10 October 2025

This article was published on 01 Oct 2025. At the time of publishing, this article was true and accurate, however, over time this may have changed. Some links may no longer work. If you have any concerns about this please contact us.

Mental health problems can affect anyone, any day of the year, but 10 October is a great day to show your support for better mental health and start looking after your own wellbeing.

World Mental Health Day is run by the World Federation for Mental Health and takes place on 10 October each year. The theme for this year’s event is ‘Access to Services – Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies’. For more details click here.

Today is an opportunity for people to talk about all aspects of mental health, how we need to look after our own and others wellbeing, and how important it is to talk and get help if you are struggling.

Taking care of your mental health is as important as taking care of your physical health.

Mental health problems affect one in four of us*, yet many people can feel isolated, ashamed and worthless because of this. Poor mental health can affect anyone, of any age, gender or background.

They range from common problems, such as depression and anxiety, to rarer problems such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

It is important that we all as individuals do what we can to look after ourselves and each other. You may have concerns about how others are coping.

Starting a conversation with someone around their mental health can feel daunting. You may be worried that you will say the wrong thing but remember saying nothing is far worse.

Like adults, the emotional wellbeing of children and young people is just as important as their physical health. Good mental health will allow them to develop the resilience to cope with life’s ups and downs and to grow into well-rounded, healthy adults. For more details on supporting your children, read our Children’s mental health guide here.

According to the Police Federation, research has shown that emergency services workers are twice as likely as the public to identify problems at work as the main cause of their mental health problems, but they are also significantly less likely to seek help. So during it’s even more important to look after your own mental health when working on the frontline.

Here are some tips

• Think about your purpose: Be clear about why you are doing this job.
• Be clear on expectations: Make sure you know what is expected of you and whether it is realistic.
• Keep your boundaries: Establish clear boundaries between work and personal life, don’t take work home with you.
• Talk to colleagues: Make time to talk to your colleagues about your experiences and share fears and concerns.
• Value your own family and relationships: While work is important, your family and relationships need to be valued.
• Exercise: Regular exercise can boost your self-esteem, can help you concentrate, relax and increase your overall wellbeing.
• Get plenty of sleep: Sleep helps regulate the chemicals in our brain that transmit information. These chemicals are important in managing our moods and emotions and an imbalance in those chemicals can result in us becoming depressed or anxious. Read our sleep guide here.
• Eat well: A balanced diet that is good for your physical wellbeing is also good for your mental wellbeing. Your brain needs a mix of nutrients to stay healthy and function well. For more information read our guide here.
• Avoid alcohol: The numbing effects of drinking are only temporary and can often lead to mental health issues. It’s advised that if you do drink, that you stay within the governing bodies recommended unit guidelines.
• Keep in touch: It’s good for you to catch up with friends and family face to face or over the phone.
• Take a break: A change of scenery or pace is good for you.
• Do something you’re good at: Enjoying yourself can help beat stress.
• Care for others: Supporting others uplifts you as well as them.
• Ask for help: If at times, life gets too much for you, it’s important that you speak to someone, this may be a family member or trusted friend, your GP or a professional organisation, see the list at the end of this guide for details.

Making positive change is important but it’s difficult to know where to start. Do one thing today, whether it’s going for a walk, learning a new skill or doing something creative, taking the first steps to getting support for yourself, or reaching out to someone else, take the opportunity to do one thing this World Mental Health Day.

Whatever you’ve been through this year, World Mental Health Day is a chance to make a positive change for your mental health.

Where to get help

NHS

Samaritans

Mind

AnxietyUK

Mental health org

*The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health report from the independent Mental Health Taskforce to the NHS in England, February 2016

This article was published on 25 Sep 2025. At the time of publishing, this article was true and accurate, however, over time this may have changed. Some links may no longer work. If you have any concerns about this please contact us.

