The theme for this year’s World Mental Health Day is, “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change.” As you may or may not know, 2wish was born out of grief. Our founder and CEO, Rhian Mannings, chose to boldly embrace her own lived experience to ensure no other suddenly-bereaved person of a young person will face their loss alone. In fact, many of our staff members at 2wish joined the charity because of our own lived experience of bereavement, and the weight of the grief it brings with it. We recognised the value of support along our own journeys and wanted to extend that to others. We share this to say, “We hear you, we see you and we are here for you.”  

Supporting our own mental health has been, and continues to be, paramount to our wellbeing and our individual journeys. We felt it would be appropriate to honour World Mental Health Day by sharing some of the ways we personally find helpful. Take what you need, share what you can, and take a moment just for you.  

For me – I love a hug! I have always loved hugs! What I never knew was that there’s real science behind the power of a hug, which is my go-to response when my mental health slides down the wrong end of my emotional scale. When we’re grieving and feelings of despair overwhelm us, our bodies flood with the stress hormone cortisol. This hormone is released into our bodies because the emotional trauma of our deep, profound loss is perceived by our brains as a threat to our own survival. By engaging in a long, sustained hug of at least 20 seconds, the brain releases a powerful surge (picture a tidal wave) of the “bonding” or “love” hormone oxytocin into our bloodstream. This directly tells our brain the danger has passed and our cortisol production drops. If you’re alone, or hugging isn’t comfortable for you, a self-hug works the same way. Wrap your arms tightly around yourself, place your hands on your shoulders, and squeeze in some self-care.