Month: September 2022

Categories
mental health

Steps to a healthy and happy mind

Easier said than done, but in the current day and age keeping yourself in a positive and healthy mindset is key. Especially with all the negative and stressful situations surrounding all of us. One stop safety training solution want to give you some advice, tips, and steps to take to a healthy and happy mind.

Most importantly, prioritise sleep!  Good sleep improves your brain performance, mood, and health. Not getting enough quality sleep regularly raises the risk of many diseases and disorders. These range from heart disease and stroke to obesity and dementia. You know that cranky feeling after a restless night? That’s thanks to not getting enough sleep! Too little sleep can take a toll on your mental and emotional state, making you more susceptible to mood swings and paranoia.

Keep active. Doing a little exercise every day has several benefits: both mental and physical. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins which can greatly improve your mood. You don’t have to spend a lot of money and join a gym to do some exercise; walking or cycling to your destination, cleaning the house while listening to music and gardening are all easy ways to get the blood pumping. After a while you’ll start to find doing tasks easier as well looking better, which in turn will also make you feel better about yourself. It will also boost your self-esteem, having high self-esteem is key to positive mental health and well-being. High self-esteem matters because it helps you develop coping skills, handle adversity, and put the negative into perspective. You are more likely to have a positive attitude and outlook on life even when you face a tough time.

Get socialising, it’s a good idea to find a healthy balance of alone time and socialising. Doing too much of either can be unhealthy. As humans we need both to socialise and spend quality time with ourselves. Balance is key to a healthy and happy mind and body. Social interaction helps ward off depression and stress, both of which can contribute to memory loss. Look for opportunities to connect with loved ones, friends, and others, especially if you live alone. There is research that links solitary confinement to brain atrophy, so remaining socially active may have the opposite effect and strengthen the health of your brain.

Write a letter to yourself, when you’re feeling good, think about what you will want to tell your future self if things get harder and you find you need more support. Reminding yourself of what’s keeping you feeling positive right now can help you through those more difficult times in the future.

People eat well to prevent diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure and improve heart health. Yet, a well-balanced diet is essential for a healthy mind. Changing your diet can protect you from mental health problems. It can reduce symptoms of depression, Alzheimer’s, anxiety, and stress, for instance. It can also improve your concentration and memory. you should take care of your gut by eating the right food. Your food should be low in cholesterol, low in fat and high in antioxidants. It should also be rich in omega-3-fatty acids.

 

Categories
First Aid

Less than 1 in 10 people survive a cardiac arrest, lets do something about that!

The NHS Ambulance Services treat approximately 30 000 patients a year for out of hospital cardiac arrest. And with around 70 per cent of cardiac arrests taking place in the home and half being witnessed by a bystander, quick intervention could mean the difference between life and death for a family member or friend. The bigger issue is only 40% of people receive bystander CPR in the UK. Defibrillation within 3–5 minutes of collapse can produce survival rates up to 50–70%. Each minute of delay reduces the probability of survival to hospital discharge by 10%. Research suggests that using a defibrillator within the first 3-5 minutes of cardiac arrest improves those chances of survival by 50-70%. Furthermore, immediate AED treatment can have a survival rate of 90-95%. Clearly the quicker the patient gets treatment, the better. Therefor its important we all feel confident with using one before we must in real life. Early recognition is essential for a successful outcome. The quicker a bystander does CPR the better response, the first 4 minutes is key. If defib is available, you want to be getting that as soon as you notice the arrest. And remember to call 999. Having an AED close at hand improves your survival chance, from 5% with CPR alone, to a convincing 75%.

Recently during a Euro 2020 match, a footballer collapsed on the pitch and went into Cardiac Arrest, however the quick thinking of players and medics to perform CPR and utilise a defibrillator have saved his life. Without this quick intervention, the player may not have survived. Unfortunately, a lack of knowledge and confidence in how to handle cardiac arrest means many bystanders fail to act. CPR is amongst the simplest and most important of all first aid skills, but should someone experience cardiac arrest, use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) can boost their chances of survival much more than CPR alone. An AED cannot be effective without good-quality CPR, but conversely, CPR alone is very unlikely to restore normal heart function. Without CPR by bystanders until the arrival of emergency services, even if they are summoned promptly, chances of survival are vanishingly small. The target response time for NHS ambulances is 7 minutes. Even if this is achieved, by 7 minutes without oxygen permanent brain damage has often already occurred, as brain cells begin shut down after 4-6 minutes. In most circumstances, after ten minutes without oxygen, brain cells cease to function altogether, resulting in death or severe neurological damage. Therefore, it’s so important for everyone to be trained first aid, especially emergency first aid. it is also vital to understand that if someone is in cardiac arrest and needs CPR, it is impossible to make things worse for them, by breaking their ribs for example. Correct CPR often does crack ribs. However, if somebody is unresponsive and not breathing, they are effectively dead and have absolutely zero chance of recovery without first aid and/or medical attention. If bystanders do cause injuries to the casualty during CPR, they cannot get into legal trouble for doing so.

A Resuscitation Council Report suggests that only 30-40% of cardiac arrest victims receive CPR by bystanders, and ultimately only 8% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims survive to be discharged from hospital. AED use is even rarer used in just 2% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. AEDs are now found in many public places, but many people lack the knowledge and confidence to seek them out and use them. Every minute that goes by without defibrillation lowers survival chances by 10% for those with a shockable heart rhythm. However, early administration of CPR combined with an AED can raise survival chances to as high as 40%!

It’s a great skill to know, feel confident that you could help someone. It could be one of your family members or friends that you’re helping.

