If working on your mental wellbeing is a goal and wish of yours in 2021, then a podcast might be best means for you.
Podcasts have become a fantastic tool for mental health in the last few years. From shows that make you laugh out loud (literally) to informative pieces, and even those that focus on meditation and mental health. There are a whole host of podcasts to choose from.
As 2021 gets going, we have listed our top 5 podcasts to help get your mind, health and wellbeing in check:
1. Sleep With Me: If you struggle to get to sleep, or stay asleep during the night, then Sleep With Me podcast is for you. Sit back, relax, and listen to the weird yet oh, so, wonderful bedtime stories narrated by the podcast team. Our rating: 5/5
2. The Happiness Lab: Take a journey with Dr. Laurie Santos and explore the science of Happiness. It’s a little more academic than the other podcasts on our list, but it is equally as fascinating. It’s especially fantastic for those who want to dig deeper into mental health and their own happiness. Our rating: 5/5
3. Radio Headspace: Inject a small dose of mindfulness to your morning with Radio Headspace. These short and sweet episodes are just what you need on your commute to work or school, allowing you to take that quick breather. Our rating: 3/5
4. NHS Coach to 5K: It may not get you fit quick, but this podcast will guide and coach you through the stages required to reach that goal of 5k. Plenty of motivation, excitement and hype, this podcast is a must for those wanting to push themselves physically and mentally in the new year. Our rating: 5/5
5. Fearn Cotton’s Happy Place: Fearn Cotton interviews a different person every episode, exploring mental health and wellbeing in a variety of ways. The beauty of her podcast is just how many different points of view and techniques people offer in terms of keeping your mental health as a priority in your life. Our rating: 4/5
Whether you listen to all of our suggestions or just one of them, we would love to hear your thoughts on social media. Follow Midland Mencap on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Hello To all my readers as you know due to the current situation we have found ourselves in I did not think the marathon was going ahead then I found out that a virtual London marathon was going ahead!
To be honest I knew it would be hard but for everyone who knows me after the struggles I have been through and it’s been tough! I had enough grit and determined inside of me with the amount of training I did and preparing for it. I was not going to walk away from this and giving up.
I was nervous having everyone in my Midland Mencap’s family and friends and other people I have to meet through hockey all believing in me was proof I had it inside of me with what has been a very tough year it would be an amazing achievement. To remember it would be the hardest and toughest challenge with help from my coach Jonathan and my guide runner Mark who was meant to be doing London together they were both committed to helping me run.
Also, Dan Floyd from Mencap gave his advice and leading up to it my run Adam Bone just by his phone calls really helped prepared me mentally and even if it rained it wouldn’t stop me my route was from roheath pavilion Pershore road then round cannon hill. Which is a beautiful park as my scenery.
So the day itself full of butterflies and excited so once I set off a nice slow pace it was going really well but there would be a technical problem with my phone which meant I had to break. But in doing so I was able to have a flapjack for energy sadly at that point I did lose my coach Jon. I was so greatful for his help on my first part of my journey! So it was up to me and Mark to finish it yes I was scared but through sheer grit I pushed through yes it took me eight hours before I finished me and my Guide runner Mark had meet not knowing each other wanted to finish.
This is as were a team and yes to my mum I’ll always be her legend those last few moments where I felt pain in my legs I wasn’t going to finish until the app said complete. Me, my mum and Mark all looked at each other and when it said complete we all jumped in the air!!
My journey had come this I had done my part as a Midland Mencap ambassador and shown what those with a disability can do I will continue to help those who need help and I am going to keep running and take on London and other marathons because there is nothing I can’t achieve so watch this space thank you for reading and with losing Honey that was really hard but I ran for her and I am never going to a dark place because she would want me to be happy.
Recently we ran a poetry competition on our social media, asking people to write about their experiences on ‘Coping with Covid-19’
We had a fantastic response and put up a shortlist of entries on Facebook for people to vote for their favourite poem.
And the winner is?………………………………………….. Kath Hyslop!
Kaths poem really touched people, and she managed to capture the thoughts and feelings of everyone being affected by the virus in the current climate.
She said that lockdown has been really difficult for her so she started to think about what has happened and how she looks forward to when it ends. She had lots of ideas, and with the help from Mum she got them down on paper and had fun making it rhyme! Kath had never entered a poem competition before so was really happy when she won, as she didn’t even think she would make the top 5! – Well done Kath!
Coping with COVID-19 – by Katharine Hyslop
Covid-19 where have you been?