Starting on 1 October quit smoking this Stoptober. There’s never been a better time to quit. Stopping smoking is the best thing you can do for your own health and those around you.  Research has shown that if you quit for 28 days, you’re 5 times more likely to quit for good.  For more details click here.

Many people who quit smoking are surprised by how good they feel. They feel more relaxed, have more money, they look and feel better, their skin looks healthier and they have more energy when they do something active like going for a walk or playing with their children, they no longer smell of smoke and they are not as worried about their health.

When you stop smoking, your lungs will start to repair and you’ll start to be able to breathe easier. The sooner you quit, the sooner you’ll notice the positive changes to your body and health.

Some of the benefits will be felt almost immediately and in the long term the benefits will be lifesaving:

• After a day – Your oxygen levels will recover, and the harmful carbon monoxide level in your blood will reduce by half.
• After 2 days – Nicotine will be totally eliminated from the body and your senses of taste and smell will improve.
• After 3 days – Your breathing will become easier as the airways begin to relax. Your energy levels will also increase.
• After 2 to 4 weeks – Blood will pump through to your heart and muscles much better because your circulation will improve, meaning you can walk and run easier.
• After 3 to 9 months – Your lung function will improve by up to 10 %, meaning any coughs, wheezing or breathing problems you have will improve.
• After 1 to 3 years – Your risk of having a heart attack will have halved compared to a smoker’s.
• After 10 years – Your risk of death from lung cancer will have halved compared with a smoker’s.

You will save money – giving up a pack of cigarettes a day could save you around £4,000 a year.

Stopping smoking tips

1. List your reasons to quit and when you are struggling and feel like you need to smoke, read through the reasons.

2. Tell people you’re quitting; your friends and family can then support you.

3. Use stop smoking aids, like nicotine patches and gum.

4. Have a plan if you are tempted to smoke; this should include someone you can talk to for support.

6. Keep busy to help reduce the cravings. Click here for more help with cravings.

7. Regularly exercise, as studies show that exercise reduces the urge to smoke, it also strengthens your heart and lungs.

8. If you have tried to quit before, remember what worked and learn from what didn’t.

9. Use support groups for help and advice.

Try using the free NHS Stoptober App, click here for more details.

Further help and advice

• Quit
• NHS
• Smokefree.gov
• British Lung Foundation

It’s never too late to quit

During Stoptober you may also want to consider stopping or reducing items in of your lifestyle, like the amount of alcohol you drink or the amount of time you spend gambling.  Which can both contribute to poor mental health.

Gambling can lead to problem debt. Having a gambling problem can also have a devastating impact on your relationships with other people.

It is important to speak to professionals if you are concerned about your gambling, call the National Gambling Helpline on Freephone 0808 8020 133, advisers are available 24 hours a day. For more information read our guide here.

There are many benefits to reducing the amount of alcohol you’re drinking, including feeling more energetic, better mood, an improved immune system and better sleep. 

Here are some tips on cutting down

• Set your limit – plan ahead how much you’re going to drink.
• Set your budget – once its spent, stop drinking.
• Tell your friends and family – they will then be there for support.
• Reduce the size – go from a double to a single or from a pint to a half.
• Reduce the strength – swap to a lower strength beer or wine.
• A little at a time – take one day at a time, this will make you more likely to be successful.
• Take a break – have several drink-free days each week.  You may decide to only drink at the weekend and not in the week.

For more help:

NHS

British Heart Foundation

Drinkaware

24 September 2025

This article was published on 03 Sep 2025. At the time of publishing, this article was true and accurate, however, over time this may have changed. Some links may no longer work. If you have any concerns about this please contact us.

National Fitness Day 2025 will take place on Thursday 24th September and is a chance to highlight the role physical activity plays across the UK, helping raise awareness of how our fitness levels assist us in leading healthier lifestyles through being physically active. For more details click here.

Physical exercise can help to build your self-esteem as well as reduce anxiety and improve your mood. When you exercise, your brains release endorphins which help to make us feel energised, happier, and less stressed. This could be as simple as a walk, dancing around the kitchen or even some gardening.

