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World Mental Health Day – Every Mind Matters

The Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences have had a huge impact on mental health and wellbeing across the board. As always, Jagex remains committed to helping its community wherever possible through amplifying the important messages of our mental health charity partners - CPSL Mind and Rise Above the Disorder and with our diversity charity partner, Blueprint For All.

With the return to normal being a strange time for many, we’d like to refresh our previous advice on how best to take care of your mental health and wellbeing in the run up to this year’s World Mental Health Day on Sunday 10th October.

Caring for your mental wellbeing is especially important during a period of uncertainty, which is why we’d like to encourage our friends, colleagues and community to get started with a free, NHS-approved Mind Plan from The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (formerly Public Health England).

By answering five quick questions, you’ll get a personalised action plan with practical tips to help you deal with the four most common issues that affect our mental health; stress, anxiety, low mood, and poor sleep.

Get your free Mind Plan here to discover the little things you can do to improve your wellbeing today.

On top of this, Every Mind Matters also has tips for dealing with change and the return to normality, which include:

Go at your own pace
It might be tempting to make lots of plans and say yes to everything as things start to open up, but there's no need to rush.

Take it step by step and only do what is comfortable and safe for you to ease back into socialising – then you can build your social calendar back up as your confidence returns.

Do not avoid things entirely
Avoiding the things that make us anxious can sometimes feel like the easier option in the short term, but this can make it harder to start facing our fears in the longer term. Instead, try to set yourself small but manageable targets, like meeting one person for a coffee or snack outside, or getting a haircut, and gradually build up from there. It can help to confide in a friend or family member so they can support you to overcome your anxieties.

Make time to relax
Being able to see more of our friends and family, and visit places that might have been closed until now, is exciting. But don’t overdo it; it's important to find regular time for yourself to relax too.

Challenge unhelpful thoughts
It's natural to feel worried every now and again, but our anxious thoughts can sometimes be unhelpful. If you can learn to identify and separate unhelpful thoughts from helpful ones, you can find a different way to look at the situation. There’s guidance on the Every Mind Matters website to help you do this.

Find routine where you can
During lockdown, life changed for us all and we developed new routines. Even if your normal weekday or weekend habits change, some things can stay the same. Are there areas in your life where it's easier to stick to a routine? Something as simple as going to bed and waking up at the same time each day or making sure to stick to your set lunch break can make a big difference.

For more helpful advice and support, head to the Better Health - Every Mind Matters website, with resources on managing problems caused by COVID-19, including tips and support on coping with money worries, job uncertainty and easing back into socialising.

If you found these resources useful then please do consider supporting the World Mental Health Day in-game fundraising event in RuneScape by purchasing the Wellbeing bundle, with 100% of the revenues being passed onto our charity partners. This event runs from 4th until 24th October.