We are celebrating Mental Health Awareness Week for 2022. This year’s theme is Loneliness because it is fundamental to our mental health.
Mental Health Awareness Week 2022 Theme: LONELINESS
Mental Health Awareness Week is a national week to get the whole of the UK thinking about their mental health and will run from 9th – 25th May in 2022.
Each year the Mental Health Foundation focuses on a different mental health topic. This year the theme is LONELINESS. Loneliness affects more and more people each year, and the pandemic had a significant toll on all of us. Communities and our connection to other people is necessary for protecting our mental health, and we all need to find ways of tackling the epidemic that is loneliness and it’s impact on our mental health.
How to take part in mental health awareness week 2022
Connect with friends, family, and your community
Get in touch with someone you have spoken to for a while, or even someone you regularly see – anyone can be lonely and you may not realise. Check in with your friends, family and community and help some feel a little less lonely.
80 Miles in May Challenge
Complete the 80 Miles in May Challenge by walking, jogging, or running 80 miles over the month of May to raise funds for the Mental Health Foundation.
80 Miles In May challengeRead the Student Guide to Loneliness
The guide explores loneliness, its links to mental health and provides tips for raising awareness.
Student GuideUse Mental Health Foundation resources
You can use Mental Health Foundation Resources with your family, school, workplace, and community to join with thousands of people who will be getting involved with their community.
ResourcesUse the resources in our Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub
How you feel matters on every day of the year, not only during Mental Health Awareness Week. Check out our Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub to find insights, personal stories and support resources for students and young people.
Mental Health and Wellbeing hubGet students involved with the Loneliness School Pack
Get students exploring the theme of loneliness – it’s important to support young people in recognising when they are feeling lonely, understanding their thoughts and feelings, and identifying the supportive connections they have.
School resourceA last word from the Mental health foundation
Mark Rowland, Chief Executive, said “Loneliness is a normal part of life, with most of us feeling lonely at some point and experiencing how it can gnaw away at our sense of self-worth and belonging.
Loneliness is not about the number of friends we have, the time we spend on our own or something that happens when we reach a certain age. Loneliness is the feeling we experience when there is a mismatch between the social connections we have and those that we need or want. That means it can be different for all of us.
The week will be an opportunity to ask vital questions about how we will reduce loneliness as we continue to come out of the pandemic, and live with Covid-19 in a different way. We want to hear your stories of loneliness. Sharing our own stories helps reduce the stigma around loneliness and challenge the stereotypes about who experiences loneliness and how it affects us. Share your experiences and send a powerful message to others, using the hashtag #IveBeenThere and #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek.“
