it becomes to withdraw. We cancel plans. We stop replying to messages. We tell ourselves people are too busy—or that we’d be a burden. Over time, that isolation can deepen the feeling we were trying to avoid. Breaking that cycle doesn’t require a huge gesture. Often it starts with one small step: texting a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while, saying yes to a coffee invitation, joining a local class or walking group, checking in on a neighbour, or simply admitting: “I’ve been feeling a bit lonely lately.” That last one can feel especially difficult—but it can also be powerful. Naming loneliness helps reduce its hold. This is why Loneliness Awareness Week matters so much. The campaign encourages honest conversations about loneliness and reminds us that talking about it helps remove the stigma. This year marks another important moment to reflect: how can we make connection more intentional in our own lives? Maybe that means reaching out to someone who’s gone quiet. Maybe it means accepting support yourself. Maybe it means recognising that loneliness can affect anyone—regardless of age, background, or circumstance. A simple “How are you, really?” can open a door. So this week, consider asking yourself: When do I feel most lonely? Is it at weekends? In the evenings? During transitions? After scrolling social media? And then ask: What helps me feel more connected? A walk with someone? A phone call? Volunteering? Community? Awareness is where change begins. If loneliness has been part of your story lately, you are far from alone—and support is available. To learn more or get involved, visit Loneliness Awareness Week . Let’s keep the conversation going—because connection starts with talking.

Caring for someone you love is one of the most important roles a person can take on — and one of the most demanding. Across the UK, Carers UK has recorded 5.8 million people balancing work alongside caring responsibilities. They may be supporting an elderly parent, caring for a partner with a long-term illness, or looking after a child with additional needs. Many are doing all of this while continuing to show up for work every single day. Carers are extraordinary. They manage appointments, medications, emotional support, household responsibilities, and endless unseen tasks, often while putting their own well-being last. Their patience, resilience, compassion, and strength deserve far more recognition than they often receive. The reality is that most working carers carry these responsibilities quietly. Colleagues may have no idea what someone has dealt with before they logged into work that morning or what awaits them when they get home. Many carers become experts at “just getting on with it,” even when they’re exhausted. That’s why Carers’ Week matters. It gives us a chance to stop and recognise the enormous contribution carers make — not only to the people they support, but to workplaces, communities, and society as a whole. It’s also an opportunity for organisations to reflect on how they can better support employees who may be carrying a heavy load behind the scenes. Often, support starts with awareness and simple human connection. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training helps create workplaces where people feel seen, understood, and supported. It gives teams the confidence to recognise when someone may be struggling and the skills to start compassionate conversations. Many people worry about saying the wrong thing, so they avoid saying anything at all. MHFA training helps remove that fear and replaces it with empathy, understanding, and practical support. For carers, knowing someone has noticed can make a huge difference. A check-in, a listening ear, or a workplace culture that encourages openness can help people feel less alone and more supported. Carers shouldn’t have to choose between being a dedicated employee and being there for the people who depend on them . With greater understanding and supportive workplace cultures, we can help make balancing both feel a little less overwhelming. This Carers’ Week, let’s recognise and celebrate the incredible contribution carers make every single day 💚 If you'd like to learn more about bringing MHFA training into your workplace, feel free to drop me a message.

B ecause of you, DevelopMentalUK is able to sponsor, donate and give back. THANK YOU. Last year I was able to sponsor the following charities and organisations (please do check out their work!): 💚 Alabare - supporting the Homeless and those in crisis. The financial crisis can be seen in the rise of the homeless. Often these individuals have long standing experiences of poor mental health. 💚British Heart Foundation - heart and circulatory disease are the biggest killers globally. Ill health and bereavement have huge ripple effects on mental wellbeing. 💚Comic Relief - happy to support so many organisations doing so many fantastic things at local level. What a great cause. 💚Greenpeace (not a charity so they can lobby the government) - Time and again individuals tell me that time out in the wild or walking the dog out in nature in fundamental to their mental health. At a time of incredible environmental pressure, campaigning to protect our greenspaces is something I am only too glad to do. I have spoken at length with Greenpeace to understand how they currently run their organisation and am delighted to support their team. 💚Plan International - my 4th year sponsoring little Elvir and his community in Honduras. Prior to that I sponsored Rosa in Peru for up to her 18th Birthday. I have now been a sponsor of this fabulous charity for over 15 years. 💚Red Cross - supporting those in crisis world wide. At the time of writing the Red Cross are currently operating in the UK, Gaza, the Middle East, Afghanistan, The Yemen, various african regions experiencing food crisis, to name a few. 💚Salisbury Hospice - giving incredible moments of joy for those in the final stages of life, and supporting their families through a terrible time. Again, a huge thank you for supporting my work with DevelopMentalUK – for opening your hearts to mental health, for helping to support it in your communities and for building hope into each day.