Where did you come from?
We know you’re new on the scene so,
Just where have you been?
I wish you’d go back there.
You’ve come into my life like a thief in the night,
Taking everything from me that I enjoy!
Like sport and meeting with friends.
You really do annoy!
I hear on the news that you’ve taken lives
That really is so shocking
My heart is breaking for the folk who have lost their loved ones.
When lockdown is over it’ll be you that we’ll be blocking.
Because Covid-19, a vaccine is on its way
And when it arrives, you’ll be the thing that we’ll be mocking.
We’ll be chasing you back to the place you came from,
Wherever it was, on that dreadful day.
Dear colleagues, though everyone is working incredibly hard, and I thank you for everything that you are doing, this email is going out particularly to our frontline colleagues. I ask all of you to think of them, your colleagues are now working in unprecedented times and we must all hold them in our thoughts.
So to our frontline colleagues, I say this. These are the most demanding of times and you are working in the most difficult of circumstance providing care and support to our most vulnerable citizens. I want you to know that you are very much in mine and the rest of the SMT’s thoughts. Though the management team are remote working we are doing everything we can to support you and keep you supplied with the protective resources you need. The SMT are meeting twice daily by video conference to ensure we are responding to circumstances and Government directives.
I fully understand how difficult and worrying the pandemic is for everyone working on the frontline. You have already demonstrated remarkable resilience and fortitude and I want you to know that you have our full support and everything you are doing is appreciated beyond measure. I know that you are taking the best care of yourselves and following all directives and instructions. On behalf of everyone else at Midland Mencap and our Trustee Board and all of the citizens and families keep doing what you are doing, you really are the nations heroes. I’m immensely proud of you all and once we are through this we will find a way to thank you all properly!!
I will keep in touch with you as we go forward. Stay safe, stay strong and stay well……you are not forgotten
Bless you all
Dave Rogers, Midland Mencap CEO
Midland Mencap have some really exciting news to share. We are launching a brand new short breaks service for children with additional needs in North Warwickshire on the 1st of April.
Who is this short service for?
So this service is for anyone aged 0 and 18 with additional needs this could include learning disability, a physical disability, a mental health condition or difficulties, or somebody who’s on the autistic spectrum.
What types of short breaks could be available?
So the ranges of activities that we could offer are really fun day trips, evenings social clubs, sports groups and wellbeing activities. It will be available on weekends, so trips out whether it’s Harry Potter, Lego land, Warwick castle you name it, it could be absolutely anything. As well as weekdays and weekend short breaks we’re also going to be offering overnight stays to support the child but also to support parent carers. And we also run sessions catered for those young people who have more specialised needs so we run 1 to 1 support to provide those opportunities within the community for the child.
Upcoming Events and Activities in North Warwickshire:
Coffee morning for Family and Parent Carers
Come and learn from Midland Mencap’s team about the new short breaks service in North Warwickshire. This is your chance to help us shape the opportunities for children and young people and your family. (Free Tea, coffee and snacks will be available)
When: Monday 23rd March, 10am-12pm
Where? The Chess Centre, Nuneaton, CV10 9DN
Working Lunch for Professionals and key decision makers in Warwickshire
We are committed to delivering an innovative and inclusive service for children & families in Nuneaton & Bedworth and to create a meaningful dialogue with professionals and key decision makers in Warwickshire. With this in mind we will be holding a working lunch meeting and we would like to invite you to join us. This will enable us to showcase our plans for the service and introduce you to some of the operational staff. Lunch will be provided if you are thinking of attending and have any dietary needs please contact dave.pickard@midlandmencap.org.uk.
When? 12pm-1pm
Where? The Chess Centre, Nuneaton, CV10 9DN
Coffee morning for family and parent carers
Come and learn from Midland Mencap’s team about the new short breaks service in North Warwickshire. This is your chance to help us shape the opportunities for children and young people and your family. (Free Tea, coffee and snacks will be available)
When: Monday 23rd March, 10am-12pm
Where? The Chess Centre, Nuneaton, CV10 9DN
Short Break Family taster Sessions:
Bowling
When? Friday 17th April 2020, 10am-12pm
Where? TBC,Nuneaton
Anker Wood Farm:
When? Friday 19th April 2020, 10am-12pm
Where? TBC, Bedworth
Get in touch!
We’d really like your help to shape this service for the young people of North Warwickshire. Tell us what you would like from this short breaks service. We want to work together to provide an opportunity and a short break that works for you, your child and your family.
