Nicky Seabrook is a qualified Nutritional Therapist with previous experience of working as a Dietician in General Practice. Nicky offers nutritional therapy to clients with a variety of conditions and needs, but is particularly interested in supporting people with mental health issues, those seeking to improve overall emotional well-being, and children’s health and well-being.

In this article, Nicky outlines four key diagnostic tests that help to identify specific imbalances in people suffering with poor mental and emotional health. These tests, which are only available privately at this point in time, can be very useful to help a Nutritional Therapist or Naturopath determine which treatment might give the best outcomes for their clients.

Nutritional Testing to Support Mental Health

How would you describe your mental health and emotional wellbeing? Do you feel anxious and disconnected? Depressed and unable to sleep? Depressed but can sleep easily? Difficulty in concentrating? Prone to aggressive outbursts? Unable to remember things? Or emotionally unstable and craving sweet foods?

Groups of symptoms often occur together and this can help Nutritional Therapists to recognise an underlying biochemical imbalance present. For example, excessive sweating, nervousness, anxiety, irritability and insomnia are common symptoms suggesting that the adrenal glands are working over time or exhausted. Similarly, someone with depression who has obsessive tendencies, craves sweet foods and suffers with mood swings is more likely to be suffering from a serotonin deficiency.

Tests available to support mental health and emotional wellbeing

Most of us who go to our doctor with a physical pain or symptom are commonly offered a blood test to help the doctor confirm a diagnosis. Few of us, however, expect the same approach if we go along feeling depressed or anxious. There are no standard biochemical tests available on the NHS to help doctors decide which drug treatment might be the most appropriate.

There are, however a few tests available privately which can identify imbalances in people suffering with poor mental and emotional health. These can be very useful to help a Nutritional Therapist or Naturopath determine which treatment might give the best outcomes for their clients.

Below are descriptions of four tests which are available and widely used by

Nutritional Therapists.

• Measurement of Essential fatty Acid levels (blood test)
• Measurement of Homocysteine levels (blood test)
• Measuring for Pyruloria (urine test)
• Assessing adrenal health using the Adrenal Stress Test (saliva test)

Measurement of Essential Fatty Acid levels

Essential fats especially Eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and Docohexanoic acid (DHA), which are members of the omega 3 family, are known to be crucial to brain function and structure and a deficiency of these fatty acids has been linked to various conditions including: hyperactivity, dyslexia, dyspraxia, depression, schizophrenia, epilepsy, autism and bipolar disorder. Omega 3 fats help to build the neuronal connections in the brain and there are now several published controlled trials to show that supplementation with EPA can work as well as antidepressant drugs and without the side effects. Several nutritional laboratories in the UK measure essential fatty acid levels in the blood.

Measurement of Homocysteine levels

Methylation is a process in the body which is critical for keeping hormone and neurotransmitter levels in check. Poor methylation, which can result from a lack of B vitamins or a specific genetic fault, can cause mood swings, a feeling of disconnectedness, delusions and anxiety. To check whether you are methylating normally, a blood test can be carried out to measure the level of a protein called homocysteine in your blood. If this is high this is an indication that you are not methylating sufficiently for optimum health. A specific supplement of B vitamins can support normal methylation and reduce homocysteine levels to normal.

Pyroluria

Many people experiencing mental illness are deficient in vitamin B6 and zinc. However this is often not an ordinary deficiency that can be corrected by eating the right foods: it is the result of a higher than normal production of a group of chemicals called ‘pyroles’ in the body. Pyroles rob the body of zinc and vitamin B6 and so they must be supplemented in the diet in order for a person with Pyroluria to stay healthy.  Schizophrenics are believed to be particularly at risk from this biochemical disorder. To test for Pyroluria there is a simple, inexpensive urine test which can be carried out at a private laboratory.