Every year, Mental Health Awareness Week rolls around. We post. We share. We nod along and then… we go back to normal. But mental health doesn’t work like a calendar event. It’s not something that shows up once a year, gets acknowledged, and politely waits until next May to matter again. The reality in the UK tells a different story. One in five workers have taken time off due to stress-related mental health issues, and 91% of adults report experiencing high or extreme levels of pressure at some point in the past year. That’s not a “one week” problem . That’s everyday life and despite all the awareness, there’s still a gap between talking about mental health… and actually supporting it. Nearly a third of employees say their workplace raises awareness—but managers often lack the time or resources to help in a meaningful way. In other words, we’re getting better at conversations, but not always at action. Looking after mental health isn’t just important for wellbeing—it shapes how we think, work, and show up. It affects focus, relationships, decision-making, and resilience. Ignore it, and performance quietly declines. Support it, and people actually thrive. So maybe the goal isn’t more awareness. It’s consistency, checking in regularly, designing healthier ways of working. Making support part of the culture—not a campaign, having First Aiders available but also supported. Listening to their suggestions and feedback. Maybe then mental health won't be a week of nodding along but something that helps our workplaces thrive all year round.

Most of us manage our time like professionals. Calendars blocked. Reminders set. Colour-coded schedules that would impress even the most organised person alive. And yet… by 3pm, our brain feels like it’s running on 2% battery. That’s because time is only part of the problem . Energy needs some thought too. We tend to treat energy like it’s unlimited—like if there’s space in the calendar, we must be capable of doing great work in it but that’s not how humans work. Just because you have an hour free doesn’t mean you have the mental capacity to write, think, solve problems, and be a delightful human in meetings. Some tasks drain you: • Back-to-back meetings • Constant notifications • That one “quick chat” that never is Others restore you (or at least don’t exhaust you): • Focused, uninterrupted work • A walk outside • Actually finishing something The trick is noticing the difference because once you do, something clicks. You stop asking: “What do I have time for?”  And start asking: “What do I have energy for?” That’s when things get interesting. Instead of scheduling deep work at 4pm when your brain has checked out for the day, you protect your peak hours for the work that actually matters. Instead of forcing productivity when you’re drained, you switch to lighter tasks that don’t require your full brainpower. It’s less about doing more and more about doing things at the right time. Think of your energy like money. You wouldn’t spend £100 on random things first thing in the morning and then expect to invest wisely later with what’s left but we do that with energy all the time. We burn it on low-value tasks… then wonder why we’ve got nothing left for the important ones. So here’s a small shift to try: For a few days, pay attention to what gives you energy —and what quietly takes it away. No big life overhaul. Just awareness. Because once you understand your energy patterns, you can start working with them instead of against them. And work suddenly feels a lot less like running on empty.

Kids Are Not Snowflakes – They’re Navigators of a Complex World You hear it a lot: “Kids today are snowflakes.” Too sensitive. Too easily upset. Too unable to cope. It’s usually said with a sigh, a shake of the head, and a comparison to how things were “back in my day”. But here’s the thing: calling children and young people “snowflakes” isn’t just inaccurate — it’s deeply undermining. And it ignores the reality of the world they are growing up in. Today’s children are navigating a level of complexity that previous generations simply didn’t have to face at such a young age. They are growing up in a world of constant online connection, global news in their pockets, social media pressures, climate anxiety, economic uncertainty and, for many, stretched families and schools. That’s not fragility — that’s a lot to carry. Children aren’t struggling because they are weak. They’re struggling because the world has changed. Being more open about emotions doesn’t mean children are less resilient. In fact, it often shows the opposite. Today’s kids are better at naming their feelings, asking for help, and talking about mental health than generations before them. That’s not “snowflakery” — that’s emotional literacy. It’s a skill adults have spent decades trying to learn. And let’s give credit where it’s due: many children are doing remarkably well despite the challenges they face. They adapted to lockdowns, disrupted schooling, and social isolation. They are learning to manage friendships online and offline, deal with constant comparison, and grow up under intense academic and social pressure — often with humour, creativity and compassion. Language matters. When we dismiss young people as “snowflakes”, we teach them that their feelings are a problem, that asking for support is weakness, and that struggling in a tough world is a personal failure. That doesn’t build resilience — it erodes it. Resilience doesn’t come from being told to “toughen up”. It comes from being understood, supported and believed in. It grows when adults acknowledge reality, set boundaries with kindness, and show young people that it’s okay to find things hard — and still keep going. Kids aren’t snowflakes. They’re learners, adapters and problem-solvers, growing up in a world that’s faster, louder and more demanding than ever before. And honestly? Given everything they’re facing, they’re doing pretty brilliantly.

