William begins by saying: "Everyone knows that feeling, when life gets on top of us. All over the country, millions of us face challenges to our mental health, at all ages, at all intensities, and for all sorts of reasons. We feel stressed, low, anxious or have trouble sleeping. Me. You.
Harry continues: "Your brother. Your mother. Your colleague or your neighbour. Waiting, wondering, hoping, hurting. We think there is nothing to be done, nothing we can do about it."
Meghan adds: "But that is so wrong. There are things we can do. From today, there's a new way to help turn things around. Every Mind Matters will show you simple ways to look after your mental health."
Kate said: "It will get you started with a free online plan, designed to help you deal with stress, boost your mood, improve your sleep, and feel more in control."
Towards the end, Kate says "We can all benefit from taking simple steps to look after ourselves". Followed by Meghan "And help those around us".
People reports:
“When they heard about it, all four of them were really keen to take part,” says a royal source. “It is a really positive project, and all four of them have been involved and they hope it will have a huge impact.”
The mini-film was written by Four Weddings and a Funeral director Richard Curtis. A longtime mental health advocate, Curtis recorded the audio with each royal individually (you might recall the Court Circular recorded William and Kate's meetings with him on separate days last month). He also travelled to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor to record Harry and Meghan.
More from the Telegraph:
'The project, called Every Mind Matters, has been coordinated by Public Health England in partnership with the NHS and is endorsed by the Royal College of General Practitioners. Its website is intended to help people take simple steps to look after their mental health, including a five-stage quiz which then automatically generates a "personalised mind plan" including tips such as muscle relaxation, breathing exercises, taking exercise and keeping an anxiety diary.'
The National Health Service is backed by a number of mental health charities and campaigns including Heads Together. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "I want to put on record my admiration for the way the princes and the duchesses have contributed to changing how society in the UK, and around the world, think about mental health and their own bravery in speaking out about it. This is one of the most clear examples of them taking that lead and supporting us in a very important project."
The Times reports:
'Their answers will generate a personalised “mind plan” — five tips that PHE says are grounded in scientific evidence about improving mental wellbeing. Examples include getting off the bus a stop early to get more exercise and so make it easier to sleep, making time to chat to a friend to combat loneliness and setting aside time to deal specifically with worries.
The site is not for severe problems but contains a “panic button” that provides contact details for the Samaritans and other support organisations.
Videos on muscle relaxation and positive thinking also feature along with links to free online courses about overcoming stress and suggestions for where to get support for money, relationship and other worries. Launching the campaign, Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said: “Our health — both physical and mental — is an asset that needs to be nurtured. Every Mind Matters will benefit us all with an accessible tool to help manage our wellbeing at the click of a button.”
Visit the Every Mind Matters website here to take the quiz. I think often times so many can relate to putting themselves at the bottom of their list of priorities, ignoring stress, anxiety or worries even though they are affecting your mental health. The quiz is a means of checking your own mental health, assessing how you are, and offering options to help.
It's wonderful to see the royals narrating this and continuing their mental health efforts. The video was beautifully done, it was excellent to see an array of famous faces giving their time to support the initiative.
As someone who suffers from depression and anxiety, I really appreciate all the work William, Kate, Harry and now Meghan, are doing to put mental health on the map. Even now, admitting to even mild mental health problems is hard and can be stigmatising. For many people, getting help early can stop mild mental wellness challenges spiralling deeper into severe problems. The Sussexes and the Cambridges getting behind these initiatives makes a world of difference both in the practical help available and in letting it be known that it’s okay to admit you aren’t okay. Annie, UK
ReplyDeleteI agree 100% Annie. I had anxiety my whole life I just really didn't understand it and certainly didn't want to give into the stigma. No way. This is such an impressive campaign!! Love the 4 together.
DeleteI'm so proud of them for continuing to be a collective voice and advocate for mental health and stigma reduction. I would love to sit and talk with the four of them about their work on mental health and share some ideas and insights.
ReplyDeleteAs a minister, I have so many conversations with people about mental health crises and challenges. As someone who lives with depression, anxiety, and PTSD, I have been on a mission to make my faith community a safe place for anyone (whether a congregant/parishioner or someone from the community) to come and talk about mental health struggles/illnesses. Tearing down the stigma is hard work that requires patience, raising awareness, educating, and being willing to not just welcome those who are struggling, but also to be a guest to their struggles and meet them where they are.
Mental health challenges are very difficult to live with, and more often than not, one feels like their in a deep trench trying desperately to find a way out of the darkness and emotional pain. That's when we need a friend who is willing to get in the trench with us and help us find a way out.
Through their passion and work on mental health, William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan are willing to get in the trenches and help others find their way out - together.
Thank you Sarah for being someone who listens, someone that others can turn to. May your mission be blessed.
DeleteYour church sounds like a wonderfully safe place to be.
