Month: November 2019

Last month saw the celebration of World Mental Health Day and HeadsUp worked with IAPT, MIND and Samaritans to bring information about services available in the local area. We were stationed at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford and also attended an EPUT recruitment event in West Essex where we discussed our services and the support available to anyone that needs us. We are always trying to promote positive mental wellbeing and often give tips on how to maintain good mental wellbeing on our social media channels, and we of course encourage our own HeadsUp participants to get fresh air when they can and chat to others about their experiences.

Along with staff being out and about we also had a photography competition for participants of the HeadsUp project with the photo entries representing ‘What wellbeing means to me’ our winning participants photo is above and had the sentence ‘ Majestic blooms of Cherry blossom appear in early Spring. Bringing with them hope of sunnier days and the potential of delicious tasting fruit.’ You may have seen this and other photos on our social media channels on the day! We should all take time out of our day to day activities to reflect and concentrate of our wellbeing as your mental health is important. For some, taking the time to go outside and reflect in the fresh air is very beneficial, taking your phone or camera to capture some of these moments we see outside can be very therapeutic

Around twenty years ago I went camping in Scotland, planning to pitch my tent at the top of Stob Coire Easain. At 1115 metres high it’s taller than Snowdon, so you’d think it would be easy to spot; but I climbed the wrong mountain. Reaching the summit of what should have been the highest peak around, I looked up at the mountain next door and realised I was in the wrong place. Checking the map, I realised I was on Creagan a’ Chaise. At 723 metres it was still a mountain, but not as high as I wanted to be; so I went down a bit and then carried on to get to the right peak.

When I first realised I was in the wrong place I felt a bit stupid. It would have been easy to make do and stay where I was, but I would have been looking up at the mountain I’d wanted to climb, imagining what the views were like and if I’d ever get the chance to wild camp at over 3,500 feet. I could have just given up, gone back down to Corrour station (as seen in the film “Trainspotting”) and got the next train south. Instead, I worked out where I was and how to get to where I wanted to be, feeling that the extra effort would be worth it in the long run. It was: no rain, no people and no midges. Stunning views all around. Bragging rights. On the way down in the morning I was able to pause and watch a herd of red deer in their natural habitat, surrounded by nothing but space.

We can all find ourselves feeling like we’re in the wrong place at the wrong time. It might feel like we should just give up or stay where we are, that we should write off our aspirations and “make do”. That’s not always the right decision, but neither is rushing head-long into something that requires a bit of planning. We can’t be held back by things that have happened in the past, but we can use those experiences to help us find the right path, to take stock of where we are now and where we want to be. Sometimes we can do this on our own, but sometimes we need a bit of help.

If you’re looking for that “bit of help”, then why not get in touch?

Geoff (HeadsUp Employer Engagement Manager)