Call: 0121 442 2944
Email: cypenquiries@midlandmencap.org.uk
The excitement and anticipation could be felt all over Sutton Park on Saturday 5th October as participants and supporters gathered together for a great day of activity, fundraising and personal achievements.
The day commenced with the cycle event where many of our parkriders rode their way to complete an impressive 5km; an amazing achievement for all who took part. This was then followed by 112 enthusiastic individuals taking on either a 5km or 10km run and many more individuals partaking in the 1km fun run which concluded the day. With a mixture of runners, joggers, walkers, bikers and wheelchair users it really was a day for everyone.
As a charity who strive for inclusivity and equality within society, it was especially pleasing to see that was this felt by all those involved in the event. With one participant saying, ‘I’m delighted today’s event has been so inclusive, and everyone has found their own way to take part’ and another saying it was ‘fab to see different people join in confident that they had been thought about! That’s how to deliver an inclusive sports event’. This kind of feedback is always wonderful to receive and proves we are on the right track.
We saw some fantastic results over the day and a special shout out should go to Tim Livesey for winning the 10km in a superb time of 39:44 closely followed in by Dan Melia and Naved Akhtar, and Ruth Horton the first female across the line in an impressive time of 52:58. Martin Farmer dominated the 5km with a winning time of 22:20 and Ruby Inman took the first female with an equally amazing time of 28:00 dead.
Another notable run came from Tom Kirby who took part in this year’s 10km. Tom has been supported at Midland Mencap for over 3 years now and as a keen runner has decided to run the London Marathon with Freddie another individual supported by a local group Harpenden Mencap. They will be running the London Marathon for Mencap as a squad of 15 runners to give back to all those who have helped them over the years. This will be an amazing achievement and we ask everyone to please get behind Tom and Freddie and the 13 other runners and support them through their London Marathon journey. Check out Tom’s fundraising page here
All finishers were awarded medals to mark their achievement and all photos of the event are now available to view online. Check out all the photo’s on our Facebook page here.
Massive thanks have to go to all our volunteers. Without all of you lovely people we would not be able to put on these great events and again massive congratulations must be given to all our runners and participants.
We look forward to welcoming you all back next year when we hope to make the event even bigger and more successful. Keep your eyes peeled for further information but for now, a big THANK YOU!
– Eloise Bull –
Friday 14th of this month it was Midland Mencaps 70th birthday to celebrate it was a party at the town hall with dance and bands and choirs. I was asked to be the host for the event and without hesitation I said yes, as it would be a really great evening of entertainment and celebration. I also felt really privileged that they trusted me with doing the role as it was in front of 500 people! Sometimes I do panic under pressure but because I can improvise due to my past acting skills it flowed really well.
I didn’t want to let anyone down and considering when I got there and given a script a few hours before to help I felt butterflies in my stomach as I did the walk on to where I would be going on the night and what colour my microphone was. The building was really beautiful and I was looked after by Chris Proctor and all the other staff who made me feel really at ease at the job I was going to do when the show started. It was a really good night I am so proud and glad I did it.
Being with everyone, dancing with all my friends plus all in Midland Mencap they are all my family. Talking to Geared about are ongoing rivalry, sitting on the stage with the acts gave me a huge buzz as I was able to really soak in what was a really good night to celebrate Midland Mencap. Who knows maybe I’ll get to host another event as it was a moment I’ll treasure.
I do wear my heart on my sleeve only because I want to show that whatever you want to go for you can do it.
You can see all the pictures from the Birmingham Big Noise here
Tom Kirby – Midland Mencap Ambassador
Hello and welcome back to all my readers to this month’s blog for you. This month will be about social media and how it can be positive for people but also can be a negative experience. There are lots of ways to use social media be this sharing photos and videos of you and your friends and family as well as keeping in contact with people you care about who might live far away from you.
Sadly there are lots of examples where social media is used in the wrong way. Lots of people should happily get along but there are lots of people who fall victim to bullying on social media. I’ve been a victim myself and this left me feeling ashamed, vulnerable and isolated from friends and family. These messages had a major impact on people life’s and and it leaves people thinking why they were picked on? . Here’s a statistic about bullying online that I found “ Over 25% of adults and young people have been bullied repeatedly through their phones or the Internet.”
So I urge you to think carefully about what you are replying to online. Think about how you would feel if you got a hateful message as these words can have a serious impact on someone.
