From the Mental Health Foundation
MHAW 2021 will run from Monday 10th May until Sunday 16th May 2021. The theme for the week will be “Nature and the Environment” which we hope will inspire a public conversation similar to that stimulated by the theme of “Kindness” in May this year.
Choosing this annual theme is never easy, but this year we were able to draw on evidence from the Foundation’s ongoing research into mental health during the coronavirus pandemic, which has shown that access to nature has been one of the main ways people have supported their mental health during lockdowns and the ongoing restrictions they are experiencing on living their lives as normal. We also know that protecting the environment is a social justice issue that has huge implications for our collective mental health, both now and for future generations.
However, while the evidence is clear that access to nature is crucial for our mental health, nature is not equally accessible for everyone. We will be bringing together this evidence and exploring via our polling and conversations with people with lived experience why nature is so vital for our mental health and the barriers that currently exist to everyone being able to enjoy those benefits.
The week is a chance for people to talk about all aspects of mental health, with a focus on providing help and advice. However, it is only successful because of your support, and the conversations you have with your own communities to champion the Foundation and good mental health for all.
We will be releasing more details about the theme and activities next year in the run-up to the week, so do please keep an eye on our website for updates on the week mentalhealth.org.uk/mhaw.
You could start the conversation today by sharing the following tweet:
‘Spending time in nature can be great for your mental health! This is why @mentalhealth have chosen the theme ‘Nature and the environment’ for #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek 10–16 May 2021’
Thank you for your support; we look forward to sharing with you more information about the role of nature and the environment in protecting and supporting our mental health, and how you can help make this more possible for everyone.
