Mental Health Awareness Week is an annual campaign coordinated by the Mental Health Foundation, which is taking place 11th-17th May 2026 and aims to raise awareness of mental health and usually has a targeted theme which changes each year.
The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 is ‘Action’ and asks people to take action to support good mental health. Even small actions can help us feel hopeful and less powerless. And while our individual actions matter, when we come together we are even more powerful.
Action: for yourself, for someone else, for all of us
The Mental Health Foundation has chosen Action as this year’s theme because, while awareness is vital, real change comes when we take action too. Together, we’ve come a long way on mental health, but we can’t risk going backwards. There’s still much we can do to prevent people becoming unwell in the first place. 
Actions to support your mental health
The Mental Health Foundation have created three tipsheets to give you the tools to take action to support your own mental health. From quick wins and simple actions to long-term lifestyle shifts, try a few to find what works what works best for you. Click the links below to access the tipsheets:
- Top ten actions for good mental health
- Quick actions for a mental health boost
- Eight actions to improve mental health in the long-term
5 Ways to Wellbeing
The 5 Ways to Wellbeing are 5 daily actions which have been proven to make a real difference to your mental health and wellbeing. The 5 Ways to Wellbeing are:
- Connect
Connect with people around you; friends, family, colleagues and neighbours at home, work, school or out in your local community - Be Active
As mentioned above, it’s about finding what’s right for you, this could be going for a walk or run, stepping out into your garden, cycling, gardening, dancing or seated exercise. - Take Notice
Be curious and try to catch sight of the world around you including the unusual, changing seasons, the small moments around you and how you’re feeling. - Keep Learning
Try something new, rediscover an old interest, sign up for a new course, or take on a new responsibility at work; learning new things will make you feel more confident as well as being fun. - Give
So something nice for a friend or a strange; thank someone, volunteer your time, hold the door open for someone. Helping others and acts of kindness can be just as much a boost to our own wellbeing as well as those around us.
Find out more about Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 and get involved
Mental Health Awareness Week is an annual campaign, coordinated by the Mental Health Foundation. Through their website you can find out about the campaign in more detail as well as how you can get involved. Click here to visit the Mental Health Foundation website now.
Find out more about Mind’s approach to Mental Health Awareness Week 2026
Great mental health care isn’t just clinical, it’s human.
It’s the kind voice at the end of the phone when you’re worried about rent and too unwell to work. It’s the advisor who listens actively, rather than waiting for their turn to speak. It’s the therapist who talks through what’s happened to you, not what’s ‘wrong’ with you.
Mind’s experts are the heart of human care for mental health, treating people as individuals, not statistics and seeing a person, where others might just see a patient. They know their communities, know their needs and go the extra mile to deliver quality care, when people need it most.
This Mental Health Awareness Week (11-17 May), help us continue providing life-changing support that really does make a difference. Click here to find out more from Mind.
Together we can make sure no mind gets left behind.
Where to access support…
If you’re looking for some support around your mental health, there are lots of ways you can help yourself and access support.
Online Resources
National and Online Support
- Mind – Through the Mind website, you can access a wide range of information on mental health. Click here to visit the Mind website now.
- Mental Health Foundation – Through their website, the Mental Health Foundation provide evidence-based resources to learn about mental health, how to care for your own wellbeing, support others, and prevent mental ill-health, built on evidence and real experiences from people like you. Click here to visit their website.
- Samaritans – Need to talk? If stress is getting on top of you and you feel that you would benefit from talking with someone about what you are experiencing, the Samaritans service provides a free, 24/7, emotional support and listening ear service. Click here to visit their website to find out about their free telephone support service.
- Mind – You can access information and advice from Mind’s helpline services to find out more about stress. Mind also provide the Side-by-Side online community where you can access online peer support and speak virtually with others going through similar experiences to you.
- Shout Crisis Messenger – If you’re starting to feel overwhelmed, or that you can’t cope, Shout Crisis Messenger provides a 24/7 text support service. Click here to visit their website to find out more about free support available from crisis volunteers.
- Useful apps – Through our Useful Apps section, you can find out about a range of apps available to support you with your health and wellbeing, click here to find an app to support you today.
Local Support
Sunderland Talking Therapies offer a number of therapies, classes and groups to help with a range of common mental health difficulties.
- Learn more about common symptoms and how they affect you
- Learn effective coping strategies to help to improve your wellbeing
- Cope better with future difficulties
Click here to find out more and to contact NHS Sunderland Talking Therapies. You might also find it beneficial to reach out to local organisations to access local groups and activities, click here to visit our directory of local events to find out what’s happening in your local area.
