A West Midlands paramedic who has witnessed the worrying rise in mental health problems first-hand on the frontline, has designed a revolutionary wellbeing ‘first aid kit’ to help people take better care of themselves.
Kyle Raffo and personal development Charles Sanders have launched Pause, a new mental health first aid kit. They hope the launch will improve the nation’s wellbeing and help prevent some of the more common stresses and anxieties from developing into mental health problems.
Through their own work, the duo have seen for themselves the rise in mental health issues and the impact this is having on the UK’s healthcare and emergency services, education and the workplace.
Just as someone would reach for a first aid kit if they were physically injured, the Pause mental wellbeing kit contains a variety of sensory items that people can reach for in the moment if they’re feeling stressed or anxious.
The kits will be provided to schools and workplaces. This is important as data shows that 50% of all mental health problems start by the age of 14“. The founders of the new Pause community interest company also hope to encourage more conversations about mental health, and get people into the habit of looking after their mental health, as they would with their physical health.
The launch coincides with Mental Health Awareness Week, which this year is focusing on one of the most common mental health problems people face – anxiety.
A recent survey by the Mental Health Foundation found a quarter of adults said they felt so anxious it stopped them from doing things they want to do some, or all, of the time.
As part of the awareness week, the Foundation has issued some top tips to help people cope with anxiety. The Pause mental wellbeing kit includes a number of items which can assist with those strategies, including sleep balm, a sleep mask, an award-winning sensory board, a gratitude journal, access to music and a stress ball. All items have been carefully selected by paramedics and work on the premise of reducing stress by inhibiting the sensory channel.
What’s great about this self-care kit is that you can easily carry it around in a bag or keep it in your desk to be used discreetly as and when needed.
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