EAST Lancashire residents are being encouraged to give mindfulness a go as part of Mental Health Awareness Week.

Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust is backing the national campaign, which runs until Sunday, and this year’s theme is mindfulness.

This technique helps people to look at the way they observe feelings and reactions, both good and bad, to help change the way they manage and react to situations.

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Mindfulness is proven to help improve mental health by reducing depression, stress and anxiety, as well as helping with physical health issues such as chronic pain and eating disorders.

Lisa Graham, senior cognitive behavioural therapist and mindfulness teacher at Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Around one in four people will experience some form of mental health issue in their life.

“Sometimes the pressures of everyday life can become too much.

“Mindfulness helps people to concentrate on the present, to help us become more aware of our thoughts and feelings when faced with different situations.

“The courses help to provide different methods to enable us to approach these previously worrying situations in a different light.

“Mindfulness uses a range of techniques, including breathing, meditation and yoga, and is proven to help a range of issues.

“Having mindfulness as the focus for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is a great opportunity for people to learn more about it and encourage people to give it a go and see how it can help improve their overall health and well-being.”

The Mindsmatter team at Lancashire Care provide a range of courses including stress control as well as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy courses.

For information about mindfulness courses visit www.lancashirecare.nhs.uk/mindfulness.