Mental Health Awareness Week

Mental health issues and the resulting impact these conditions have had on the wider population has exploded since the global pandemic. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that the prevalence of mental health was already on the rise, seeing a 13% increase in the decade between 2007-2017. However, the WHO estimated this rise exploded during the global pandemic and saw a 25% increase in the two years since Covid-19 ground the world to a halt.

Perhaps the most malicious aspect of this pervasive disease is that there is still an attached stigma to talking about the topic. To help raise awareness and end this stigma the 9^th to the 15^th of May was Mental Health Awareness week.

At Carbon we wanted to do our part to contribute to this initiative both externally in charity initiatives and raising awareness, but also internally and to get all of us at Carbon chatting. One of these exercises was for the staff to talk about their ‘happy places’. The place we go to reset, recharge, and take those much-needed breaks.

Whilst there was a commonality of getting away and enjoying the outdoors, it was interesting to see the number of ways different people maintain that much needed balance.

To continue the discussion and flag the myriad of ways that you can help yourself or others you may know, we thought we would share some of the ‘Carbon Happy Places’.

For our Operations Director Shireen Fernie her happy place was found at home where she grounded herself in her garden:

For our Associate Director Iain Harper it was getting away to the Cairngorms:

For our Edinburgh Office Manager Fiona Scott and our London Director Darren Lees, both of their happy places were the beach, whether it be abroad or home, they were happiest on the beach with family:

For our Financial Planner Liam Kerr, it involved being pitch side watching or playing football – unless losing:

For our Corporate Director Mark Christie, it involved booking one (or two) trips to bomb about the snow with family – preferably off piste:

It was great to see so many different ‘happy places’ across the team and how we all need these breaks, be them the big trips abroad or as simple as time spent with family.

Carbon will always be proud advocates of mental wellbeing, pushing our staff and clients to take much needed retreats to your ‘happy places’ and stave off the stresses that can creep into our day-to-day lives.

So, let us know where your ‘happy place’ is and when was the last time you managed to get back there?