There was a time when saying “yes” at work felt like the safest career move. “Yes, I can take that on.” “Yes, I’ll jump on a quick call.” “Yes, I’ll have a look tonight.” It feels productive. Helpful, even. Like you’re building a reputation as someone reliable. But give it a few weeks, and something strange happens. Your to-do list becomes a game of Jenga. Your focus disappears and the work you actually care about starts getting squeezed into whatever time is left. This is where boundaries get misunderstood because saying “no” sounds like a lack of commitment. In reality, it’s often a sign of clarity. High performers don’t just manage their time—they protect it. When you say “no” (or even “not right now”), you’re not rejecting work. You’re prioritising the work that matters most. Think about it: Would you rather be known as the person who says yes to everything… or the person who consistently delivers great results on the right things? We talk about boundaries on the First Aid course, not quite in this context but a conversation last week got me thinking that this needs clarifying.Boundaries help you: • Focus deeply instead of constantly context-switching • Deliver higher-quality work • Reduce last-minute stress (and those “late night panic” moments) And here’s the part we don’t talk about enough—boundaries also make you easier to work with. Clear expectations beat vague over-promising every time. Of course, this doesn’t mean shutting everything down with a hard “no.” It can sound like: “I can take this on, but it means pushing X back—does that work?” “Happy to help, just not today—can we look at next week?” Same intent. Better outcome because the goal isn’t to do less work, it’s to do the right work, well. That’s what actually builds trust, credibility, and long-term performance. So next time you hesitate before saying “no,” remember: It’s not a career risk, it’s a performance strategy and one that will help your mental well being too!

Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition — but it’s also a difference in how the brain processes the world. That difference isn’t just about difficulties; it also brings distinctive strengths that can be valuable in many areas of life — particularly in the workplace. Too often discussions focus on what autistic people struggle with, but recognising and celebrating positive traits is essential to building inclusive workplaces where everyone can thrive. ✨ Attention to Detail and Deep Focus One of the most consistently highlighted strengths is exceptional attention to detail and sustained focus on tasks. In research where autistic adults reported their workplace experiences, many described cognitive advantages such as concentration, memory and efficiency — sometimes outperforming their non-autistic colleagues in tasks requiring deep focus and precision. These traits can be especially useful in roles involving data analysis, quality control, engineering and research. ✨ Creativity and Unique Perspectives Autistic thinking styles can also bring creative problem-solving and innovative perspectives to a team. Research shows autistic employees often offer a unique autism-specific perspective that helps teams question assumptions and think differently about challenges — a valuable asset in sectors ranging from technology to design and beyond. ✨ Honesty, Dedication and Reliability Autistic people are often described by research and community evidence as honest, dedicated and reliable — traits that many employers value highly. These personal strengths translate into consistent performance, loyalty and a strong work ethic when the right environment and supports are in place. ✨ Evidence from UK Health and Autism Bodies Autistica, the UK’s leading autism research charity, highlights that autistic people can possess strengths such as attention to detail, creative problem-solving and honest communication — all of which can be hugely valuable in workplace settings. Similarly, government work on autism employment emphasises that when workplaces become more autism-inclusive and support structures are improved, autistic employees can outperform expectations and help organisations thrive with high productivity and specialised skills. For certain roles, productivity improvements among autistic workers relative to neurotypical peers have been noted in research supporting policy recommendations. Why Celebrating Strengths Matters Recognising these positive traits isn’t just about being uplifting — it has real, practical benefits. When employers focus on strengths rather than deficits, they can: • Build more inclusive and innovative teams • Reduce employment barriers for autistic adults • Unlock a pool of talented individuals eager to contribute • Improve workplace satisfaction and outcomes for all employees This shift helps move away from outdated stereotypes and towards a future where neurodiversity is genuinely valued. If you’ve ever felt that autism is discussed only in terms of challenges, you’re not alone — and the research is increasingly turning that narrative around. Autistic people don’t just cope at work — in the right roles and environments, many thrive and contribute in remarkable ways.