Categories
Uncategorized

Something to remember…

We like to put out blogs often. As you all know, we felt that it’s only fitting during this devastating time to talk respectfully on the following subject, Her Majesty the Queen.

She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime and 15 at the time of her death. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days is the longest of any British monarch and the longest recorded of any female head of state in history. During World War II she and her sister, Princess Margaret Rose, perforce spent much of their time safely away from the London blitz and separated from their parents, living mostly at Balmoral Castle in Scotland and at the Royal Lodge, Windsor, and Windsor Castle.

 

In the midst of a decade marked by social and political changes, the queen kept to a busy schedule of diplomatic duties, including a 10-day visit to the Federal Republic of Germany (or West Germany) that was the first official visit there by a British royal since 1913. Her visit marked the 20-year anniversary of the end of World War II, helping to symbolise the reconciliation between the two countries and recognize Germany’s re-emergence as a power in Europe and on the world stage.

 

The queen’s celebration of her 50th year on the throne was marred by a double loss, when her younger sister, Princess Margaret, and their mother died within weeks of each other. As the first British monarch since Queen Victoria to celebrate a Golden Jubilee, Elizabeth travelled more than 40,000 miles that year, including visits to the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. She also visited 70 cities and towns in 50 counties in the United Kingdom.

 

On April 9, 2021, Prince Philip, Elizabeth’s husband of 73 years, died at the age of 99. The British monarchy’s longest-running love story began just before World War II, when 18-year-old Prince Philip of Greece met his third cousin, Princess Elizabeth, during her family’s visit to the Britannia Royal Naval College at Dartmouth, where Philip was studying. On November 14, 1947, the couple were married in Westminster Abbey, and King George VI named Philip as Duke of Edinburgh shortly after that. For more than a half-century, Prince Philip supported his wife in her royal duties and took on an ambitious slate of obligations of his own. Philip’s funeral was held on April 17, 2021. Because of coronavirus restrictions, only 30 guests were invited to attend. Photos of the queen sitting alone in St. George’s Chapel struck many as a symbol of her loneliness and grief.  Elizabeth set a great example for the nation and complied with the pandemic rules of the time, like the rest of the country.

 

Luckley queen Elizabeth got to experience her platinum jubilee. In February of 2022, England began a series of celebrations marking Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne. On June 2, a military parade featuring 1,400 troops in bearskin caps, musicians and 240 horses, a Royal Air Force flyover and an 82-gun salute were staged to honour the 96-year-old monarch, whose birthday was on April 21. One section of London even featured a parade of corgis (Elizabeth’s favourite dog breed), with more than 30 of the short-legged canines “marching” in a procession.

The queen watched the pageantry from the balcony of Buckingham Palace and was joined by four generations of her heirs, including her eldest son, Prince Charles; his eldest son, Prince William; and William’s eldest son, Prince George. Despite her age and having just sustained a case of COVID-19, the Queen, dressed in pearls and a light blue dress, coat and hat, wore a large grin.

“I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.” deepest condolences to the Royal Family, who are not only mourning their Queen, but their dear mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her legacy will loom large in the pages of British history, and in the story of our world.

Queen Elizabeth II 1926 – 2022

Categories
mental health

Sadly, for every 1 person who completes suicide 20 people attempt suicide

Nearly 3000 people on average commit suicide daily, according to Who. For every person who completes a suicide, 20 or more may attempt to end their lives. About one million people die by suicide each year. Suicide is a major preventable cause of premature death which is influenced by psycho-social, cultural, and environmental risk factors that can be prevented through worldwide responses. World Suicide Prevention Day, which first started in 2003, is annually held on September 10 each year. Raise awareness that suicide is preventable, improve education about suicide, spread information about suicide awareness and Decrease stigmatization regarding suicide. With the on increasing stress and struggles of everyday life, it’s important to look out for one another.

Suicide is the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in the country, but suicides among teenage girls and young women have almost doubled in recent years. It can affect anyone at any time. Men tend to choose more lethal methods compared to women. Social expectations of masculinity may mean that men are less likely to seek help for suicidal thoughts compared to women There is no single reason why people die by suicide. People think of suicide for many different reasons. Sociological, economical, psychological, and genetic factors can contribute to a person being at greater risk of suicide.

Some risk factors you can be aware of:

. difficult life events. Such as a traumatic childhood or experiencing

physical or emotional abuse,

. something upsetting or life changing such as a relationship ending

or a loved one dying,

. misusing drugs or alcohol,

. living alone or having little social contact with other people,

. having a mental health condition such as depression

. self-harming,

. having a physical health condition, especially if this causes pain or

. serious disability or health issues

. problems with work or money,

. losing or having no job

. being a young person, or being a middle-aged man

. an accident causing you to fall ill

Different people have different experiences of suicidal feelings. You might feel unable to cope with the difficult feelings you are experiencing. You may feel less like you want to die and more like you cannot go on living the life you have.  These feelings may build over time or might change from moment to moment. And it’s common to not understand why you feel this way.

The earlier you let someone know how you’re feeling, the quicker you’ll be able to get support to overcome these feelings. But it can feel difficult to open to people. You may want others to understand what you’re going through, but you might feel: unable to tell someone, unsure of who to tell, concerned that they won’t understand, fearful of being judged or worried you’ll upset them.

Suicide prevention day is to help spread awareness that this does happen and could affect you or someone you love, it’s important that we are all there to help each other during difficult times in one’s life.

If you want more information on this subject, please check out our other bog on this topic on our website,

For help on this matter, these are some places you can contact:

Samaritans 116123

Papyrus 0800 068 4141

Calm helpline 0800 58 58 58

The sliver line 0800 4 70 80 90

Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline 0300 330 0630

Thank you for reading & stay safe