Mental Health and Wellbeing

Going for a walk to the park is one way to improve your mental health. 

One of the main contributors that can impact your mental health is stress. Your body is highly affected by lots of stress. Whilst you are zoning out and on a walk or cycling, you can be caught offguard by vehicles sounding their horn aggressively and for no reason at all. 

London is lawless at the moment and either the police, the council or both need to take action on those who are sounding their vehicle horn for no reason and issue an immediate penalty fine. This is not only antisocial behaivour, but is distressing to anyone else around as well as other road users. 

The Highway Code clearly states you cannot sound your vehicle horn unless it's in the event of another person or road user causing an accident. 

Vehicle owners should be prosecuted for noise and neighbourhood disturbances.

Severe noise has a huge impact on our daily lives. 

I love to swim and London does still have a lot of places to swim. I never regret time spent going swimming, I always leave happy. I joined a local tennis and bowls club years ago and these activities keep me physically fit and because I help to run the club and the club gardens, mentally active. Membership costs money but it's about £230 per year, so it works out cost per play is minimal over that year. We have social events too, quizzes, new year and joint birthday parties in our hall - I consider that I lucked out when I moved near the club, it's a big part of my life and what keeps me happy. It's owned and run by the members we keep costs as low as possible so we can be a community club. I learned to sing over many years, learning music and lyrics to the songs very old and some new really helps keep your mind sharp. I like visiting art galleries and appreciate that there is so much culture in London for a treat when I can afford it.  I'm currently working on a GLA Innovation project, Open London, we have an online community where we discuss Health, Social Care, Housing, Green Energy, Sustainability and Green Transport in London, to find out how innovation could help Londoners, it runs until 15th September 2023, please join us if you have anything to add. https://openlondon.crowdicity.com

Hmm....  The assumption here and everywhere, notably in funding and NHS and council community provision, is that there is no such thing as physical disability, only people's emotional discomfort exists. Despite the posts below, mentioning being unsafe on the street in a wheelchair, everyone is 100% physically fit.  Everyone can "go for a walk" and "go to see friends" and "go to arts and entertainments and museums" and "go and enjoy nature" 

Hi everyone, I am new here. I decided to check with the City Hall's website as a result of being ignored by my local council. I just came to a point to express my feelings. I do think being homeless or not knowing if you will be in a safe environment for long or not has a great impact on mental health. Pills are effective, therapy works, being social and having conversation with other people also a bonus, eating somehow helps, but without having a nice sleep everyday and not being able to have your own space(no matter how small or big) is the worst thing that can happen to someone who lives in London. Personally, I think my anxiety is being extremely increased by the life conditionals I am dealing with. Thanks for allowing me to express my thoughts here. 

Sleepless nights are being caused by neighbourhoods and disturbances from car noise in the form of excessive revving and hooting for no reason at all hours even at night. Why is there no law and order against this in deprived areas? This can affect anyone's wellbeing. Every London Council needs CCTV with actual enforcement, and stop any unbearable noise going on during working hours for those working from home and when sleeping at night. 

In my neighbourhood what causes a lot of stress and poor mental health is the standard of the environment and this is out of many Londoners control. It is important that leaders understand the issues that cause poor mental health in the first place.

You walk out of your house and facing you is

Rubbish, fly tipping, litter, filthy frontages, bins left out, poor environmental standards overall

HMOs, noise, poor maintenance of many properties including the social homes. General disrepair and slum like appearance of the area

People using public spaces ie parks as their own space with no consideration for others. playing loud music, large gatherings with ASB, drug taking, public urination etc

Hire bikes everywhere, just dumped with no consideration of others. Cyclists jumping red lights.

Inefficient councils, poor response, no way to talk to anyone directly, full mailboxes, no response to emails, no returned calls. No replies from MP.

Lewisham home’s disgusting management of properties and scarce public assets and disrespect for tenants, the neighbourhood and the tax payer. 

