Mental Health Week

In many ways, mental health is just like physical health: everybody has it and we need to take care of it.

Good mental health means being generally able to think, feel and react in the ways that you need and want to live your life. But if you go through a period of poor mental health, you might find the ways you’re frequently thinking, feeling or reacting become difficult, or even impossible, to cope with. This can feel just as bad as a physical illness, or even worse.

Mental health problems affect around one in four people in the UK, so it’s all around us. The construction industry is typically a male dominated one, and it can be hard to not only acknowledge that you may have a problem but to discuss it and share with someone is even harder.

5 Warning signs of mental illness:

Long lasting sadness or irritability
Extremely high and low moods
Excessive fear, worry or anxiety
Social withdrawal
Dramatic changes in eating or sleeping habits

Sharing your experiences about mental health challenges can help in your own recovery as well as offer encouragement and support to others with similar experiences.