Our physical and mental health are undeniably linked, so it’s important to stay active.

To stay healthy, adults should try to be active every day and aim to achieve at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week or 10,000 steps per day through a variety of activities. If you would like to improve your fitness level, then you may need to increase this amount and also include some stretching and strengthening exercises into your routine. For any type of activity to benefit your health, you need to be moving quick enough to raise your heart rate, breathe faster and feel warmer.

If you are concerned about your health in any way always consult your doctor before starting exercise.

You don’t need to be at the gym seven days a week to improve your mood. Here are some ideas to help you incorporate workouts into your daily life:

• Don’t do it alone – If you’re committed to doing exercise with a friend, you’re less likely to back out. Try an exercise class, dance or yoga with a friend. This has the added benefit of keeping connected with people. Maybe spend some time learning a new form of exercise, like pilates or belly dancing.

• Enjoy it – Most importantly, you need to discover a physical activity you enjoy and that suits your level of mobility and fitness. If the exercise you choose is enjoyable you are more likely to stick with it. This could be an HIIT class or Pilates, cycling around the local area, a walk in the countryside or gardening in the back garden. There are so many different ways of exercising you just need to find the one that works for the time you have and that you enjoy.

• Go outdoors – Fresh air, natural light and exercise combined are great for our mental health. Whatever the weather it’s great to get outside, it may be for a quick stroll around the block or a longer walk with the dog. You could also invite a friend for a catch up.

• Set yourself a challenge – Give yourself a goal to work towards, start small and get bigger as you get more confident and fitter. This could just be to go for a walk every day and could then evolve to walk 10 miles a week or 1,000 miles a year. You could even try the NHS couch to 5k challenge, for more details click here.

• Log it – In order to monitor your progress, keep a record of your workouts. This could include the time and distance of your walk, run, ride or workout, but you may also want to include how you feel, in order to track your mood.

It’s common knowledge that a good night’s sleep makes us feel better.

An average of 8 hours will replenish all of our energy stores. What’s more, this downtime helps protects us from infection, providing a shield for our immune system.

If you are struggling to sleep, read our guide here.

Taking care of your mental health is as important as taking care of your physical health. So, it’s important to take care of your mind as well as your body.

Click here to read our mental health awareness guide.

As well as looking after physical and mental health it’s also important to look after your financial wellbeing.

Worrying about money can be extremely stressful and may lead to poor mental health, relationship problems, people to lose homes and families to break down. People from all walks of life can end up in debt for many different reasons, divorce, redundancy, ill health, bereavement. It’s not always easy to talk about money worries but if you’re struggling financially, it’s important to take action.

Police Mutual are here to help. We want to break down the stigma surrounding debt and get people talking about money.

We’ve teamed up with PayPlan*, one of the UK’s leading free debt advice providers, who offer free and confidential advice to anyone in serious financial difficulties.

They’re able to advise you on a range of debt solutions suited to your individual circumstances, helping to protect you and your family with a sustainable way to manage your debt.

Get free and confidential help to combat your debt, call PayPlan* on 0800 197 8433.

*PayPlan is a trading name of Totemic Limited. Totemic Limited is a limited company registered in England, Company Number: 2789854. Registered Office: Kempton House, Dysart Road, PO Box 9562, Grantham, NG31 0EA. Totemic Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Financial Conduct Authority Number: 681263.

10 September 2025

This article was published on 29 August 2025. At the time of publishing, this article was true and accurate, however, over time this may have changed. Some links may no longer work. If you have any concerns about this please contact us.

World Suicide Prevention Day is organised by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP). The purpose of this day is to raise awareness around the globe that suicide can be prevented. For more details click here.

Suicide is more widespread than you might think. 

