January 17 this year marks what has become known as 'Blue Monday', the third Monday in January commonly dubbed “the most depressing day of the year”.
At a time when people can be struggling, Blue Monday can be an opportunity to encourage each other to open up about mental health - and one campaign in Newcastle is doing just that.
The Be A Game Changer campaign was launched by the Newcastle United Foundation, the charity arm of NUFC, in 2019, to increase awareness in the city and challenge the stigma that can often surround discussing mental health.
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The campaign provides a range of free programmes and activities to help NUFC fans and others in Newcastle with their mental health, by helping them to talk to others about their experiences.
“The reason we do this is because, unfortunately, in the North East we have one of the highest rates of suicide,” explains Thomas Graham, health and wellbeing senior project officer at Newcastle United Foundation, adding that in the UK men account for 75% of deaths by suicide.
“People may not be aware that mental health problems are actually quite common. One in four of us across the next year might experience a mental health problem,” Thomas explains.
“Which, if you're equating it to a football sense, that's like 13,000 of the 52,000 football fans that attend Newcastle United home games at St James’ Park.
“Through football, we feel that we've got the perfect target audience, when you look at those stats, to talk to men and get them openly talking about their own mental health experiences.”
Since the campaign was launched almost three years ago, it has helped countless people with their mental health. “We've had people actually say if it wasn't for the Be A Game Changer campaign that they wouldn't be here,” Thomas says. “So the Be A Game Changer campaign ultimately has saved their life.”
The Be A Game Changer campaign has five top tips for giving your mental health a boost, as Thomas explains in the video above.
Connect
The first piece of advice is to reach out to others, whether that means connecting with family, friends, or others that you trust. “You can do that in various different ways - it doesn't have to be face to face,” Thomas points out, for those who may not be comfortable speaking to someone in person.
“You can text people, you could write a letter to people, you can FaceTime people, or you can just talk over the phone.”
Stay active
The second tip is to keep your body active - but this doesn’t necessarily mean hitting the gym every day for an intense workout, explains Thomas.
“This could be simply going for a walk with the dog, or with some friends and family,” he says. “Doing anything that you really, really enjoy is the best advice we'd give anyone in terms of staying active.”
Give
Another way to boost your mental health is to give back to others, and there are plenty of easy ways to put a smile on someone else’s face without breaking the bank, Thomas points out.
In fact, it could be as simple as giving an hour of your time to check in with an old friend, or to reconnect with someone you have lost touch with.
Be present
One of the best ways to keep your mental health in good shape is “being in the here and the now,” Thomas advises. This means trying to avoid dwelling on things that have happened in the past, or worrying about what might happen in the future.
“If we're sitting around the table having a meal with family and friends, maybe avoid things like television and mobile phones,” Thomas says.
“Really check in with those people around the table, asking them questions like how they are, how their days have been - but also talking about your own experiences.”
Learn
The final piece of advice is to keep yourself motivated by taking on something new. “If you find yourself being in the same kind of routine or same pattern of life, really try and identify a new challenge, whether that's for work or from a personal perspective, to really challenge yourself and give you something new to do,” Thomas says.
For more help and advice, you can access the Newcastle United Foundation services on their Be A Game Changer campaign website .
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