Mental Health Awareness Week 2024

Last week Cyclife Aquila Nuclear participated in Mental Health Awareness Week. It was an excellent opportunity to learn about the different types of mental health issues and break the stigma surrounding the topic. Every year, 1 in 4 people experience a mental health problem in England so it is important that we gain as much knowledge as possible on this topic.

CAN is dedicated to ensuring that all employees know what help, support, and resources they can get whilst at the workplace. We have two first aid trainers who have been trained and equipped with the skills to assist anyone facing a mental health challenge. As well as this, we have an internal toolkit for line managers and training for all employees on the different types of mental health issues and what to do if they notice that a colleague is struggling. By doing this, we ensure that all of our employees know how to access our resources.

As this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week theme is movement, we encourage you to incorporate this into your daily routine, even if it is taking a walk during your lunch break, going for a run, attending a sports class, or anything else. Simply moving your body will help to get those endorphins flowing. Endorphins can help improve your mood, reduce anxiety, and help you manage stress more effectively. Some other activities you could do to help improve your mental health include talking to your family and friends about how you’re feeling, eating healthy foods, practicing self-care and mindfulness, and ensuring you sleep for at least 8 hours.

To raise awareness and show support, the CAN team participated in Mental Health Foundation’s ‘Wear It Green Day’ in support of mental health – it was a great opportunity to have open conversations about how CAN can support our employees, beyond access to our mental health first aiders. What a turn out we had! It was great to see so many of our colleagues dress for the occasion including employees from the finance, admin, HR, commercial, engineering and project management teams.

Overall, this week has been extremely insightful, and we will continue to show our support for mental health throughout the year and ensure we are continually raising awareness and supporting those who need it.