1 in 5 people in England say they’ve had suicidal thoughts in their lifetime. Those who contemplate suicide often describe the intense feelings they have as hopeless, helpless, worthless, and desperate. Whatever the trigger, suicide may seem like the only solution to an unsolvable, painful problem.  A suicidal person believes no one can help them and that the problem can’t be fixed.

There is no typical suicide victim. Suicide occurs across all ages, ethnicities, economic, and social boundaries and in both genders.  But some situations do increase the possibility that people will try to take their own life. The risk of suicide rises with factors such as having a mental health disorder, alcoholism and substance abuse, a family history of suicide or mental health condition, physical or emotional abuse, a physical illness with chronic pain, isolation, and loneliness or a major loss, which could be work, money or relationship related.

Individuals with multiple debt problems are at a ‘significantly higher risk of suicide’ than those with just one problem debt. According to the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute over 420,000 people in problem debt considered taking their own life in England last year, while more than 100,000 people in debt actually attempt suicide annually*.

Most people who are feeling depressed or desperate enough to consider suicide give clues as to how they are feeling. These may be difficult to see but knowing some of the warning signs can help you be better prepared to help someone who is struggling.  Talking openly about your concerns may help to prevent a death.

There are often warning signs that someone may be thinking about suicide. 

Here are some signs to look for:

Spoken or written threats of suicide

If the person talks about dying by suicide or about feeling trapped and not knowing a way out of their situation or has written notes or letters about it. Never assume the person, doesn’t really mean it, always take it very seriously.

High-risk behaviour

People who are thinking about suicide sometimes hurt themselves by engaging in drug or alcohol abuse, self-harm, and even criminal behaviour.  Suicidal people may drive recklessly and put themselves and others in danger.

Withdrawal and loss of interest

They no longer enjoy activities that they once did, isolate themselves from family or friends, don’t take care of their appearance, lack energy, or find it hard to cope with everyday things.

Recent important losses

A person may become suicidal as a result of problems or changes that make them feel helpless. These may include divorce, loss of child custody, job loss or the death of a loved one. For a child or a teenager they may be having a difficult time at school with friends, teachers, workload, or parental expectations.

Major changes in sleep or eating patterns

Excessive fatigue, not being able to sleep or sleeping much more than usual, or a loss of appetite or eating much more than usual are all signs that someone may be suffering from depression.

Obsession with death

Suicidal people sometimes show an unusual interest in death by the books or movies they choose or the websites they visit.

They may do online research about ways to kill themselves

Having decided to die, they may give away possessions. They may also suddenly be in a happier or calmer mood as they make these plans.

If you believe or even suspect that someone you care about may be suicidal, don’t ignore your suspicions.

If you notice any of these warning signs in a friend, relative or loved one, encourage them to talk about how they are feeling. Starting a conversation about suicide can be a difficult thing to do, especially when you’re worried about upsetting someone who might already be in a sensitive place emotionally.

How to help someone:

Offer support. Find a safe, private place to voice your concerns, speak to the person and better assess the situation. Do not agree to keep suicidal information secret, remind the person you are there to help support them. Don’t leave a suicidal person alone. If you suspect that someone who doesn’t live near you is suicidal, call the person’s local Police force and ask that a wellness check be carried out.

Be direct

Don’t be afraid to bring up suicide. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that talking about it will make the person take his or her life.

Talk openly about feelings and concerns. Ask if they have a suicide plan.

It’s important to find out this information to pass on to a professional.

Listen. Be non-judgmental

Don’t tell them not to think about suicide or minimise their problems.

Give as much time as needed to talk and let them know you’re there to offer support.

Remove all dangers

Any prescription and non-prescription drugs or medication or firearms should be removed from their home.

Contact a GP, counsellor, or psychiatrist

Often these resources can direct you to community resources, such as support groups.

Helping someone who is feeling suicidal can be extremely stressful.

Make sure you have support for yourself from friends, family, or a trained counsellor.

