Mental Health Awareness Week
Mental Health Awareness Week is taking place 9th-15th May and this year’s theme is loneliness. Feeling lonely is something that all of us can experience at any point and it can have a vast impact on our wellbeing. Over the last few years, the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the issue of loneliness and isolation, with many people experiencing loneliness themselves or taking action to support others. Loneliness has many impacts on your health:
- Loneliness is likely to increase your risk of death by 26%
- Loneliness, living alone and poor social connections are as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
- Loneliness is worse for you than obesity.
- Loneliness and social isolation are associated with an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease and stroke
- Loneliness increases the risk of high blood pressure
- Loneliness and social isolation put individuals at greater risk of cognitive decline and dementia
Loneliness in Blackburn with Darwen
Between October 2020 and February 2021, the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, from the Office for National Statistics asked:
How to get involved
In Blackburn with Darwen, we will be promoting the 5 Ways to Wellbeing to:
- Help Individuals maintain positive mental wellbeing and prevent loneliness
- Bring communities together to help reduce loneliness by using the 5 ways to Wellbeing
- More information can be found on on Wellbeing page