Take time for some self-care
Today (Wednesday 4 November) is National Stress Awareness Day
At Meningitis Now we’re happy to support the day and echo its call for people to ‘take some time for some self-care’, particularly as we enter another period of lockdown with everything that brings with it.
Stress Awareness Day has never been more significant. We are learning to cope with the continuing challenges of COVID-19, in addition to living with the impact of meningitis. Our Helpline Manager, Claire Donovan, said: “Stress Awareness Day highlights the importance of taking time to look after yourself and breaking down what causes stress in your life.”
Health problems
“Failure to deal with stress in your life effectively can lead to serious health problems, including increased blood pressure, susceptibility to heart disease, a decline in your immune system and mental health problems.”
“Use Stress Awareness Day to take the time to examine your life and find out where all the stressors lie and start looking at what steps you can take to remove them or find ways to mitigate them.”
The following links will provide useful information about managing stress.
Online support
We recently undertook a coronavirus impact survey that highlighted that as many as three-quarters of people who have had a meningitis experience struggle at some point with their mental health and emotional wellbeing.
That’s why we recently held our first online mental health support event – Keep Connected – Let’s Talk about Meningitis and Mental Health – and continue to work hard to ensure that everyone who has been affected by meningitis can access the support they need.
We plan to hold further online support sessions in the coming months but, in the meantime, don’t forget that if you are struggling with the impact of meningitis, physically or mentally, we are here to help. Our nurse-led Helpline can be contacted by calling 0808 80 10 388 or emailing helpline@meningitisnow.org.
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Find out more about our support services.