Adrenal stress test

The adrenal glands produce three motivating neurotransmitters and cortisol which helps the body to deal with day to day stress. If someone is experiencing a period of prolonged stress this can lead to permanently high levels of adrenalin and cortisol and create feelings of nervousness, irritability and muscle tension in the body.

How well the adrenal glands are coping with stress can be measured: the adrenal stress test involves providing 4 samples of saliva over a16 hour period and sending them off to a laboratory where measurements of cortisol and DHEA are carried out. The results give valuable information about the health of the adrenal glands and what treatment is best to restore the adrenal glands to full health.

What happens after testing?

After going through the testing process, a Nutritional Therapist can work with you to develop an ongoing nutrition plan that will address any deficiencies and support you to stay mentally and emotionally well.

For further information about testing and to find out how improved nutrition could benefit your mental health, email Nicky Seabrook via email or find out more on her web site.

Find out more about the UK laboratories that carry out the diagnostic tests listed above:

• Genova Diagnostics
• Yorktest laboratories
• Biolab Medical Unit

You may also be interested in...

• Nutrition to Support Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health by Nutritional Therapist Nicky Seabrook, Based in Suffolk
• Suffolk Children’s Nutrition Clinic: Nutritionist in Woodbridge, Ipswich, Suffolk

Pavlenka Small is a qualified career coach and mentor providing practical and supportive guidance to people who feel dissatisfied in the workplace.

In this article Pavlenka explores the impact of bullying in the workplace on emotional wellbeing and outlines steps that can be taken to deal with the situation constructively.

Bullying in the Workplace – How Does it Affect Your Emotional Wellbeing and How Can You Gain Control?

Whilst most adults are civilised at work and make up the majority of the work population, unfortunately bullies are also part of the workplace. With increasing numbers of employees taking time off work with stress related illnesses, bullying in the workplace is frequently a contributing factor to such stress.

According to the Government website, Direct Gov, bullying at work is broadly defined as:’ when someone tries to intimidate another worker, whether privately or in front of colleagues, either face to face, via email or in writing.’

Unfortunately the workplace bully (WPB) doesn’t abide by the acceptable and normal rules of fair play, common decency and common sense and the traumatic and distressing effects on the person being bullied cannot be underestimated.

Take my client Georgia* as a prime example. At our first meeting Georgia was tearful and clearly upset and distressed by the bullying tactics of her boss at work. She had lost her appetite, felt exhausted, guilty and irritable and had developed headaches and a skin condition. Her IBS symptoms had returned and she was experiencing regular bouts of poor concentration, impaired memory and low self-esteem. She also found it hard to sleep and experienced regular nightmares (Other symptoms can include: joint and muscle pain, feeling detached, nervous, anxious, experiencing palpitations and an overwhelming sense of injustice).

Georgia was encouraged to keep a written account of how she was being bullied and although she realised her boss’s behaviour was unacceptable, she felt powerless to know how to deal with it.

As a sales assistant in a busy retail store she recounted that her boss:

• Made derogatory comments about her appearance in front of customers
• Told her what to wear, where to buy her clothes and how much make up to apply
• Expected Georgia to instantly drop what she was doing to perform unnecessary tasks (e.g. picking up a pencil at her boss’s feet)
• Wouldn’t allow her to take lunch breaks (which is breaking the law)
• Frequently changed her mind about her instructions and denied such changes when confronted.

Other examples of WPB are:

• Labelling or calling you names
• Being sarcastic towards you
• Ridiculing and hurling abuse at you
• Damaging your reputation
• Using physical violence (Georgia had a hot iron purposefully pressed on her arm)
• Instant rages over trivial matters
• Humiliating you in front of colleagues
• Constantly criticising and undervaluing your efforts
• Blaming you when things go wrong

Recognising workplace bullying is not your fault

If YOU are being bullied it is important that you recognise the bully is at fault and not you. No one deserves to be bullied and you should not believe, as is often the case, that you have caused the bullying. Bullies like to have control over the victims, either openly or (as in my case when I was bullied by my boss in a previous job) indirectly.

