September is Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF) Awareness Month. During this month, health charities, research institutes and support groups around the world provide information about Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive, incurable disease that affects the tissues in the lungs resulting in lung scarring. Overtime, this leads to a decline in lung function. Sufferers will notice an increase caughing and breathlessness.

For more information about Pulmonary Fibrosis and Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month, visit Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis.

If you are affected by pulmonary fibrosis Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis are here to help with information and support. Their telephone support service is for people living with pulmonary fibrosis, carers, family members and health and social care professionals.

The Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis support line: 01223 785 725

Social media hashtags: #PFMonth #BreathingLife #CurePF #pulmonaryfibrosis #UseYourLungs

International Relaxation Day 2024

International Relaxation Day will be held on the 15th August, 2024. A day to relax or choose to learn new relaxation techniques. Or perhaps take some time out in a busy day to relax. Since 1985, National Relaxation Day is held annually on the 15th August in the USA. Nowadays, with thanks to social media platforms many people around the world celebrate National Relaxation Day and more recently, International Relaxation Day.

Director of the National Wellbeing Service Ltd, Dr Stephen Palmer PhD who is a registered a Counselling and Health Psychologist said: ‘Research has found that relaxation techniques can reduce stress and anxiety and enhance performance. They are often used with coaching, counselling and therapy. These techniques are simple to learn and apply within one’s daily routines. The National Wellbeing Service launched an International Relaxation Day website in 2023 which has videos on easy to learn relaxation technques. Well worth a visit.’

International Relaxation Day is an opportunity to reflect and share the importance of relaxation and how people, families, organisations and communities can learn about applying relaxation in their daily lives and routines. Social media can be used to share what methods you have found useful to aid relaxation. You can use the hashtags: #InternationalRelaxationDay #InternationalRelaxationDay2024 #Relaxation

If National Relaxation Day is recognised in your country then you can use the hashtag: #NationalRelaxationDay

International Relaxation Day Website

In 2023, the National Wellbeing Service Ltd launched a website dedicated to International Relaxation Day which includes information about how to relax. It also has a Research Hub for health practitioners, teachers, health coaches, doctors, psychologists and other professionals who may wish to use relaxation in their area of work. The development of this website will be an on-going process and new material will uploaded over the coming months.

World Hepatitis Day 2024

Held on July 28th each year, World Hepatitis Day (WHD) is the day to raise awareness of viral hepatitis. On this day we aim to unite the global community to demand action from decision makers globally to prioritise the elimination of viral hepatitis. WHD is one of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) officially mandated global public health days. It is a day when the world comes together to raise awareness of hepatitis, one of the most deadly and neglected diseases and health crises   – one that is claiming a life every 30 seconds.

Globally, 354 million people live with hepatitis, with more than 1.1 million lives lost each year to hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Yet, we have the tools to eliminate the disease by 2030. On July 28, we raise our collective voices to call for more action for the people affected by hepatitis. Across the world, campaign supporters will raise their voices on social media, hold webinars, speak to the media and hold events to spread the message and raise awareness of hepatitis.

Whether you have one minute or an hour, there are plenty of ways you can get involved in World Hepatitis Day to make sure that the world knows that Hepatitis Can’t Wait. Get involved on social media. The hastags are: #WorldHepatitisDay #WHDRelay, #NotWaiting #HepCantWait #NoHep Visit the WHD website for more information.

The main objective of World Mental Health Day is to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilise efforts in support of mental health.

The Day provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide.

“It is important that stakeholders address the mental health needs of their client groups. Governments should provide adequate funding for mental health services but sadly these services are often underfunded.”

“Some interventions are relatively straight forward to implement. For example, research has found that easy to learn relaxation techniques can be effective in reducing stress and anxiety and can even help to lower heart rate and blood pressure. Relaxation training is a low cost intervention to deliver whether in a clinic, hospital, workplace, school, university, or online. Let’s do it” said Professor Stephen Palmer PhD, Director of the National Academy of Relaxation, a faculty of the National Wellbeing Service Ltd.

Get involved. Follow or use the social media hashtags: #WorldMentalHealthDay #WMHD #WMHD2023

Links:

World Federation of Mental Health

National Academy of Relaxation

National Wellbeing Service Ltd

IHPE announces Diamond Fellow Awards 2023

Director of the National Wellbeing Service is an Award Recipient

Earlier this year, in order to commemorate those who have contributed to the development of Institute of Health Promotion and Education (IHPE), and most importantly, the field of health promotion and education, the 2023 IHPE was announced the awarding of a special fellowships. The awards were given to the recipients by Karen Buck MP, at a special celebration of 60 Years of the Institute at the House of Commons on the afternoon of Wednesday 7th June 2023.

The Director of the National Wellbeing Service and Centre for Stress Management, Professor Stephen Palmer, was one of the Diamond Fellow Award recipients. He said, “I am delighted and honoured to receive this prestigious Diamond Fellow Award from the Institute of Health Promotion and Education. I congratulate my four colleagues who also received the award for their outstanding contribution to the field of health promotion and education”.

Information about the Institute of Health Promotion and Education

The Institute of Health Promotion and Education (IHPE) is a registered charity managed by Charitable Trustees, each of whom has a proven track record within the field of health promotion and education. It is a recognised professional association offering a range of membership options to those engaged in the practice of health promotion and education. IHPE publishes the respected and peer reviewed International Journal of Health Promotion and Education and is proud to have been at the forefront of developments in the field since 1962.

