A new campaign has launched in Sussex to encourage people to look after their mental wellbeing over the winter months and seek support when needed.
The ‘How Are You Really Feeling?’ campaign, which runs from Tuesday 10 December 2024 to Sunday 12 January 2025, is designed to raise awareness of the range of services and resources available in Sussex to support people with their mental wellbeing over the Christmas and new year period. It also aims to make mental health a positive part of everyday conversation by encouraging everyone to regularly check-in with themselves and those around them.
An estimated 220,000 people in Sussex (around 13% of the population) are believed to have a common mental health disorder.1 However, the true number is likely to be significantly higher, as this estimate only accounts for those who have been recorded as accessing services.
Coproduced by a diverse range of organisations including the NHS, local authorities, primary care providers, charities, voluntary groups, and people with lived experience, the ‘How Are You Really Feeling?’ campaign is the first-time organisations and champions of mental health across Sussex have come together in this way to promote mental wellbeing.
The campaign also highlights the recently developed mental health signposting resources for adults over the age of 18, co-created by individuals with lived experience, service providers, and partner organisations across Sussex. It includes information on vital crisis support as well as resources for people to take proactive steps in managing their mental health.
Oliver Dale, Chief Medical Officer at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, says: “Christmas and the New Year can be a difficult time for many, challenging us mentally and emotionally. It’s not always easy to see, as people often hide their struggles, or say they’re fine when they’re not. Checking in with someone – or reaching out yourself to others who might need your support – can make all the difference.
“The campaign highlights how important it is to ask for help when you need it and encourages everyone to support each other. It aims to make reaching out for help feel normal, positive, and an empowering step towards better mental health.”
Neil Blanchard, Chief Executive at Southdown, says: “Mental health affects every part of our lives, from how we think and feel to how we connect with others and handle challenges. Seeking help isn’t just about improving mental health – it’s about improving life itself. When we take steps to care for our mental wellbeing, we open the door to better relationships, greater resilience, and a brighter future.
It’s inspiring to see so many organisations across Sussex’s mental health sector coming together to promote support and resources and encouraging more people to speak openly and confidently about mental health.”
Case study
Simon, a Peer Support Worker at the Staying Well crisis support service in Brighton & Hove, shares his own experiences of mental health and how asking for support led him to working to help others facing similar challenges:
“I’d come out of a job that made me feel suicidal. I was out of work for a long time which put me in a more negative space. Because there’s a stigma to it, I didn’t want to talk about it. But suicide shouldn’t be stigmatised. Sharing experiences is very healthy.
“I’m a Peer Support Worker at Staying Well Brighton & Hove and I got this job through my lived experience – which was eye opening and breath-taking. It turned a negative to a positive. I help people in self-defined mental health crisis. You feel very isolated and very lonely when you’re at your lowest and this service is an opportunity to not feel those things.
“What I’ve learnt is you can’t close down. Opening up took away the burden that I was carrying. It’s about being honest with yourself, rather than hiding it. Know that you’re not alone. There are other people out there who’ve lived it and are willing to share that with you.”
People across Sussex are encouraged to visit www.how-are-you-really-feeling-sussex.nhs.uk for support and resources. For additional mental health guidance, the Every Mind Matters website is also a very useful resource: www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters.
At the same time, health and care partners in Sussex are working together to ensure that people have the care and support they need this winter. All partners are committed to supporting people to stay well and to maintain patient safety and experience.
More information is available about what people can do this winter at www.sussex.ics.nhs.uk/get-the-right-care