Mental Health Awareness Week

Theme for 2025

Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 takes place on 12 to 18 May, and this year's theme is Community.

Being part of a safe, positive community is vital for our mental health and wellbeing. It helps us to form strong connections with other people and remind us we are not alone. Communities can provide a sense of identity and belonging, safety and support in hard times and can give us a sense of purpose. Research has shown that individuals who feel connected to a community are more likely to report higher levels of happiness and wellbeing.

What is Mental Health Awareness Week?

Mental Health Awareness Week provides a good opportunity to talk about your mental health and wellbeing with family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. Anyone can talk about mental health! Starting conversations about how we are feeling is really important, and getting support early can prevent problems from getting worse.

What is a community?

A community is a group of people brought together through something which they share in common, such as geographic location or similar values and interests.

For Mental Health Awareness Week 2025, reflect on what community means to you and where you find your community. This might be at school or work, through your faith or perhaps by joining a club or groups that shares your interests. Another place to find community is in support groups, where you can connect with people who understand what you have been through. A community should make you feel good about yourself, feel safe and empathy towards others.

How can I find community?

If you are not part of a community at the moment, think about where you would like to spend a few hours of your time, what interests or skills you would like to learn and then seek out places to do those activities. To create connections with your chosen group and make friends, try to attend regularly, as seeing the same people on a repeated basis helps you to integrate.

You can find some ideas on connecting with others and learning something new on our pages our Five ways to wellbeing webpage.  Another way to connect with others is to volunteer your time and resources to a cause or organisation that is important to you. You can find out how to give to others on our Five ways to wellbeing webpage.

The charity Mental Health Foundation has resources and information about Mental Health Awareness Week on their website.