Helping a teenager who may be at risk of suicide

The teenage years can be a difficult time for you and your child. Adolescents may break rules or experiment with different behaviour as they try to establish their independence. As a parent, it’s important to know when your teenager’s feelings are a normal part of growing up and when they are putting themselves at risk. By staying involved in your child’s life, talking openly together, and knowing the warning signs of suicide, you can help deter at-risk behaviour and make sure your child gets the help they need.

Suicide is a tragic occurrence that leaves those affected wondering how it could have happened, and how could it have been prevented. Those who are struggling with thoughts of suicide might show outward signs, and it’s important that friends, family, colleagues, and managers are aware of the signs that someone might be at risk of attempting suicide.

The suicide of someone you love can be devastating. You may have many intense emotions all at once. You may feel shocked, confused, angry, or guilty. You may wonder if you could have done something to prevent the suicide.

These thoughts and emotions are normal, and, although it will take time, with the right support, you can move forward with your life.

There isn’t a correct way of grieving after a suicide. Grief is a process of healing that people experience in different ways. Even if someone you love died months or years ago, your grief may resurface at certain times of the year, like birthdays or on the anniversary of their death. Your grief may never be entirely over, but it can become gradually more manageable. Try not to set time limits on your grief or compare your feelings to anyone else’s.

As you mourn, you may feel these emotions:

Shock

Feelings of numbness and disbelief are common when someone dies by suicide. Right after a loss, people often cope with their grief by denying the reality.

Anger

After a suicide, you may blame doctors or others for not preventing the death. You may blame the person who died for leaving you, or you may feel angry with the world.

Guilt

Intense grief makes it hard to think clearly, so, you may at times have thoughts that you know aren’t realistic. You may dwell on all the “what ifs” even if you know that you did the best you could at the time.

Despair

You may feel very sad, lonely, or helpless. You may wonder how you will ever cope without the person who died. The sadness of losing them in such a tragic way may never completely disappear, but there are ways to deal with the pain. Be patient. Don’t try to rush the healing process. We all deal with

grief in different ways.

Suicide can affect anyone. If you suspect someone you know is considering suicide, act quickly to get them professional support. Or if you find yourself contemplating it, contact a counsellor, medical professional or one of the organisations listed below immediately.

Where to get help:

• Samaritans For anyone with suicidal thoughts or those concerned with suicide. Call the helpline on 116 123 or email [email protected]
• Childline A helpline for children and young people in the UK. Calls are free on 0800 1111 and the number won’t show up on your phone bill.
• Papyrus For children and young people under the age of 35 who are experiencing thoughts of suicide. Also, for anyone concerned that a young person could be thinking about suicide. Call 0800 068 41 41, text 88247 or email [email protected]
• Students Against Depression is a website for students who are depressed, have a low mood or are having suicidal thoughts.
• National Bullying Helpline is a website for both children and adults affected by bullying.
• Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) This resource is specifically for men. Call the helpline on 0800 58 58 58 from 5pm to midnight 365 days a year.
• NHS Help for suicidal thoughts.
• The Silver Line A confidential, free helpline for older people across the UK. Call them on 0800 4 70 80 90 – 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you believe that someone is in immediate danger, call 999 or bring them in to your nearest accident and emergency hospital service. You can also call Samaritans on 116 123.

Police Mutual Services

We’ve teamed up with PayPlan**, one of the UK’s leading free debt advice providers, who offer free and confidential advice to anyone in serious financial difficulties. They’re able to advise you on a range of debt solutions suited to your individual circumstances, helping to protect you and your family with a sustainable way to manage your debt.

Get free and confidential help to combat your debt, call PayPlan** on 0800 197 8433.

* Money and Health Policy Institute report ‘a silent killer’ Published December 2018

**PayPlan is a trading name of Totemic Limited. Totemic Limited is a limited company registered in England, Company Number: 2789854. Registered Office: Kempton House, Dysart Road, PO Box 9562, Grantham, NG31 0EA. Totemic Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Financial Conduct Authority Number: 681263.