It is a busy month with two major health and wellbeing
campaigns.
Take the Stoptober
challenge
Stoptober is back for 2016 to encourage smokers across England
to make a bid to give up during October.
Stoptober has encouraged almost one million to
try and quit smoking to date, with thousands more likely to take
part this autumn, and this year there are plenty of ways for people
and partners to get involved.
Launched in 2012, Stoptober is the challenge
from Public Health England to give up cigarettes over a 28 day period.
It encourages and supports smokers across
England towards quitting for good. Stoptober is based on the
insight that if you can stop smoking for 28-days, you are five
times more likely to be able to stay quit for good.
The campaign chunks down the quitting process,
presents it as a more manageable 28 days and rallies people around
a specific date to get started.
· No matter how long
you’ve smoked for, quitting can help improve your health straight
away.
· You’ll have much
more cash in your pocket. If you smoke a packet a day, you could
save around £250 each month!
· You’re more
likely to live longer and have more energy for quality time with
your children, family and friends.
Find out more with Public Health England and
see what resources are there to help you quit at www.nhs.uk/oneyou/stoptober/home
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October Is Depression Awareness Month
We all have times when our mood is low, and
we’re feeling sad or miserable about life. Usually these feelings
pass in due course.
But if the feelings are interfering with your life
and don’t go away after a couple of weeks, or if they come back
over and over again for a few days at a time, it could be a sign
that you’re experiencing depression.
With depression the feelings of being sad,
hopeless or fed up don’t just go away. They can last for months,
and become so intense that carrying on with everyday life can
become impossible.
There are so many psychological and physical
symptoms to depression, it can be hard to spot. These are some of
the most common, so if you’ve experienced four or more for most of
the day, nearly every day for over two weeks, it might be time to
talk to someone – friend, colleague family member, the Trust
Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) or visit your GP for help.
Depression can affect anyone and it can be
especially hard to spot the symptoms if you’ve been feeling the
same way for a long time. Many people find they also experience
anxiety alongside their symptoms, so nausea,
breathlessness and headaches are all signs that it might be time to
get help.
Depression is common, and in its mildest form
most people can lead a healthy and active life with the right
treatment and support. On the more severe end, depression can be
devastating, getting help early can be vital. Talk to someone about
it and don’t go through it alone.
For more details on how to access the Trust
EAP, visit;
http://www.secamb.nhs.uk/staff_zone/my_working_life/health__wellbeing.aspx
Further support and resources can also be
accessed via
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Depression/Pages/Introduction.aspx
Keep in touch with what is happening with our month long
Twitter campaign.