This year the theme of Mental Health Awareness Week is Loneliness. Loneliness is affecting more and more of us in the UK. With our work and personal lives becoming more digital than ever before. Our connection to other people is fundamental to protecting our mental health and wellbeing. 

April marks Stress Awareness Month, an annual campaign to raise awareness of the ‘modern-day stress epidemic’ we all find ourselves living in.  The last two years have been especially challenging for many and, as we emerge from the pandemic, it’s vital that our community support continues. 

What is Emotional Eating and Why Does it Happen? 

Emotional eating was originally defined as eating in response to negative emotions, but several researchers have now accepted positive emotions as part of emotional eating too.

 In Part 1 we discussed the art of showing up, and designing and priming your environment for success. Now that you have started, maybe you’re not feeling as motivated as you did at the beginning? Your new habit is familiar but not yet an automatic action. Maybe you feel like you’re about to fall off the wagon, maybe you already have?

We know we need to reduce our salt intake to improve our health and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke (1), but reducing your salt intake can be harder than it seems!

Did you know that 75% of the salt we consume each day is already in packaged and pre-prepared foods? A large proportion is hidden in the processed foods and takeaways we buy e.g., processed and cured meat, cereals, shop bought sandwiches, bread, pizza, ready meals, jarred sauces, condiments, soy sauce, vinegar, stock cubes, crisps, biscuits etc.

In line with FBF Collective’s last blog - Is Dry Jan Overrated? - we’re continuing with the theme of long-lasting habit change. In this two-part series we’re breaking down how to form a habit; beginning with the art of showing up, and crafting your own environment that will harness success.

Often, the problem with abstinence is that it encourages yo-yo behavioural patterns. Dry January often turns into a sopping wet February; completely undoing any work done prior to this, but also giving yourself the ‘go-ahead’ to go all guns blazing because you’ve just had a ‘good month’. This binge-purge mentality is typical of UK culture, unlike much of the Continent where alcohol is ever-present but not over-indulged. 

No doubt you would have heard the “new year, new me” mantra chimed by your friends, your mothers and quite likely some gym membership campaigns. New Year’s resolutions can vary, but the majority are around becoming a better and healthier you, whether that be to lose weight or swap old habits for better ones! However, even with the best will in the world, many will be abandoned after a month.