Mental Health Awareness Week Blog 2026

It’s Mental Health Awareness Week this week.  The theme is Action.  The Mental Health Foundation have suggestions and resources on their website to support this (Mental Health Awareness Week | Mental Health Foundation).  Some of the suggestions link to themes in five ways to wellbeing.

In my clinical work, I work with people who have experienced traumatic events.  One of the things that has struck me over the years is the physical impact of traumatic experiences.  These can be relatively minor such as jumping at a spider in the house (unless you are scared of spiders). Or it can be much more frightening and prolonged and have a much longer-term impact on us.

When one is startled, one often gets an adrenaline rush which is the body’s way of preparing us for action.  There’s an evolutionary significance to this – it helped us get away from danger (the lions won’t get to us).  These days not all the threats are physical and the impact of the news and social media can also produce that adrenaline rush and this can lead to increased feelings of stress in our minds and bodies.   Feeling physically stressed is often linked to muscle tension, shallow breathing, feeling less able to eat – all preparation for a ‘flight response’.  Over time, this can be become habitual and our stress response starts when we look at the news or social media. 

So alongside being aware of our thoughts and mental health, can we also become more aware of our bodies?  Work in the Post-traumatic stress field has found that bodily memories are associated with traumatic memories (see e.g. Bessel van der Kolk).   One of the ways that researchers and clinicians have added to ways of treating Post traumatic stress disorder is through exercises that promote self-awareness of the body and how it is feeling.  Examples include yoga, tai chi, mindfulness and so on. 

Body self-awareness is usually described as interoception which we all develop.  Many children learn to stand on one leg but perhaps we don’t do this as well as adults due to lack of practice.  We become aware of our breathing and what our stomach may be doing and how these respond to anxiety.  We recognise when we need to use the toilet, when we’re hungry and when we may want to sleep.  We recognise that these internal feelings have an impact on our mood.  It’s harder to concentrate when we’re hungry or tired and some of us can get a bit .  But sometimes, we pay less attention to our feelings and the bodily impact of them – what’s going on when we feel anxious or angry or sad?  We can often identify breathing or muscle tension in these instances.  We often pay less attention to our internal body sensations when we’re feeling happy or relaxed or have a sense of achievement.  This can be equally important – if we recognise the physical sensations on these feelings, then we can learn or improve how to manage these too.  That may help us feel better and improve our wellbeing.  

There are many ways to do this but perhaps one of the simplest is to notice more what’s going on in your body.   How does it feel when you’re laughing at that terrible joke a family member has told you?  How does it feel when you’re sitting drinking a coffee  (or preferred drink) in a café and content to watch the world go ? 

As part of Mental Health Awareness week, the Take Action wheel has some suggestions (Take action this Mental Health Awareness Week | Mental Health Foundation) - Breathe, Notice Emotions, Move More are just some.

So perhaps this week, action doesn’t need to mean a grand plan or a dramatic transformation; it might simply mean pausing long enough to notice what your mind and body are telling you. A breath, a stretch, a walk, a moment of stillness — small actions can be powerful, and unlike most to-do lists, this one may actually leave you feeling better rather than more exhausted.