Fear of crime, especially among those with teenagers.

I am not exaggerating when I say many of my neighbours say they shut their door on it all as history has taught them Deptford will be ignored 

Mental health in our community would be greatly improved by the council and leadership in London understanding the importance of the above and tackling it.

Supportive communities , that help people through difficult times, are breaking down, people are leaving London because of many of the above issues

I like to make a simple checklist of items to do in the morning which really help me to feel like I've accomplished something & started my day proactively!

Example of my morning:

• Make my bed
• Drink a coffee whilst sitting/walking outside

• I've gone off of social media apps mostly and only use a few but make minimal posts.
• Try to go for a daily walk
• Decluttering my space and selling old belongings online 
• Avoiding takeaways - making sure I'm eating healthy foods so I'm looking after my body
• Going to the gym - if I'm finding it hard to go I find that booking classes helps.

I like visiting art museums, galleries, and anything cultural. There are a lot of free events in London but usually very busy or sold out and hard to access for people with mental health issues. a lot of museums don't have concessions. I think in current times of crisis art should be free to all, and it has health benefits!

I have no income and try to access as much free as I can but a lot can still be done like more funding for art therapy workshops, ceramics, painting, performance, etc... to me they are as important to my mental health as eating well and maintaining good fitness.

I walk my commute, I walk alond the Thames path part of it. Although chunks of the Thames Path have been closed recently in Tower Hamlets and I have to take diversions along some pretty horrific main roads-which takes away some of the positives! Generally though, walking to work is amazing for my mental health. It Gives me time to think, time to myself, time to be outside, time to listen to music and podcasts-I love it. 

I try to go out as much as possible but due to other actions this is proving more and more difficult. The pavements are now no longer safe due to being used by escooter users and cyclists plus many pavements are now in such a poor state. Earlier this year I went down one pavement and it caused damage to my mobility scooter which had to be repaired at my cost. Coupled with this the ULEZ expansion means that the frequency with which I visit my children and grandchildren will be greatly reduced. All in all I may be in a position to leave my home perhaps twice a month. Very depressing.

It has been a long road throughout my mental health and in the past two years I have written three self-help blog books on subjects that I feel that I had to address. I share a little of my story and though-provokingly work through a solution for my imbalanced brain. www.scriptureofbalance.co.uk/

This was after the death of my Beloved Father.

When I go through mania, I tend to write my articles on Medium and then transfer them to my website. I have written over 170 blogs and keep up the site as it is advertised on my NELCA NHS work profile. https://www.northeastlondonhcp.nhs.uk/elhcp-patient-&-carer-representat…

I did a research project at the beginning of the year in Art Therapy, bearing in mind I had not drawn for over 40 years of my life as I thought I couldn't.
This project was for five months, two days a week and once It was over, I haven't stopped drawing.

I use my own project to reach people so that they know that they are not alone in their thoughts.

I have worked for the past ten years, voluntarily at St Joseph's Hospice in Hackney as a Complementary Therapist in the Neurological Group for a couple hours every other Monday. I love to encourage patients.

The voluntary work that I do for the community.

I work as a Patient Representative for the Northeast & North Central Cancer Alliance. I do some work in Patient Advisory and Psychosocial harm also helping to improve services.

I work for the Psychologial Services (NHS) for Newham, Hackney and Tower Hamlets as a Patient participant. We are trying to improve the psychological services in NE London. Once a month I chair a focus group and take part on the interview panels for psychologists.

I volunteered as a befriender for Newham Renewal Programme to encourage people throughout the pandemic.

These projects are what help to keep me grounded. They also help me to connect with people who are struggling and let them know that they are not alone.

I talk to people around me and socially interact in diverse conversations. However I do like to choose isolation at times walking dog for fresh air and excercise. All help with reduced Anxiety Stress and Anger management techniques. I also listen to people who feel they need to share their problems it often helps to share a veiwpoint.