Bullies may feel envy, fear, inadequacy or insecurity and it was apparent in Georgia’s case that her boss felt threatened by her younger, efficient and more talented employee.

Taking steps to deal with a bully in the workplace

Firstly, assess the situation in a realistic way. If your instincts tell you that you are being treated unfairly and unreasonably, you are likely to be right. The bully will make you feel as if you are in the wrong but realise that it is the bully who has the problem and not you. Because bullies like to feel in control they will criticise and point out your weaknesses.

It is unlikely that you are the only one being bullied. Has the bully a reputation of bullying others in your workplace? Observe work colleagues’ interaction with the bully; their body language and how they respond to the bully and ask others how they are being treated by this person and how he/she makes them feel.

Don’t ignore the situation or keep giving the bully more chances to redeem themselves, thinking it will go away. It won’t. It is likely that the bully has behaved like this before.

Try responding to the bully in a different way from usual. This can be difficult but it is possible to catch your bully unawares and surprise them with an unexpected response.

Keeping a written record of your experiences

It is important to keep a written record of your experience of bullying. Write down each incident and the dates they occur; this may reveal patterns of behaviour and whilst the bully may be able to explain individual incidents, they will find it more difficult to justify a series of events.

This is exactly what Georgia did and it helped her to recognise the frequency and unacceptable nature of her boss’s behaviour.

Make sure you don’t leave your records at work and keep hard copies of any memos, letters and emails. The bully is likely to deny your accusations but written proof is valuable supporting evidence.

Being bullied provides strong grounds for lodging an official grievance procedure so treat it as an official complaint and notify your line manager or supervisor. If they are the perpetrator, go to a more senior manager, member of the HR department, works welfare department, your union representative or the occupational health professional. You can then supply the appropriate person with your written evidence.

Bullying can cause stress and is likely to compromise your efficiency in the workplace. So go to your GP who may arrange for you to have time off work.

If the outcomes prove unsatisfactory, seek legal advice.

Finally, consider leaving your current job. This is not an admission of defeat but one of self-preservation. You have been placed in a situation outside your control and it is unlikely the bully will change their behaviour. It may be beneficial to your wellbeing and personal growth to find an employer who values your skills and where your career can flourish. Don’t let your emotional wellbeing and career be destroyed by the actions of one individual.

This is exactly what Georgia did. Initially she faced up to her boss and for a short while, her boss changed her behaviour. However it wasn’t long before she returned to her previous bullying tactics. Can a leopard ever change their spots?!

Georgia now enjoys a full time position in a similar retail outlet where she is appreciated for her skills, expertise and enthusiasm and has recently been promoted.

For more information about Pavlenka Small’s coaching services, view her editorial profile on The Mind Sanctuary Directory, or visit her website.  You can also connect with her on Twitter.

* Name changed

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Deep Medicine is a holistic therapy which has at its heart a bodywork technique called Zero Balancing (ZB). ZB is an effective hands-on system based on a synthesis of Eastern and Western approaches to total health. In this article, Helen Taylor, founder of Deep Medicine explores the benefits of the treatment for mental health and emotional wellbeing.

An Introduction to Deep Medicine and How it Can Benefit Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing

Exploring our emotional responses to life’s challenges

From the moment we are born – and even before that, while we are still in the womb – we get knocked and dented by the ‘stuff’ of life. Not a very elegant way of expressing it, but I’m sure you understand what I’m talking about: the myriad sufferings of the human condition. Whether through illness, accident, inner conflict, difficult emotions, or the actions of others that hurt us, we fragile human beings undergo experiences throughout our lives that impact on our health and peace of mind.

These experiences constantly modify our world view; our deepest feelings and beliefs about the very nature of life itself. How those feelings and beliefs translate into what we express and how we act is highly individual. Some of us, tortoise-like, withdraw into a shell when hurt. Others shout and scream in outrage. Others again try to be philosophical and understanding, pushing their hurt feelings deep down somewhere and believing or hoping that they have gone away. Our responses are very personal and individual.

