MyWellbeing College, which helps people navigate their way through life’s ups and downs, will be backing World Mental Health Day, 10 October, and supporting employers to get behind the theme of this year’s campaign ‘good mental health in the workplace’ with a range of free wellbeing tools to support staff.

A recent report published by NHS Digital, 31 August 2017, revealed that one in three ‘sick notes’ give mental health as the reason for absence, making it the leading cause for time off work in the UK.

Forty seven year old Paul Lonsdale experienced low mood and anxiety following work related stress from a demanding career. Paul explained: “At work my job had changed, which wasn’t necessarily what I wanted or what I was comfortable with.  That led to low confidence, which started to erode away slowly.  That was the trigger for me to experience a bit of anxiety and it snowballed from there.  I realised that something wasn’t really right when I shouted at my cat for being hungry and meowing at me, something he does every single morning as he’s a very greedy cat, and it was just that that made me stand back and realise I needed some help as this wasn’t really me. This isn’t how I should react or how I normally react, so I decided to get some help.

Recognising the signs, Paul decided to enrol on a six weeks mood matters course at MyWellbeing College, available at www.bmywellbeingcollege.nhs.uk, and has never looked back; crediting the course with giving him the tools he needed to help to tackle the problem.

Paul is not alone in his experience; one in four people are affected by low mood, anxiety and stress.  Businesses can support their staff to address these issues by safeguarding staff wellbeing and addressing problems before they become severe, whilst also supporting staff when issues emerge.

To support good mental health, MyWellbeing College offers a range of tools which can be used to make a real difference to staff wellbeing, ensuring that employees who face these problems feel supported.  Options to manage life’s ups and downs and stress more effectively include a range of free online courses that people can access from the comfort of their own homes.  These can help manage stress overcome low mood, anxiety or eating problems.  The website also offers a range of free guides and tools. Phone advice, group or one-to-one courses at a range of locations are also available.

Gayle Porter, Clinical Manager, at MyWellbeing College said: “Anyone can be affected by stress, anxiety and or low mood during their lifetime. Research shows that one in four people will experience these symptoms on a mild to moderate level and additional support is available locally, rather than trying to manage problems alone.  MyWellbeing College helps to support people to get their life back on track by helping them develop new skills to overcome life’s stressors and demands, to improve not only wellbeing, but to work and live productively.”

The MyWellbeing College is open to anyone over the age of 16 who is registered with a GP in Bradford, Wharfedale, Airedale or Craven. People don’t have to go through their GP to enrol on a course, they can register online at www.bmywellbeingcollege.nhs.uk or give the enrolment team a call on 0300 555 5551 to chat through the range of options available.