Media Release Oct 05 2008

Building Resilience to help us Stress Less

One in five people will experience a mental health issue in the next 12 months, so as part of Mental Health Week (5-11 October) HKHS Mental Health Service is urging its communities to take some time out of their regular routines to care for their mental health.

The theme for this year’s mental health week is “Building Resilience” - the first stage of a three-year campaign with a focus this year on “Appreciating the little things in life”.

According to Declan O’Riordan, Director, Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Mental Health Service, in today’s fast-paced world, we are all under more stress than ever before.

“Whether it’s our mortgage, petrol and food prices, increasing workloads, lack of time or personal issues, most of us are under an increasing amount of pressure in our daily lives,’ he said.

“However, we are all born with the potential to develop resilience and we can learn skills to help ourselves stay positive in the face of these daily stressors. Resilience won’t make problems go away but it gives us the ability to think positively, see past the challenges, enjoy life and handle any stressors better,” said Declan.

Learning some relaxation techniques, having a positive approach, a good laugh, staying socially active, ensuring that we exercise and eat a well balanced diet and appreciating the little things in life are just some of things that people can do to build resilience and minimise stress.

Studies show that doing something as simple as keeping a gratitude journal can help us build emotional resilience.

“Writing down five positive things that you appreciate every day can help you maintain a positive mood. It’s about recognising and appreciating the little things in life and it helps us maintain a sense of optimism and appreciation of what we have,” said Declan.

As part of Mental Health Week, Stress Less Day will be held on Wednesday 8th October to remind people about the risks of excessive stress, to promote stress management and to encourage relaxation for the sake of good mental health.

On Stress Less Day come down and enjoy a free BBQ in your lunchbreak with the team from Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Mental Health Service and get some tips on how to ‘stress less’. The team will be cooking up a storm in the Hornsby Westfield Mall between 10.00 am – 2.00 pm and there will also be pamphlets available on mental illnesses and the support services available.

For further information about mental health and building resilience visit www.mentalhealth.asn.au or you can call the Mental Health Information Service weekdays on 1300 794 991.

We have a client or a carer available to interview and photograph about their experience in building resilience.

Media contact: Debbie Eldridge Ph: 9477 9155 : 0404 020 330

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