What unites us all, however, is that we ‘store’ these responses in our body. Every emotion generates a response in muscle: indeed emotion IS that muscle response, as well as the more abstract ‘feeling’ we experience. The body is a living, moving history book of all we have lived through. The way we handle stress, respond to other people and to situations, and our whole outlook on life is determined and constantly updated by the experiences that generate emotion in us.

Acknowledging the patterns we develop as a result of our emotional wounds

Sometimes the ‘updating’ process can be a bit like a stuck record. We may develop patterns linked to our emotional pain. My mother for example, underwent a great shock at the age of 18 when she discovered she was illegitimate. This had a massive impact on her life and a major feature of it was that she became unable (or was self-protectively unwilling) to trust and draw close to her family and loved ones. The betrayal she felt at having been lied to, as she saw it, for the first 18 years of her life by her nearest and dearest set up a pattern of mistrust and anger which dictated the nature of her close relationships until her death at 86. Somehow she was never able to let go of that pain and respond to new situations freshly; she had developed a default setting to expect betrayal.

What does this have to do with Deep Medicine? Have I gone off the point? Well it wouldn’t be the first time, but please bear with me – it is all relevant.

How we embody our emotions

In an idealised, totally healthy person an emotion would move through like a ripple: an energetic wave that passes through and moves on swiftly. In practice what happens is that emotions get stuck as we either hold on to them, by constricting the body, holding the breath and so on, or desperately trying to push them away, failing to recognise that ‘what you resist persists’ – it keeps knocking at your door until you let it in to pass through.

Habitual emotions that are not freely processed set up patterns of thought, which in their turn generate more emotions of a similar kind. This causes us to hold our bodies in certain ways as the ‘holding patterns’ become engrained, and as a result postural habits characteristic of an individual are formed. Stereotypes such as the sergeant major with bulging eyes, creased brow and thrust out chest, or the timid little woman with pallid face, caved in chest and rounded shoulders are examples of emotion shaping the body and creating a recognisable ‘type’.

These emotion/muscle responses in our bodies cause us to restrict the breath, and the resulting bodily tension creates asymmetrical forces that distort our posture, pulling our bone structure out of alignment and stressing the joints. We ‘cave in’ in the chest area through grief; we set our jaw grimly and lock the upper back, bracing for a fight when we are angry, we constrict the diaphragm and lock up through the back in fear, and so on.

The consequence of these accumulated postural distortions is at first stiffness and reduced range of movement; a lack of ease. If nothing is done to address the situation, then pain follows and eventually disease will manifest as the body cries out ever more loudly for help.

And that is only at the physical level: emotionally we may begin to feel trapped, exhausted, worried, anxious, stressed or depressed. At the mental level, we may start to think that we are victims, that life is unfair to us. We may come to think there is something uniquely wrong with us, something inherently bad. Or we may come to resent, distrust or fear other people.

The mind likes nothing better than a loop to follow endlessly and so such negative thinking can take on a compulsive quality, building up momentum and growing into addictive and destructive patterns. Life becomes a struggle, a punishment almost. Like a whirlpool it carries us round and round, and down and down in vicious spirals.

Sounds bleak doesn’t it. Does it sound familiar? Have you been there? Are you still there?

Finding a way forwards

The way to emerge from this place and live differently is not a simple matter. There is no ‘one size fits all’ as we are all unique and everyone’s situation is different. And yet our common humanity and the patterns of body, mind and emotions that we all share offer tremendous hope of a golden thread to lead us out of the dark labyrinth.

I have been to my version of the dark labyrinth and am very happy to say that I am no longer there, nor have I been for a long time. What I gained from those dark times, from that cold, scary underworld are things that now make me glad I went there. But it has taken a long time for me to be able to say that. Valuable lessons and insights, positive changes in the way I see myself and life; these are things that I have gained through my experience, and which I want to share with other people,  like lots of  lifebuoys of different colours, shapes  and sizes , suited to different kinds of people and circumstances.

