Launched in time for Mental Health Awareness Month, our partner Smiling Mind has released the results from their annual State of Mind survey which we proudly fund, spotlighting the need for prevention-focused mental health support.
The survey examined Australians’ attitudes and behaviours towards mental health in both a general and COVID-19 specific context. It found that the overall national average wellbeing rating is 6.2 out of 10, however this average was lower amongst young people aged 18-25 who rated their wellbeing at a scale of 5.8.
Young people also reported higher levels of anxiety (59%), stress (60.1%) and depression (38.2%) and a quarter of those surveyed noted that sleep was one of their biggest barriers to wellbeing (25.7%).
We also asked how the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted our nation’s state of mind. While the majority of respondents noted their mental health remained the same since the pandemic (44.6%), nearly one third (32.6%) described their mental health as having worsened.
There’s never been a better time to put your mental health first. In fact, 90% of you agreed that looking after your mental health, is just as important as your physical health.
Encouragingly, more than half of our respondents (53.1%) have taken additional care of their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It can be as simple as taking ten minutes out of your day to practice mindfulness, which is why over the years we have invested funding in the development of Smiling Mind’s free mindfulness mediation adult programs.
By providing freely accessible programs, we hope that more Australians will be motivated to take care of their mental health – and develop new strategies to cope with everyday challenges, like stress, anxiety and lack of sleep – to prevent greater mental health challenges down the track.
For mental health month, let’s be mindful of our mental health. Why not take ten minutes now, to try out Smiling Mind’s meditations via the Smiling Mind app.
Read the full State of Mind Survey results.
