Connacht GAA Council and the HSE partner to promote
and the ‘#littlethings’ Positive Mental Health & Wellbeing Campaign
Connacht GAA Council and the
HSE were delighted to announce their partnership to support #Littlethings &
the ‘Connecting for Life’ strategy at the launch of the 2016 Connacht GAA
championship at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence in Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo on
the 11th of May 2016. The aim of the campaign is to reduce deaths in
our communities by suicide.
#littlethings is a positive mental
health and wellbeing campaign. This campaign was first launched by the HSE’s
National Office for Suicide Prevention in October 2014.The #littlethings
campaign highlights the importance of protecting and nurturing one’s mental health.
In June 2015, an
Taoiseach Enda Kenny, launched ‘Connecting for Life’, Ireland’s new National
Strategy for Suicide Prevention in Ireland 2015-2020. The new strategy succeeds
and builds upon ‘Reach Out’, Ireland’s first Strategy for Suicide Prevention
for the period 2005-2014. ‘Connecting for Life’ sets out a vision of an Ireland
where fewer lives are lost through suicide, and where communities and
individuals are empowered to improve their mental health and wellbeing..
John Prenty Provincial Secretary to the Connacht Council said
“the littlethings campaign helps to highlight the importance of protecting our
mental health. We are delighted to be taking the lead in the campaign within
the GAA community following on from the work that was carried out last year
with Galway, Mayo and Roscommon county boards and we now have all the Connacht
Counties involved for 2016 with the addition of Leitrim and Sligo GAA in the
further development and rollout of the campaign. We are proud of the
partnership and commitment that has gone into the creation of the upcoming
events planned throughout the Connacht championship. We fully support this
effort to help promote positive mental health and reduce death by suicide”.
Commenting on strategy, Tony Canavan, Chief Officer for CHO Area
2 (Galway, Mayo & Roscommon) said “’Connecting for Life’ is an ambitious
strategy which sets a target to reduce suicide and self-harm by 10% over the next
five years. As a service, despite financial constraints, we have maintained and
will continue to maintain mental health as a priority. Suicide prevention is
everyone’s concern and this strategy is a national plan for the whole of the
country and the whole of society to work together.”
John Meehan Area Business Manager for Galway/Roscommon Mental
Health Service notes “Looking after our mental health is a cornerstone of
improving the health of our people. It is as important as physical
health. As a service we have been putting the structures in place to try to
ensure that people get the right type of mental health treatment in the right
place and above all at the right time. We have developed services in
primary care for those who have mild and moderate mental health needs. We are
continuing to develop care for those who are acutely unwell. We are
finally seeing a breakthrough in some of the recruitment challenges that didn’t
allow us to provide as extensive a service as we would like. We are
committed to replacing the old mental hospital and plan to construct a new
purpose built facility in Galway City to replace older units in Ballinasloe and
on the University Hospital site. One size doesn’t fit all in mental health and
the range of services reflects this. As part of the suicide strategy, we need
to connect with ourselves, our families, our communities and the services that
are on offer.”
John Hayes CHO Area 1(Donegal, Leitrim & Sligo) said,
‘Connecting for Life’ Strategy“ will serve to promote the mental health of the
population including reducing loss of life by suicide, as communities and
individuals will be empowered to promote and improve their mental health and
wellbeing. The HSE will play a pivotal role through its work in the National
Office for Suicide Prevention, the Mental Health Division, the Health and
Well-being Division, the Primary Care Division and the Acute Hospitals
Division. We look forward to leading, supporting and collaborating on this
comprehensive strategy.”
Mick Rock, Provincial President for Connacht GAA said “At some
stage of our lives we may all struggle emotionally, The GAA throughout Connacht
has always prided itself on being there for its members in times of need and we
are supportive of both the national strategy “Connecting for Life and the
#littlethings campaign”.
Director of the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) Mr
Gerry Raleigh said, “Our focus is to reduce suicide. ‘Connecting for Life’
provides clear direction. We have developed the strategy by following a
collaborative, inclusive and evidence informed pathway. We must now move into
focused action and be accountable for what we do to reduce suicide in Ireland.
We recognise that we cannot do this alone, no single agency, no single
Government Department, no single individual can reduce suicide on their own.
Therefore, we must ensure that we work together to achieve our shared and
attainable goal for our nation.”
Ciarán
Lynch, Galway Mental Health service says that part of the #littlethings campaign is putting local awareness initiatives in
place that will help improve people’s mental wellbeing through simple
practices. We see the GAA as central part to many of our communities and we are
very grateful that Connacht GAA see the importance of minding ones mental
health and have given us a massive commitment to promoting both the
“#littlethings and Connecting for Life” strategy. To get our message to the
supporters of all the Connacht Counties is essential to the campaign being
successful. There are some simple,
evidence-based little things that can make a big difference to how a person
thinks and feels.
The ‘little
things’ campaign has three key messages to share:
·
We
all experience life’s storms – the day-to-day difficulties that are an
ordinary, everyday part of life. Things like stress, grief, and feeling down,
worried or anxious.
·
There
are things that you can do for yourself and others that will have a positive
impact on how you feel and how you cope.
·
You
can find out more about the #littlethings and about mental wellbeing on www.yourmentalhealth.ie
Here are the 9 #littlethings that can make a
difference to our mental health and wellbeing
Keeping Active:
Being active every day, something as simple as a walk, is proven to have a
positive impact on your mood.
Talking about
your problems: Problems feel smaller when they are shared with
others, without having to be solved or fixed, just talking about it will do you
good
Looking out for
others: Lending an ear to someone else in trouble, or
catching up with somebody who seems distant, can change their day, or their
lives. You don’t have to fix it for them – just listening is a huge help.
Doing things
with others: Taking part in a group activity that you enjoy is
proven to have a positive impact on how you feel, be it a game of football,
joining a choir, volunteering.
Eating Healthy: a
regular healthy, balanced and nutritious diet will help both your physical, but
also your mental health, and have a positive impact on how you feel.
Staying in touch:
Catching up with friends and family is good for our mental health, reminding us
that we’re part of a community, and having a positive impact on how we feel
Drinking less
alcohol: For the average Irish drinker, reducing alcohol will
have a positive impact on their health and mental wellbeing, making it easier
to cope with day to day difficulties and stresses.
Sleeping well:
Getting a good night’s sleep of 7 or 8 hours, as often as you can, will have a
positive impact on how you feel. Protect your sleep if you can, it will do you
good.
Add friend to
your tea: arrange to meet friends for socialising
To see #littlethings at work
@littlethingshub on twitter, Facebook and www.yourmentalhealth.ie It will do you
good and could help someone else
A copy of ‘Connecting for
Life’ can be found here