I am quite a positive person but it’s okay to say some days I still feel hurt from it and it’s alright to feel that way so let’s work together and stop bullying online. The good thing is that your friends and family are always there to support you if you have any problems online. As well I find it is also good to have a break from social media I love to go out with friends to the cinema to watch a movie or playing sports as you know I love hockey!
Thanks you once again for reading my blog and hope this has inspired you to be more positive to people online. I’m really excited about what I have to share with you all over the next few months so keep your eyes peeled! I was also recently part of the Midland Mencap’s new monthly Podcast so if you missed it you can listen or watch here!!
Tom Kirby – Midland Mencap Monthly Blogger
Hello everyone for today’s blog I want to look back on 2018. This has been for me first of all a year I’ll never forget! I’ll always remember the first time I became part of the Midland Mencap flyers hockey team from someone who never done any social sports apart from going to swimming lessons and scouts to have a gold medal from Amsterdam in 2017 it’s really still to this day a memory I’ll always remember. And to be able to compete in Barcelona this year is something that is just simply amazing. Hockey has become something that is really special to me. I have grown so much as a player and a team mate it wouldn’t have been possible with Steve and Laura.
So Thank for this for this experience there are no words to say how much this means to me. Even when I have felt I couldn’t do anything even, James, he would get tough with me not because I had done anything wrong but they all wanted me to believe more in myself as a player. Hopefully there will be more experiences with you all to come. PS. Steve the banter we have, I wouldn’t have it any other way!
As well The Real Junk Food Project has given me so much a new taste of cooking to trying new flavours. I’m so proud to volunteer there because of the things it’s given me from running a boutique, to seeing friendly customers every Monday. I would really recommend coming and giving your support to this wonderful project and one day if we all work together help stop food waste. Without donations from the general public we wouldn’t be able to run cafes or a warehouse if you’d like to learn more click here.
Something which has benefited both my skills as a player and mentally is running. Since doing it in myself I have noticed a big difference. I have more energy when running on the pitch and I feel healthier in myself. The good thing about running is you don’t have to be big and strong it makes me feel so free when running and all my fears melt away. I am determined to do 10k this year, So the Geared rivalry continues!
In terms of mental health I am glad to say that I am not OK its nothing to be ashamed of. I want to show you, my readers that with help the road to recovery is a long road but you can do it!! What this year has proven to me like the song from the greatest showman “This is me” yes I am suffering with it. Yes I have scares. But this is me, it’s who I am and that I am not scared anymore because I have the love and support from people. They know who they are and they keep me fighting every day.
Going into next year I will be a stronger person keep working hard see what exciting things next year has in-store like potentially interviewing an actor from Casualty! Last but no means least I’d like thank you my loyal readers and fans. I hope you have enjoyed my journey this year as much as I did sharing it and continue with me into the New Year! Your monthly blogger Tom Kirby
Hi everyone and welcome back to my monthly blog for Midland Mencap this month I’m going to talk about my experience of starting up running and taking part in my first ever race!
If you would have said a few weeks ago that my mom would be watching me play hockey and seeing me run really fast and suggested I should find a running club. To be honest if she’d of asked me last year I would have said no as I was in a dark place. However my support worker suggested Bournville Harriers running club. I was very nervous but eager to give it a go, just like I was when I first went to hockey training and after my first running session I really enjoyed it!
Since I’ve been going running I have noticed an improvement in my fitness but I also noticed that the determination to do my best that I discovered from playing hockey transferred really well in running too and that is what a coach wants.
So from this new found love for running this then led me to take part in my first ever 5k race! The race was for Mencap in Sutton Park and would be a brand new experience for me as in terms of training I have never done this before but I still really wanted to do it.
The day itself I felt a real rush of adrenaline and really wanted to beat Gerard (you know who you are!) and I was focused to try and a run the 5k in less than 20 minutes. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel afterwards but I had the sheer focus to keep going! The weather wasn’t that great but that did not bother me! I finished it in just Under 30 minutes and was in the top 20 for the whole race, sadly just slightly behind Gerard…
But that didn’t matter as I felt a real buzz and enjoyment afterwards and it has motivated me to take part in a 10k race next time. Which I really think will give Gerard a real run for his money!!
If anyone reading this wants to give running a go or any sport really just go for it as the feeling afterwards is worth it. You don’t have to worry about experience or certain amount of fitness just give it a go as you never know you might find something you really love doing.
Thank you all for reading and see you again for next month’s blog 🙂 , Tom Kirby