We can’t take mental wellbeing for granted
ONE of the most powerful moments for me as a community rabbi happened one Saturday morning after our Shabbat service last year.
A young adult had come to the synagogue for the first time and came to speak to me after the service.
They told me that they had been through a difficult time recently with mental health issues following a change in circumstance. They had come to synagogue in search of something, unsure exactly what that ‘something’ was.
Around a year later, this young adult has become a key member of our community and, through the power of community, has found a network and a second family – and we as a community have gained so much.
Though dark patches of mental health issues may still occur, this member of our community knows they have people around who care and that they are valued. When I reflect on the NHS’s five steps to mental wellbeing, I am convinced, through this story and others, that these steps can help us improve our mental health and wellbeing.
The five steps are: To connect with other people; be physically active; learn new skills; give to others; and pay attention to the present moment (mindfulness).
These steps are all something I try to practise in my everyday life and also explain why being part of a community can be so helpful to our mental health.
Yet, being a community rabbi, I also know of the complexities and brokenness of our mental health support in this country.
One evening, we held a listening evening with members of our community and we asked: “What affects you as a Greater Manchester citizen?”
In this evening, the majority of the stories shared centred on the impossibility of getting quality mental health support.
People reported how hard it was to get support when needed. I was told that only if you are in a crisis is it possible to get help, which means you are left waiting for months and months, which may well result in emergency care. I heard about poor in-patient care, prejudice and discrimination and I was so saddened and so angry.
Poor mental health support, and poor prevention strategies, play into so many areas that we as Mancunians care about – housing and homelessness, education and so on.
Charity Young Minds is clear about what must happen to create a bigger shift in our society towards better mental health support through their campaigns.
Their #FightingFor campaign envisages a new era for young people’s mental health, where help is available to every young person who reaches out.
You can find more about their individual campaigns on their website and ways you can help.
We can start, with ourselves, by practising the NHS’s five steps and by talking about our mental health.
Mental health is as important as our physical health and as deserving of support and help. Then we can lend our support to these campaigns that demand more of our government and agencies to ensure we prioritise quality mental health support.
These campaigns, with our support, will move us into a new era where we build resilient communities, which highly value wellbeing and a new era is truly realised.
● Robyn Ashworth-Steen is a Trustee of #WeStandTogether
● #WeStandTogether is the Greater Manchester Combined Authority brand for cohesion initiatives. You can contact #WeStandTogether on twitter @ WeStandTogether, Facebook @ WeStandTogetherBritain or by email on support@westandtogether.org.uk.