Ten ways to make your life happier - charity launches online forum to help people in Northampton

Volunteers for the charity Action for Happiness will be holding a free online session on Saturday aimed at improving the mental health and wellbeing of people in Northampton.

From 10.30am to 11.30am, local GP, Dr David Smart, NHS project manager, Suzy Dion and Founder of The Happy `Hood, Laura Graham, will be sharing ways in which people in Northants can live happier lives.

The online session, supported by Northampton Borough Council, was set up to mark World Mental Health Day, which is a programme of the World Federation for Mental Health and was introduced in 1992.

The day, officially commemorated every year on October 10, aims to raise awareness in the global community about the critical mental health agendas, unifying partners to take action to create lasting change. This year’s theme is 'mental health for all' and will be the inspiration for the online session.

According to the World Health Organisation’s ‘World Health Report’, about 450 million people worldwide live with mental disorders. One person in every four will be affected by a mental disorder at some stage of their lives. The WHO also states that every 40 seconds someone dies by suicide.

The volunteers, who have set up the session are from Action for Happiness, a social movement of people committed to building a happier and more caring society.

Action for Happiness Northamptonshire is supported by Northampton Borough Council (NBC), who is committed to the mental health agenda. NBC are advocates of the ‘10 Keys to Happier Living’, which is an evidence-based framework created by Action for Happiness identifying 10 ways to make life happier and more fulfilling. Together they spell "GREAT DREAM".

The free online session will be based around the 10 Keys to Happier Living, and allow participants the opportunity to learn more about the framework and how to implement it in their lives.

Dr David Smart, senior partner at Leicester Terrace Health Care Centre, said: “As a local GP, I have seen the impact that COVID-19 has had in terms of anxiety, fear, isolation and loneliness. I use the 10 Keys to Happier Living as a framework to encourage people to take action to improve their wellbeing. I have seen it working which is why I’m keen to share the framework on World Mental Health Day.”

Councillor Anna King, Northampton Borough Council cabinet member for community safety and engagement, said: “Health and wellbeing is a big priority for us. Dr David Smart is chair of our Local Health and Wellbeing Forum and we take every opportunity to promote the 10 keys as a way of improving the mental wellbeing of our communities and staff.

“Throughout the pandemic, particularly during lockdown, we made sure that we communicated regularly with colleagues about the importance of maintaining good mental health.

“We have also signed up to the Government’s Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health which provides resources and support to help us tackle these issues.”

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