MENTAL HEALTH MONTH

Healing the body and soul one bite and one step at a time.

Mental Health Month is celebrated throughout Australia every October.  It’s aim: to raise awareness and support for the 1 in 5 Australians that are living with a mental illness.  Each year there is a special theme dedicated to this important celebration of life’s struggles, individual perseverance and community support.  This year the theme is “beYOUnique” and its focus is on the positive impact that accepting, understanding and being proud of who we are can have on our overall wellbeing.

To us, being proud also means taking the time to care for ourselves and a vital component of self care is nutrition and exercise.  Taking the time to choose healthy foods that nourish our bodies and our minds is an important way to honour ourselves, as is getting outdoors for some physical exercise.   Physical and mental health are undeniably linked and therefore when considering the wellbeing of our bodies, we inevitably think of supporting healthy minds.  

This Friday, October 10 is World Mental Health Day and Omeio will be supporting this important day by sponsoring the “Beating the blues” walk in Prince Alfred Park, near Central Station, Sydney.  

The event is brought to you by Anglicare, reclink Australia, Richmond PRA, and the City of Sydney.   Registration kicks off at 10:30am (please note that you will have to register with Anglicare beforehand to secure a spot - more info on the flyer) and the walk commences at 11:00am for an hour.  Prince Alfred pool will also be open for free from 12pm onwards for those who have registered and there will be a yoga and meditation tent, as well as a Speakers’ Tent housing some inspiration guest speakers for the day.  A healthy lunch will also be provided.  All of this for the wee price of a gold coin donation!

So why, you might ask, should I take notice? Let us answer you with facts.

Did you know that:

• During a one-year period, anxiety disorders will affect 14% of the population and depression will affect 6%.

• Depression is one of the most common conditions in young people and increases during adolescence.

• Women are more likely than men to use services for mental health problems. Approximately two-thirds of people with a mental illness do not receive treatment in a 12-month period.

• It is estimated that up to 85% of homeless people have a mental illness.

(Source: Anglicare Sydney)