National Stress Awareness Day

4th November 2020

National Stress Awareness Day falls on the first Wednesday in November each year. Some stress is good for us. It helps us to respond to changes in life. However, too much stress causes harm to our health and relationships. This year has been highly stressful for most of us.

However, you’re not alone with your mental health.

The Together Let’s Care for your Mental Health campaign aims to raise awareness of a range of mental health information and services to support people experiencing anxiety and other common mental health concerns.

Under the banner ‘Together Let’s Care for your Mental Health’ NHS 24, Police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service are able to signpost to a range of self-help guides and options for further support.

Information is available for a range of day to day concerns such as stress and anxiety, depression, young people’s mental health needs, alcohol, gambling and drug use.

Self-help guides are available 24 hours a day from NHSinform.scot/youmatterwecare .

Users are able to choose strategies for immediate support, using tried and tested self-care options, or where appropriate, may be guided to other means of support such as telephone helplines.

NHS 24 offers a range of mental health services in addition to the NHS inform self-help guides, including the 111 Mental Health Hub, and Breathing Space’s telephone and web chat services.

A new 24/7 Mental Health Hub provides support for those contacting the 111 service. In addition, people calling Police Scotland in mental health distress are also now offered access to the 111 Mental Health Hub service.

Collaboration work with the Scottish Ambulance Service is also underway to develop a similar pathway.