DeleteBluhare, we are certainly doing our best to make it a safe place to be on many different levels. I have seen firsthand that if someone in a faith community does not feel they can speak with their pastor/minister/rabbi/Imam about a mental health challenge with which they are struggling, he or she is far less likely to seek help from any other professional resource and far more likely to try and deal with everything alone. Just as the stigma around mental health continues to be a grave issue in our global communities, it is also an equally grave issue in faith communities. In addition to my role as minister and mental health advocate, I am working to pursue licensure as a clinical mental health counselor so that I can better serve my faith community and the broader community too. We need many more licensed counselors across the globe as suicide, mental health challenges and crises continue to increase across every age group.
DeleteA very powerful film for such an important cause. It's great to hear the four working together. Here's hoping it will end some of the negative stories. Thank you, Charlotte.
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Annie UK and Sarah NC, THANK YOU for starting the conversation here. You are both greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. I think the engagement of the four royals is impressive. A generation before it would not have been possible, I guess. And it is so smart to give a little hint to all those who like to suggest that they are on bad terms with each other.
ReplyDeleteBonjour Charlotte et toute la communauté.
ReplyDeleteLes deux couples continuent leurs projets sur la santé mentale.
Je ne peux que les féliciter.
Parler de ses difficultés, ce n'est pas ce qui a poussé Harry à porter plainte contre les tabloïds pour soutenir sa femme ?
Il a bien dit qu'il lui était difficile de voir souffrir en silence la personne que l'on aime...!
Avant de s'occuper des autres il faut pouvoir s'occuper de soi!
Je leur souhaite une bonne chance pour cette campagne.
Charlotte,
Bien que nouvellement arrivée sur ce site que j'apprécie beaucoup par ailleurs, je trouve que l'enthousiasme d'antan par rapport à Meghan n'y est plus.
Je l'ai remarqué lors des commentaires sur la tournée.
Comme dit Harry," sa femme n'a pas changé depuis son mariage ".
Je trouve depuis l'histoire des "jets privés", on lui accorde" moins de respect".
Ses tenues sont toujours critiquées au détriment des actions qu'elles mènent !
Sans vouloir vous "offenser" ou vous indiquer ce que vous avez à faire Charlotte, il me semble qu'il serait souhaitable que vous fassiez le tri parmi ceux qui critiquent systématiquement les tenues de Meghan.
Je trouve que des tabloïds la dénigrent assez pour qu'un site comme le vôtre laisse porter des commentaires parfois" limites "sur elle.
Loin de moi Charlotte, l'idée de vous manquer du respect.
Anne -Sophie
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Anne Sophie je partage votre avis sur le fait que Meghan reste beaucoup critiquée sur ce site sur ses choix vestimentaires. Je l'ai fait aussi jusqu'à ce q je comprenne 2 choses elle est comme chacun de nous elle a ses propres choix et même si elle devait écouter tout le monde elle ne ferait pas l'unanimité. On s'habille parce qu'on ne peut pas marcher sans vêtements. Par rapport au public ce qui semble important pour elle est qu'on se focalise pas sur ses vêtements mais les causes qu'elle défend, les évènements qui justifient qu'elle soit là à ce moment là. Laissons effectivement aux tabloïds leur soin sans pareil pour trouver la petite bête et essayer de créer des faux débats justement pour biaiser l'opinion et amoindrir l'impact de son message et de ses actions. Ses critiques les plus féroces sont des femmes qui sont au cœur de plusieurs de ses initiatives. C'est ainsi. Merci charlotte pour ce site et pour le courage de vous élever au dessus des autres avec une autre vision. Christelle depuis la côte d'ivoire
DeleteMerci Christelle de partager mon point de vue.
DeleteJ'ai toujours l'impression qu'il y a un parti pris.
Bref.!
Ne gâchons pas l'ambiance générale.
Il y a beaucoup de personnes géniales qui font des analyses objectives sur le blog.
Charlotte n'est -elle pas l'exemple même ?
La santé mentale concerne tous les âges de la vie.
Je souhaite juste que le prince Harry prenne un peu de distance par rapport à son vécu et surtout qu'il arrive à dépasser le vide qu'a laissé sa maman.
Il est aujourd'hui époux et père de famille.
Qu'il vive sa propre vie.
La période de résilience est bien arrivée .
Bonne chance aux deux couples.
Anne -Sophie
Ed Sheeran visiting Harry and Meghan tomorrow?
ReplyDeleteI can't wait! Just saw the Sussexes' post on Instagram and had to come over here to see if anyone else was talking about it.
DeleteBravo to the four of them for lending their voices to such a vital campaign. Their continued dedication to mental health is helping bring it out of the shadows.
ReplyDeleteWell done.
ReplyDeleteI have to say when the 4 join forces, it puts a smile on my face. It’s a bit of right in the world and boy do we need it these days.
- Martine
So lovely to see the four of them together on a very worthy cause, least of which will hopefully quiet some of the naysayers. One question though, there is the video posted on here but when I click on it, it says the owner has withdrawn it? Is there somewhere else that we can view it? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteSheryl thank you, I've just added a different one.
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