This month at The Kids Network, we’re dedicating our blog posts to exploring the theme mental health in acknowledgement of #MentalHealthMay.
One of our key motos at TKN is ‘connecting for change’, helping to build connections in local communities that support children to live the lives they deserve whilst allowing volunteer mentors to make positive, tangible change. We know that the connections we create are helping to tackle loneliness for our mentors and the children they support. .
Loneliness has become increasingly recognised as a leading public health issue with the percentage of adults in the UK who report feeling lonely rising from 5% to 7.2% since the pandemic, which can lead to a number of mental health issues including anxiety and depression.
In this blog post we share a series of hints and tips as well as explain how engaging with organisations like The Kids Network can support reduced feelings of loneliness and isolation.
How to feel less lonely
Talk to someone!
Sharing how you are feeling can be really impactful, and give the people around you the opportunity to help. Sometimes, when we feel lonely, we can also think we are alone in how we feel. Iit can be really affirming to share our feelings with others and, more often than not, we learn that they have also experienced similar experiencing feelings such as loneliness in their own way too. Remember, together we can help build each other back up.
Finding opportunities to reconnect with ourselves
In our busy lives, we may often feel it is impossible to, or even feel guilty about, stepping away from our mounting responsibilities and take time for ourselves. Yet without prioritising time to reconnect with ourselves, we are more likely to experience burn-out. Find something that works for you, creating fulfilling alone time can actually make time alone feel less lonely. We’ll be sharing our favourite tips on resting later in the month.
Building meaningful connections with others
Building connections with others as an adult can feel really difficult to do. Creating relationships with like-minded people, can be a great support and foster a sense of belonging that may be missing when we feel lonely. There are some great ways to build connections as an adult
- Reconnect with an old friend you’ve lost touch with
- Join a club or class that you’re interested in, like spinning, reading, hiking or art.
- Volunteer and join a make connections while supporting your community
Connecting with our community
Even if we have meaningful connections with ourselves and others, we may still lack a sense of belonging when it comes to wider society. This is more likely to be experienced by those who have experienced discrimination.
There are little things we can do to build connections with the world around us, such as attending local events in your borough, take time out in a local park or have a chat to a colleague over a cup of tea.
Join The Kids Network community today!
Through The Kids Network, you can volunteer with us to support a positive connection build a connection with a child and make a meaningful impact on their future, explore your local area and join our fabulous mentor community. To find out more about joining us as a volunteer visit our Become a Mentor page.
Get involved in Mental Health Awareness Week, 15 – 21 May 2023
During Mental Health Awareness Week, the Mental Health Foundation encourages you to:
- use the hashtag #ToHelpMyAnxiety to share experiences of anxiety and tips on how to support ourselves and others when feeling anxious. Sharing stories can help other people not feel so alone.
- talk about anxiety within your family, , in the workplace, and community. Use our tips on supporting people to connect with themselves, others and the world around them.
Further Resources:
https://actionforhappiness.org/
Mind.org.uk
