11-17 May 2015 is Mental Health Awareness Week and the theme this year is Mindfulness. 

South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust is supporting Mental Health Awareness Week with a week-long series of events in May around the theme of mindfulness.  Mindfulness – which teaches people to focus on the present moment – can help us enjoy the world more and understand ourselves better. Mindfulness is known to be successful in helping people with mental and physical health problems, from stress, depression and anxiety to chronic pain, eating disorders and concentration. It can also boost our productivity at work, and give us a greater enjoyment of life.

Everyone is invited to the Trust’s Mental Health Awareness Week public open events. There are two open events, one at Tolworth Hospital and one at Springfield University Hospital.
 

Tolworth Hospital – Wednesday 13th May

An open morning with a Mindfulness workshop will be held at Tolworth Hospital on Wednesday 13 May. It will be held in Hughes Room A and B. 

The morning will start at 10.00am and end at 1.00pm. There will be information stalls in the morning followed by the mindfulness workshop which will be between 12pm to 1pm. Refreshments will be provided.

Directions to Tolworth Hospital: http://www.swlstg-tr.nhs.uk/contact-us/find_us/tolworth_hospital/
 

Springfield University Hospital – Friday 15th May

An open day with a Mindfulness lunch will be held at Springfield University Hospital on Friday 15 May. It will be held in Conference Room A & B.

The open day will start at 10.00am and end at 5.00pm. The exercise therapy team will hold activities in the morning, and the Mindfulness lunch will be between 1.30pm and 2.30pm. A light lunch will be provided, or you can bring your own. 

There will also be information stalls all day and The Book People will be holding a book sale in the canteen.

There is also a Learning Disabilities Awareness Conference on the 12th May which highlights the Trust and community initiatives that raise awareness and support service users and carers living with learning disabilities. 

David Bradley, Chief Executive at South West London and St. George's Mental Health NHS Trust, said: 

“We are proud to be supporting Mental Health Awareness Week.  We know that one in four of us will be affected by mental illness in any year and that 9 out of 10 people say that their problems are made worse by experiencing stigma and discrimination. We want to open up our Trust and services so that the local community can come along, meet us and find out what we do and how we help the local community. Come and join us on our open days and celebrate the week.”

More details of all our events, including the public open events and the Learning Disabilities Awareness Conference is available here. 

Find out more about the national campaign at The Mental Health Foundation website and more about mindfulness at www.bemindful.co.uk. 

Directions to Springfield University Hospital: http://www.swlstg-tr.nhs.uk/contact-us/find_us/springfield_university_hospital/

South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust look forward to welcoming you!