The purpose of IHPE is to ensure that peoples’ health will be protected and improved and that inequalities in health between individuals, groups, and communities will be significantly reduced.

For further information click on links to the IHPE website below:

IHPE announces Diamond Fellow Awards 2023

Celebration of 60 Years of Health Promotion and Education at the House of Commons

Information about the National Wellbeing Service Ltd

The National Wellbeing Service Ltd was set up in 2015 by a group of psychologists and health educators to provide up-to-date wellbeing-related information, guidance and research to the public and health professionals.

National Academy of Relaxation

The National Academy of Relaxation is an education, research and membership faculty of the National Wellbeing Service Ltd. A key aim of the Academy is to promote relaxation techniques and strategies to enhance physical and psychological wellbeing. There are many decades of research that demonstrate that simple relaxation methods can reduce blood pressure and heart rate. The National Academy was launched in August, 2022.

Our affiliated organisation, Centre for Stress Management was launched in 1987 and since the 1990s it has provided professional body recognised and approved training for health professionals in stress management.

World Hand Hygiene Day on 5 May 

WHO Hand Hygiene Campaign: “SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands”

WHO Hand Hygiene Campaign: “SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands” 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) are calling all health workers and others to join hands in celebrating and empowering nurses and midwives in the monumental work that they do to keep our patients, families, and their colleagues safe by preventing health care-associated infections.

May 2020 calls to action:

Nurses: “Clean and safe care starts with you.”
Midwives: “Your hands make all the difference for mothers and babies.”
Policy Makers: “Increase nurse staffing levels to prevent infections and improve quality of care. Create the means to empower nurses and midwives.”
IPC Leaders: “Empower nurses and midwives in providing clean care.”
Patients and Families: “Safer care for you, with you.”

Take Action

On 5 May join us in clapping at noon in support for the invaluable work that nurses and midwives do to ensure clean care for patients, mothers and babies, including in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Take a video or picture and share on your social media channels with the tags
#SupportNursesandMidwives #HandHygiene #InfectionPrevention
and send to savelives@who.int and/or https://www.CleanHandsSaveLives.org

Social Media Hashtags:

#SupportNursesAndMidwives
#WorldHandHygieneDay
#HandHygiene
#InfectionPrevention

Mental Health Awareness Week

Hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, Mental Health Awareness Week takes place from 13-19 May 2019. The theme this year is Body Image – how we think and feel about our bodies. A time to reflect on Mental Health & take action.

New report on Body Image

New data is available on the extent of body image concerns across the UK, how body image impacts mental health, plus practical steps we can take as a nation. Read the Mental Health Foundation new report on body image.

The National Wellbeing Service Ltd supports Mental Health Awareness Week.

National Work Life Week 2018 is taking place from 1st – 5th October 2018

This week is an opportunity for both employers and employees to focus on well-being at work and work-life balance. Employers can use the week to provide activities for employees, and to showcase their flexible working policies and practices.

Join the conversation using #WorkLifeWeek and tweet us @workingfamUK

Visit the National Work Life Week website for further information.

Ideas on Achieving a healthy work-life balance are on the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) website.

World Hepatitis Day

We could not be more excited to celebrate our second birthday this World Hepatitis Day (WHD) on Saturday 28 July, 2018. It’s been another great year and as a movement is only a movement if people are behind it, we want to thank each one of you who have contributed to its success so far.

To mark WHD, we’ve been raising awareness of diagnosis rates around the world to help find the missing millions. To get involved and show your support include the #NOhep and #WorldHepatitisDay hashtags in your social media posts.

More information, visit our webpage.

The National Wellbeing Service Ltd supports Mental Health Awareness Week. Stress is everywhere, and it is directly linked to our mental health. 1 in 6 adults in Britain will experience depression, anxiety or problems relating to stress at any one time. The Mental Health Foundation, organiser of Mental Health Awareness Week, says:

“By tackling stress, we can go a long way to tackle mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, and, in some instances, self-harm and suicide. We will look at how we can tackle stress and help improve our mental health.”

The National Wellbeing Service publishes three academic online journals: 

– International Journal of Stress Prevention and Wellbeing (IJSPW)
– European Journal of Counselling Theory, Research and Practice (EJC-TRAP)
– European Journal of Applied Positive Psychology (EJAPP)

We now have a central hub so that the articles can be found on one page: http://www.nationalwellbeingservice.net/nws-journal-articles-2017/

Take a look if you are interested stress prevention, wellbeing, counselling and/or applied positive psychology. All articles can be viewed online.

The National Wellbeing Service is keen to promote Mental Health Awareness Week, held on 8-14 May 2017 which is focusing on mental health from a new angle. Rather than ask why so many people are living with mental health problems, we will seek to uncover why too few of us are thriving with good mental health. With people struggling to cope with the demands of life and stuck on getting through the day, we will explore:

how many of us are surviving or thriving, and the difference between the two
why some communities are under strain and what government can do to support them to thrive
what steps we can take to look after our mental health, building resilience to cope with the demands of life.
Throughout the week the personal stories of people who are surviving or thriving will be highlighted.

On facebook and twitter please use the hashtag: #MHAW17

World Health Day 2017 Focuses On Depression

World Health Day, celebrated on 7 April every year to mark the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization, provides us with a unique opportunity to mobilize action around a specific health topic of concern to people all over the world. The National Wellbeing Service Ltd supports World Health Day by promoting it over our social media networks.

The theme of the 2017 World Health Day campaign is depression.