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Today is World Mental Health Day – a reminder of the importance of good mental health and the need to prioritise it.  

This year’s theme is 'access to services - mental health in catastrophes and emergencies'. The theme highlights the importance of people being able to protect their mental health in times of global instability. 

In this guest blog, our Wellbeing Advisor, Isabelle Plumb shares her advice on how to get involved and how to start talking about your mental health. 

World Mental Health Day is about coming together to talk about mental health and show everyone that mental health matters. Talking about our mental health can help us cope better with life’s ups and downs.  

So, on World Mental Health Day and beyond it, why not check in with your friends, family, peers, or colleagues?

How to get involved in World Mental Health Day 

Whether you’re an individual, educator, employer, or part of a community group, there are countless ways to engage with World Mental Health Day. Here are some ideas to consider: 

• Start a conversation: Talk openly about mental health with friends, family, or colleagues. Share your story or listen to someone else’s. 

• Wear green: Green is the international colour for mental health awareness. Wear it proudly on October 10 to show solidarity and spark dialogue. 

• Fundraise: Run a charity walk, online auction, or donation drive for a local mental health organisation or helpline. 

• Educate yourself and others: Read about different mental health conditions. Follow experts or lived-experience advocates. Share credible resources online. 

• Challenge stigma: Call out harmful language or stereotypes when you see them. Use inclusive language and model empathy in conversations. 

• Support a colleague: Create a more compassionate workplace by checking in on coworkers and advocating for mental health days, flexible schedules, or access to counselling. 

• Use social media thoughtfully: Post with purpose. Share mental health tips, helpline numbers, or personal reflections using tags like #WorldMentalHealthDay and #MentalHealthMatters. 

• Most importantly, make the day meaningful to you and your community. Big or small, every action counts. 

You can find more information on the 's website on how to get involved.

Help for Harper Adams staff 

SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ works with Health Assured to provide an enhanced Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). 

The programme allows employees to directly access counselling, legal information and advice on debt, work, lifestyle addictions and relationships. 

Contact details are shared with employees every week through an internal newsletter. Employees also receive wellbeing support from line managers and our Chaplaincy, HR and Mental Health First Aid teams; in addition to occupational health services provided by Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust. 

Help for Harper Adams students  

We all have mental health and we encourage our students to reach out if they are experiencing any difficulties. 

It’s important to look after our mental health just as we do our physical wellbeing. You may be a student at the start or end of your student journey, or somewhere in between, or a member of the wider university community. You may feel you can talk to friends, your course team, colleagues and or your GP but the important thing to remember is no problem is too small and it can help to talk things through.  

 It is never too late to let someone know how you are feeling and asking for help. At University, specialist support can be offered via self-referral to the wellbeing team, by accessing the Student Assistance Programme or talking to one of the Mental Health First Aiders.  

Further details can be found here. 

Sometimes, online can be a good place to start to find out what other support is out there, and there is plenty:  

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