On Saturday 10 October, people across the world will come together to mark World Mental Health Day, an opportunity to raise awareness of mental health, reduce stigma, and encourage conversations about wellbeing.
The theme for World Mental Health Day 2026 is “Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change”. The Five Ways to Wellbeing – Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Give – offer a framework for supporting everyday wellbeing. They are not a replacement for mental health support but can help us stay connected to the people and things around us.
Everyone’s mental health journey is different.
Whether someone is facing challenges themselves, seeking support for the first time, or supporting a loved one, everyone deserves to feel heard, understood and supported.
Looking after your Mental Health using the Five Ways to Wellbeing
Improving your mental health can sometimes feel challenging, particularly when you are living or working under pressure, navigating change, or going through significant life transitions.
The Good Mental Health Project encourages people to explore what ‘good’ mental health means to them and to identify practical ways of supporting their wellbeing in everyday life. Through our work, we help individuals discover simple, effective tools that can support positive mental health, including the Five Ways to Wellbeing.
Five Ways to Wellbeing is a straightforward, evidence-based framework that promotes five key actions to help build resilience, strengthen wellbeing, and support good mental health. By incorporating these small, practical steps into daily life, people can feel more connected, positive, and better equipped to manage life’s challenges (New Economics Foundation, 2008).
Why Connection Matters
Connection is one of the Five Ways to Wellbeing because it is essential to our emotional wellbeing, resilience, and sense of belonging. Feeling understood, seen, or supported by others helps regulate emotions, reduces stress, and reminds us that we don’t have to do everything alone.
When we think about connection, we might picture large social gatherings, close friendships, or romantic or physical closeness. While these can be meaningful forms of connection, they’re not the only ones. Connection for wellbeing often shows up in smaller, quieter, and more manageable ways than we might expect.
There may be times when you don’t have the energy to socialise, or when finding the words to explain how you’re really feeling feels impossible. Friendships can change, others may not fully understand your experience, and reaching out for support can feel hard or overwhelming.
But connection doesn’t have to mean big conversations or busy social calendars. It can be gentle, brief, and on your own terms.
Ways we can ‘Connect’
Being social means different things for different people. You might prefer being in quieter situations with one other person, or you might like being in big groups. You might like to connect with people online, or you might enjoy phone calls or sending letters.
Here are some ways you could make a connection today:
- Sitting down to eat dinner or play a game with family
- Arranging a day out with friends you’ve not seen for a while
- Having lunch with a colleague
- Visiting someone who needs your support or company
- Speaking to someone new (if you feel comfortable)
- Asking how someone’s weekend was and really listening to what they say
Remember
Connection looks different for everyone.
We all need different amounts and different types of connection, and there is no right way to do it, only a right way for you.
The Good Mental Health Project is funded by City of York Council Public Health and delivered by York CVS.