Health and Wellbeing Calendar

Time to Talk Day is held at the beginning of February every year by Rethink Mental Illness and Mind, delivered in partnership with Co-op. This year Time to Talk Day is on Thursday 6 February 2025. 

It is about helping people and communities to come together to have the nation’s biggest mental health conversation. It's a chance for all of us to be more open about our mental health and talk about how we really feel.

The resources below explore different techniques that can support your mental health.

Mindfulness and Frazzled — Ruby Wax

After three decades working on stage, television and radio, Ruby Wax has recently changed direction. The former entertainer is now an expert on psychology, human behaviour and communication. She is also one of the most sought after speakers on mental health and mindfulness.

Ruby Wax began her TV career writing and starring in 'Girls on Top' with French and Saunders and Tracey Ullman. Ruby went on to write and perform for both the BBC and Channel 4 for over 25 years in her own hugely popular television programmes including 'Don’t Miss Wax', 'Wax on Wheels', 'Hit and Run', 'The Full Wax', 'Hot Wax', and 'Ruby Wax with…' in which she performed memorable interviews with major celebrities such as Donald Trump, Imelda Marcos, Madonna, OJ Simpson, Goldie Hawn, Jim Carrey, Ben Stiller and many others. Among her many award-winning documentaries are 'Miami Memoirs', 'East Meets Wax', 'Ruby Takes a Trip', 'Class of ’69', 'Ruby Wax Meets' and 'Ruby’s American Pie'.

On stage, Ruby has been directed by Alan Rickman in her own one-woman shows.  These range from 'Wax Acts' and 'Stressed' in the late 1990’s through to the more recent 'Losing It', 'Sane New World' (directed by Thea Sharrock) and 'Frazzled' which she has taken all over the UK and Australia as well as to the United States, Cape Town and London’s West End.

Ruby has studied Psychotherapy and gained her Master’s degree in Mindfulness-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy from Oxford University. She is also a TedTalk Global speaker and awarded an OBE for her services to mental health.

Ruby’s books, 'How Do You Want Me?', 'Sane New World' and 'A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled' and have topped the Sunday Times Bestseller’s lists and been published all over the world. Ruby’s latest book How to be Human – The Manual was written with the help of a monk and a neuroscientist, the book asks the thorny question: in a world that is increasingly online and beholden to technology, what is it that makes us truly human?  We can’t stop the future from arriving, no matter what drugs we’re on. But even if nearly every part of us becomes robotic, we’ll still, fingers crossed, have our minds, which, hopefully, we’ll be able to use for things like compassion, rather than chasing what’s ‘better’ and if we can do that we’re on the yellow brick road to happiness. 'How to be Human' is the only manual you’ll need to help you upgrade your mind as much as you’ve upgraded your iPhone.

In 2016 Ruby received an OBE for her services to mental health.

To access Ruby's session, please use the password: Wellbeing21

 

SENDS 4 Dads: A Mental Health Journey

Paul Meadows, founder of SENDS 4 Dads, shares the story of his mental health journey and how he set up the support group for dads and male carers who have a child of any age with special educational needs and/or a disability, whether or not this has been diagnosed.

 

Understanding and Managing Burnout

This session is presented by Nicola Phillips and Thomas Finnigan from NHFT's Northamptonshire NHS Talking Therapies service.

During the session, Nicola and Thomas talk about what burnout is and the different warning signs to indicate that you may be approaching burnout.

They also explore different techniques that can be helpful to prevent and manage burnout, including behavioural activation and mindfulness.

Volunteering for good mental health

This TED-talk style presentation explores the reasons volunteering numbers have fallen since the COVID pandemic – and how we can all help to reverse this decline while improving our own mental health and wellbeing.

Dr Amir Khan

Dr Amir Khan is a full time NHS GP working in inner city Bradford, and resident GP on ITV Good Morning Britain and Lorraine.

Dr Amir’s passions outside of medicine include wildlife conservation and he is the first Ambassador for The National Wildlife Trusts and The Butterfly Conservation Society, working closely with them to ensure access to green spaces for inner city children and spreading the word on how being outside with nature is good for your health.

In this session, Dr Amir addresses a tough two and a half years and continuing challenges across the health and social care sector as we battle the repercussions of the pandemic. But while colleagues care for others, it is vital that they also care for themselves. Self-care does not need to be self indulgent; it should not be associated with guilt – it is something everyone needs to prioritise. Dr Amir will share his tips on how to put your wellbeing first (without the guilt) and simple every day strategies that can be incorporated into daily routines to connect everybody back with the wellbeing effects of nature, movement and nutrition.

This session is now available on demand. Please use the password: VWBF22