Understanding how a healthy sense of ‘expectation’ can impact on emotional wellbeing

The interesting thing about expectation is that it is like a magnet. At a profound level we do not get what we want or think we deserve – but what we expect. Confident expectation draws us towards specific outcomes. The use of the word ‘confident’ here does not imply that the expected event must be positive, i.e ‘good’, it merely refers to the degree of certainty about the event: good or bad. This expectation tends to be based on what we have experienced before. A strong experience or series of experiences in early life can ‘set the tone’ for the rest of our lives by creating habitual kinds of expectation in terms of our emotions and life experiences.

“For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me”.

I had misremembered this as a Shakespearean quotation but I just looked it up and apparently it is in the Bible, stated by Job, who had a string of very nasty times indeed.

The point is that it is by our thinking that we create the expectation of what will happen to us in life, and how we are likely to respond emotionally. Thus we have the potential to change our way of thinking and responding – and free ourselves from old patterns.

If we can combine a different cognitive approach to our lives and selves with bodywork practices that enable deep seated emotions to be released, we can take powerful steps towards living a freer and more fulfilling life.

Deep Medicine – an approach that enables us to ‘let go’ of emotional pain at a deep level

There really is the possibility of ‘letting go of residues that no longer serve you’ to quote my mentor Dr Fritz Smith. Fritz created Zero Balancing, a beautiful holistic bodywork system in 1975. I trained and qualified as a Zero Balancer, following Acupuncture training, and in the 12 years since then I have continued my study and practice, weaving in strands of healing modalities and simple universal spiritual practices that together evolved into my work today.

This work, in a nutshell, seeks to help people feel more comfortable, happy and free in body, mind and spirit, and more joyfully connected to those around them, and to Life itself. It works in a deep but subtle way, using softly held stretches and light finger pressure to invite release of physical tension, enabling also a relaxing of rigid mental/emotional attitudes, and a sense of spaciousness to arise. This space is almost alchemical – it can initiate change at a very deep level, very gently and totally safely.

Just as there are many paths up the mountain, there are many ways of returning to health. I have been privileged to witness the emergence into strength and wellbeing of clients who have suffered long painful dark years, and seen them blossom into colourful, life-loving individuals, empowered and at peace with themselves. There is a multi-layered healing potential in such work as this; non-invasive, empowering, respectful, gentle, subtle, no need to undress or bare one’s soul. Hard to name, impossible to describe – like the taste of pineapple, it needs to be experienced.

I call it Deep Medicine.

For further information about Deep Medicine, please e-mail Helen Taylor

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The following individuals, Ben Brace (30) and Doreen Smith (52) had seen their lives spiral into despair following acute depression and stress. After gaining good local support and being helped back into employment by the charity Workwise, both are experiencing a new lease of life.

Ben began to experience mental health issues around five years ago when he lost his job and he became depressed. His condition got progressively worse, to the point he rarely ventured out of his home and lost all his self-esteem. Eventually, after encouragement from his support worker at the local community mental health team he was referred to Workwise and started attending its woodwork workshop.

“Attending Workwise was the best thing I ever did; it got me out of the house and back into a routine. It also got me mixing with other people again and most importantly I was taught woodwork skills up to trade level, which eventually allowed me to find work again. Although I no longer need to attend Workwise, I will never forget the opportunity and support it gave me, going there changed my life and I will always be grateful”, said Ben.

After several months of attending Workwise, Ben started a one-day a week work placement with the Barnham based Piers Hart and Co, makers of bespoke luxury furniture. In November, 2011, Ben was offered full-time employment at the company as a cabinet maker and hasn’t looked back since.

