Take action to support positive mental health and wellbeing this Mental Health Awareness Week.
Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 is being observed in the UK from 11th – 17th May, and the Mental Health Foundation is calling for people to come together to take powerful action to support good mental health.
Action is the theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, with the Mental Health Foundation explaining that, “while awareness is vital, real change comes when we take action too.”
The charity says that, as a society, we have “come a long way on mental health,” but warns we risk going backwards if we do not take positive action beyond discussion and awareness and says there is a lot we can still do “to prevent people becoming unwell in the first place.”
Take action to improve mental health
This Mental Health Awareness Week, the Foundation has suggested a number of actions that people can take to improve their own mental health, help others or make progress for wider society.
Suggested actions to boost your own individual mental health include:
- Eat well
- Move more
- Prioritise sleep
- Enjoy nature
- Get creative
- Plan something
- Be present
- Cherish friendships
- Connect with people
- Set and maintain boundaries
- Breathe
- Notice your emotions
- Be kind
- Talk it over
These ideas feature in the Mental Health Foundation’s ‘Take Action Wheel’, which website visitors can ‘spin’ to receive a random suggested action to get them started on their journey to boosting their mental health and wellbeing. Each spin is accompanied by information about the suggested action and more tips to support mental health.
The charity provides a wide range of additional information and resources to help people take action for their mental health, from simple actions for a quick boost, and easy daily habits to adopt, to advice on developing long-term mental health strategies.
Mental Health Awareness Week must move beyond ‘awareness’
Explaining the chosen theme for Mental Health Awareness Week 2026, the Mental Health Foundation says that action is a “natural extension” of awareness.
They explain:
“When people find out more about mental health, when they recognise early signs of problems in themselves and others, when they know what support looks like and what they can do to maintain their mental health, they are already taking action.
“When greater numbers of us take action, communities of motivated people are laying the foundations for a society that prioritises good mental health. This is action at its most powerful. This year’s theme is an invitation for all of us to take that next step. Your action can be something you do for yourself, for someone else, or for all of us.”
So, this Mental Health Awareness Week, the message is simple and direct:
- We can take action for our own mental health through everyday acts of care
- We can take action for other people by showing up with kindness, starting meaningful conversations and listening without judgment
- We can take action for society by advocating for schools and workplaces that prioritise wellbeing, communities where everyone feels they belong and government policies that provide security, dignity and hope for all.
Have we reached peak mental health awareness?
In a blog post to mark Mental Health Awareness Week, the charity’s CEO Mark Rowland asks if we have reached ‘peak mental health awareness?’.
While he highlights the fact that “evidence is building that mental health campaigns can and have been effective in three key areas; reducing stigma, increasing help-seeking behaviour and positive behaviour change,” he adds that more work is needed.
He continues:
“Mental health awareness campaigns have an important role but they are not a silver bullet. According to the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine, only 40% of health outcomes are determined by how we behave – the rest are influenced by our social circumstances, environment and genetics.
“But it is vital that we support active, curious and open conversations about mental health, especially given the rising scale of need. The NHS will not be able to expand to meet all this need so all of us have a role to play. Mental health campaigns are no longer just about awareness; they are like a spring board to further exploration and action. But if we only think about mental health once a year, we are not going to meaningfully turn the dial towards better mental health.”
He argues that we do still need mental health awareness campaigns, adding that we also need “social change as well as individual action,” and concluding:
“Ultimately, the goal of awareness campaigns cannot stop at knowledge, the future must be about change. This is why Action is the theme for Mental Health Awareness Week 2026.
“We haven’t reached peak awareness – we’ve reached a tipping point where we must move on from describing problems to catalysing meaningful action.”
Get involved with Mental Health Awareness Week
Anyone can get involved in Mental Health Awareness Week, with posters, social media assets and other resources available to download. Schools, workplaces, organisations and community groups can also organise a Wear It Green Day to help raise awareness and funds.
For more information, follow the Mental Health Foundation on social media and sign up for their newsletter, which features tips and advice for looking after your own mental health.
Multiple UK charities and other organisations, including NHS Trusts, local authorities and universities, are also supporting Mental Health Awareness Week 2026.
Mental Health UK is spreading the message that every action counts, while Mind argues that “great mental health care isn’t just clinical, it’s human,” and Making Space says this year’s theme is “a powerful call to move beyond awareness and make a real difference,” with Rethink Mental Illness proclaiming that this is why “the week has never felt more important.”
Support Mental Health Awareness Week with training
First Response Training (FRT) is a leading national training provider delivering courses in subjects such as health and safety, first aid, fire safety, manual handling, food safety, mental health, health and social care and more.
FRT’s specialist mental health training courses include Understanding Mental Health, Mental Health Awareness in the Workplace, Managing Stress, Anxiety and Phobias Awareness, Self-Harm Awareness and Suicide Awareness.
They can also provide qualified, approved trainers to deliver accredited Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training courses, including the Adult, Youth and Lite versions.
A trainer from FRT says:
“Mental Health Awareness Week is a vital annual campaign which helps to raise awareness of common mental health problems and tools we can all use to support our mental health and wellbeing.
“It helps bring mental health to the forefront of conversations across the nation but its vitally important that we go beyond talking and improving awareness and knowledge and actually focus on improving and supporting our own mental health and the mental health of those around us.
“It’s really important that we are all familiar with effective support strategies for helping others and managing our own mental wellbeing. Looking after our physical health and wellbeing, building strong social connections, enjoying nature and participating actively in our community are just some simple and practical ways in which we can build up our resilience and significantly improve our mental health.
“FRT’s mental health training provides learners with an understanding of mental health disorders, how they can be managed and treated, how to proactively support good mental health in ourselves and how to offer emotional and practical support to someone dealing with poor mental health.”
Helpful mental health resources
A brief summary of our mental health training can now be downloaded as an infographic.
We also have a number of other free infographics available to download which provide simple tips for helping to manage your mental wellbeing. These include:
- Managing Stress at Work
- Manage Your Stress at Work
- Manage Your Stress
- Support Your Mental Health
- Connect With Nature
- Work Well From Home
- Anxiety Factsheet
- Manage Your Anxiety
- Managing Panic Attack
You can also download our free Guide to Mental Health Training from our website.
For more information on the training that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.