World Mental Health Day was on 10 October and Ealing Council’s public health team have been working with Thrive LDN to bring a ‘Problem Solving Booth’ to Ealing.

On Tuesday 10 October between 12noon to 1.30pm the booth was positioned outside of Ealing Town Hall and between 3pm to 4.30pm outside of Southall Hall Town Hall.

The booth offered an open and inclusive way of helping Londoners to have conversations about mental health that they might not otherwise have the opportunity to have.

Mental wellbeing refers to the positive aspect of mental health, and includes positive feelings such as happiness and enjoyment.

It also refers to having good relationships with others, a sense of control and purpose in life, and being able to play a full part in family, friendships, workplace and community.

There are five simple steps and changes which everyone can do to make a significant difference to personal mental health.

• Connect: Connect with the people around you. With family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. At home, work, school or in the local community. Building these connections supports and enriches every day.
• Be Active: Go for a walk or run. Step outside. Cycle. Play a game. Do some gardening. Dance. Exercising makes you feel good. Most importantly, discover a physical activity you enjoy and one that suits your level of mobility and fitness.
• Take Notice: Be curious. Catch sight of the beautiful and remark on the unusual. Notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment, whether you are walking to work, eating lunch or talking to friends. Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters.
• Keep Learning: Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Sign up for that course you’ve always talked about. Take on a different responsibility at work. Fix a bike. Learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favourite food. Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving. Learning new things will gives confidence as well as being fun.
• Give: Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thank someone. Smile. Volunteer your time. Join a community group. Look out, as well as in. Seeing yourself, and your happiness, linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and creates connections with the people around you.

Councillor Hitesh Tailor, cabinet member for adults and health said: "If you are struggling, or know someone who is, then I would encourage you to visit the ‘Problem Solving Booth’ on World Mental Health Day. There are times when we all find it useful to talk through problems as things happen in our lives. I’m not immune to this and have found the five steps to better mental health a valuable guide. They are so simple and easy to incorporate into our daily lives and do make a major difference to an individuals overall health."

For more information and ideas for each of the ‘Five Ways’ please visit www.ealing.gov.uk/.../mental_health_and_wellbeing

For information about local sources of support visit the Ealing CCG website www.ealingccg.nhs.uk/.../mental-health-services.aspx

If you are in a crisis, contact West London Mental Health NHS Trust’s Single Point of Access phone line on 0300 1234244, go to your GP or A&E.

For more information on Thrive LDN go to http://thriveldn.co.uk