In 2006 Doreen experienced a nervous breakdown due to stress and depression. At that time the mother of four was in a very difficult place, she hardly ever left her home and often considered self-harm. Doreen’s life changed in 2007 when she was introduced to Workwise, which has helped her on a remarkable journey of recovery.

During her time with the charity Doreen has learned a number of new skills particularly within the charity’s embroidery department. She is qualified in industrial embroidery and designs and makes her own quilts, with some of her work being entered in the international Festival of Quilts competition.

Her progress has been so remarkable the charity has now employed her as a corporate embroidery supervisor.

“Without Workwise I couldn’t see a future and I don’t know where I would have ended up. Being back at work is fantastic and is something I never thought I would do again, I am like a different person and I am enjoying life again,” said Doreen.

Workwise helps people with long-term mental ill health back into work, gain qualifications or to take part in community activities.

To access training at Workwise individuals will be referred by a Community Mental Health Team (C.M.H.T) with a current Care Plan and a Care Co-ordinator such as a Community Psychiatric Nurse (CPN), Social Worker (S.W.) or Occupational Therapist (O.T).

If you are experiencing mental health issues, but do not have a care plan with a community mental health team, you can access some training courses directly through WorkLink. Contact Suzanne/Neil at Workwise for further information, on 01284 755261.

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• The Link Between Education And Emotional Wellbeing – By Lorraine Southgate Of Leap Adult Education Centres, Suffolk
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Today marks the start of national Depression Awareness Week (22nd -28th April), an annual campaign run by the Depression Alliance. The campaign is an important opportunity to raise public awareness that our mental health is as important as our physical health – and to acknowledge that many of us will experience periods of our lives where we need emotional support from family, friends and professionals.

While we need the love and support of others to guide us through challenging times, it’s also important that we take a proactive approach to looking after ourselves in order to maintain sound emotional and psychological wellbeing. However, it’s not always easy to take the time to focus on ourselves, which is why The Mind Sanctuary has put together some ‘top tips to support emotional wellbeing’, that outline small changes that could make a big difference to your quality of life.

Our ten top tips for emotional wellbeing:

1. Give yourself the time out you deserve
It can be hard to find the time for ourselves, when faced with the many demands of our daily lives. But if we don’t put our needs first occasionally, how can we maintain enough energy to support others? Taking time out can be difficult to achieve  – but there are simple ways that you can start the process. For example, take a few moments in your day to practice mindfulness, take up a new practice such as Qigong, treat yourself to a massage, or try another form of bodywork. Taking time out may mean being active or not doing anything at all. It’s all about putting yourself first!

2. Eat a healthy, balanced diet
Existing studies suggest that a healthy diet can have a protective effect on mental health, and that a number of mental health conditions may be influenced by dietary factors. Yet on a daily basis many of us give little thought to the food and drink we consume and few of us know which foods and nutrients have been linked to mental health and emotional wellbeing. The Mind Sanctuary will be launching a new campaign next month to help make it simple for people to adopt a ‘good mood food’ lifestyle.

3. Take exercise
Exercise appears to affect particular neurotransmitter systems in the brain, giving us a natural high and helping to reduce tension and anxiety. Recent research has also been published that recommends regular physical exercise such as walking should be a treatment option for people with mild depression. If you struggle to motivate yourself to exercise, why not try joining an outdoor exercise group run by Liberté Fitness. Liberté runs groups across Suffolk in parks, gardens and even on beaches!

4. Get some sleep!
It may sound obvious, but it’s important to get enough sleep in order to support our emotional wellbeing. Sleep helps to reduce stress, improve your memory, support clear thinking and keep you healthy. If you have difficulty sleeping there are several tools and therapies that may help – check out The Mind Sanctuary’s Top Five Natural Tips for Banishing Insomnia and Overcoming Sleep Problems.

