Nottinghamshire County Council is lending its support to this year's Mental Health Awareness Week, which began yesterday (Monday 15 May) and runs until Sunday (21 May).

The theme for this year is 'anxiety' with around 60 per cent of adults feeling anxious at some time or other. Anxiety is a normal emotion, but sometimes it can become overwhelming and is one of the most common mental health issues.

This year's focus aims to increase awareness and understanding of anxiety by providing information on the things that anyone can do to help prevent it from becoming a difficult challenge. There are tips and advice that can help to alleviate feelings of anxiety.

The NHS has set out Five Ways to Wellbeing which explains what people can do to address feelings of stress and anxiety. These are to: connect with others; be physically active; learn new skills; give your time to others; and pay attention to the present moment (mindfulness).

The county council webpages have a range of information and guidance on supporting your mental wellbeing which can be accessed by clicking here. Hints and tips for supporting your mental wellbeing can be also found on the Every Mind Matters webpages.

Councillor Scott Carlton, Deputy Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, and the Council's Mental Health Champion, said: "Over the last few years there has been a greater focus on people's mental health and wellbeing. Experiencing a pandemic and now dealing with cost-of-living increases along with other challenges, have caused us all a lot of anxiety which can sometimes be overwhelming. The first thing we can do is to talk to someone about how we're feeling.

"There is a wealth of information on the council's website, signposting to services that are available to help people through the challenges they're experiencing. The important thing to remember is that we all experience feelings of stress and anxiety from time to time and talking to someone is the first step to dealing with the situation. There isn't necessarily a single thing that causes anxiety, it's different for everyone, but everyone can do something to improve their wellbeing.

"We all need to look after our mental as well as physical health, as one affects the other. I believe there is now greater empathy about how circumstances can affect people differently, and the things we can all do to try and keep our minds - as well as our bodies -healthy."

Mental Health Awareness Week is hosted by the Mental Health Foundation and information about the week can be found on their website here.