New ‘Minding Your Wellbeing’ HSE mental health resource launched
The programme consists of 5 video sessions (20 mins) which will be available via yourmentalhealth.ie.
The HSE Health & Wellbeing division and the Department of Health earlier this week launched a new free on-line mental health and wellbeing programme at www.yourmentalhealth.ie, which is part of the new national ‘Keep Well’ resilience campaign.
The Minding Your Wellbeing programme is an evidenced based programme for the public focusing on the promotion of mental wellbeing which has been adapted from a face-to-face programme into a series of free to view online videos to make it more accessible to the public at this time.
The programme consists of 5 video sessions (20 mins) which will be available via yourmentalhealth.ie. The content is focuses on:
1. Practicing Self-Care: Invites participants to develop and think about their own ‘self-care toolkit’ which includes all the healthy habits we can adopt for our mental health and wellbeing
2. Understanding Our Thoughts: Invites participants to reflect on their own thinking and how thinking patterns can impact wellbeing
3. Exploring Emotions: Invites participants to notice their emotions and increase their positive emotions to improve their wellbeing
4. Building Positive Relationships: Invites participants to nurture, value and foster positive relationships which are so important for mental wellbeing
5. Improving Our Resilience: Invites participants to build their resilience, learn about the building blocks of resilience including the importance of focussing on strengths.
Speaking about the programme, Minister of State for Public Health, Well Being and the National Drugs Strategy, Frank Feighan TD, said: “This new HSE resource is an excellent addition to the range of resources being made available to people as part of the Government’s Resilience campaign. I would encourage everybody to log into the yourmentalhealth.ie website and begin using these videos.”
Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler TD, added: “I would like to wholeheartedly welcome the Minding Your Wellbeing programme. Having online resources that are available 24 hours a day is a very valuable service, given the different circumstances people find themselves in. I would invite everyone to view the content online and commit to developing their own self-care toolkit.”
Dr Stephanie O’Keeffe, National Director, HSE Strategic Planning & Transformation noted that as people look for more support in relation to their mental health and wellbeing, it is important that they have access to practical evidenced based information. “The Minding Your Wellbeing series of videos provides this and this programme is part of our delivery on the Healthy Ireland Strategy and the Connecting for Life National Suicide Strategy.”
Anne Sheridan, HSE Programme Manager for Mental Health and Wellbeing also said: “Never before have so many of us needed to reflect on and purposefully mind our mental wellbeing. These videos give steps we can all take and incorporate into our busy lives to protect our mental wellbeing. Self-care is not a word many of us grew up with in Ireland but is a priority for us all now as there is no health without mental health.”
This is the first time that HSE Health and Wellbeing has developed a programme focussed on positive mental health for the public delivered in this way. With an increasing need for the use of online supports, and a move away from face-to-face training, it is hoped that programmes such as this will provide access and engagement for many people who wish to learn about how they can support their own mental wellbeing.
While people are being encouraged to complete all the sessions which are available to access 24/7, the message is to try one and progress from there.
Other supports are also available for people seeking support from mental health services which can also be viewed at www.yourmentalhealth.ie.