5. Be sociable – it’s good for your health and lifespan.
A recent large scale study highlighted how important being sociable is for our emotional health and longevity. In today’s modern world, online communication channels such as social networking and community forums can also provide a lifeline for people who are unable to get out to socialise, for example due to illness or caring responsibilities. The Mind Sanctuary produced a report last year exploring the link between the internet and mental health – click here to read ‘Mental Health & The Internet – The Good, The Bad and The Revolutionary’.

And if you’re a social networker, check out The Mind Sanctuary’s Facebook page!

6. Explore services, therapies and tools that will support your wellbeing
There are a range of services, therapies and resources out there to help support your emotional wellbeing. Organisations such as Suffolk Mind offer a wide range of information and support. And The Mind Sanctuary directory lists a wide range of therapists and service providers that can offer you support, from counsellors and psychotherapists, to life coaches and local organisations that support people with mental health issues in the workplace, such as Mentis Tree.

You can also download some free wellbeing tools via The Mind Sanctuary website, including a 7 day stress management e-course from Suffolk stress management expert Charlie Damonsing, and a taster ‘Desk Yoga’ video developed by The Self Centre in Bury St Edmunds.

7. Nature is nurture
Whether it’s eating your lunch outside, doing some gardening or going for a walk, it’s important to try and get outdoors on a regular basis. Soaking up the sunshine also increases vitamin D levels, and spending time in “green” places has been shown to improve our mood.

8. Continue learning
Continued learning is one of the 5 evidence based steps to emotional wellbeing. Whether you’re looking to build your confidence and self esteem, improve your prospects or be more creative, it is never too late to get back into the education system and learn something new. Leap, a hub for all adult learning courses in Suffolk, can help you find the right course for your needs.

9. Random acts of kindness
Numerous scientific studies show that acts of kindness result in health benefits, both mental and physical and the act of giving also forms one fo the 5 evidence based steps to wellbeing. Helping can enhance our feelings of joyfulness, emotional resilience and vigour, and can reduce the unhealthy sense of isolation. A random act of kindness is a selfless act offered in order to help or support an individual, group or organisation. It can be spontaneous or planned, the key element is that nothing is expected in return. The Mind Sanctuary website offers ideas for random acts of kindness and provides more information on how kindness impacts our emotional wellbeing.

10. Be happy in your work!
We spend a large portion of our life at work so it’s important that you feel fulfilled. If there are issues with colleagues at work that make life less pleasant, take steps to resolve the conflict. If your job is too stressful or you’re unhappy in your work, consider what steps you can make to change things.  The Mind Sanctuary can link you to business coaches to help you figure out what your ideal job is and how to make steps towards a brighter future. If you are currently unemployed then local organisations such as Leap and Workwise may be able to help you get back into the workplace, so that you can enjoy the increased self-esteem and sense of connection that being employed can provide.

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The newly merged Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded a £17.7m contract to provide a new wellbeing service in Suffolk. The Suffolk Wellbeing Service (SWS) will provide a range of self-help techniques, therapies and interventions to help people manage common problems such as stress, anxiety and depression.

Launching on July 30, it will be delivered in partnership with a range of voluntary organisations and has been commissioned by NHS Suffolk for a minimum three-year period.

Its main aims will be to reduce the onset of mental ill health, prevent deterioration and promote recovery by offering a range of flexible interventions tailored to meet each individual’s specific needs. This could include befriending, one-to-one sessions, talking therapies, counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy.

Debbie White, the trust’s director of operations for Suffolk, said: “We already have vast experience of providing a whole wellbeing approach across Norfolk, and have used this knowledge and expertise to develop the model for Suffolk.”

She added: “Our ultimate aim is that the service will help bring mental health into the mainstream so that it becomes as important to people as safeguarding their physical health.”

SWS will be available to people aged 13 and over who is registered with a GP in the NHS Suffolk area. Interventions will be delivered within the community, while waiting times from referral to the person accessing services will be a maximum of 10 days.

People will be able to self-refer to SWS via a website, phone or email. Further details will be announced before the service launches.

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