Emma Pateman-Jones
Counsellor and Psychotherapist
Mental Health Awareness Week
11th–17th May 2026
Theme: Action
We often think of action as something decisive. A clear choice, a bold move, a moment where everything changes. But when it comes to mental health, action is often much quieter than that. It can start with a pause. A moment of honesty. The recognition that something feels harder than it used to.
Times of change have a way of unsettling more than just the practical parts of life. When a relationship shifts or ends, it is not only the future that feels uncertain. It can affect your sense of stability, identity, even how you move through ordinary days. These experiences rarely unfold one piece at a time. Emotional strain, practical decisions and unfamiliar conversations tend to arrive together.
It is very common, in the middle of this, to try to hold everything on your own. Sometimes that comes from habit. Sometimes from not wanting to burden others. Sometimes from not knowing where to begin. But managing alone for too long can narrow your perspective at the very point when you most need space to think, reflect and decide.
Action, in this context, might not be about solving anything straight away. It might be about allowing some support in.
Support can take many forms. It might be a friend who can sit with you without rushing you to conclusions. A family member who helps with the day to day when your capacity feels stretched. Time away from constant decision making, even briefly, so your mind has space to settle. Small things, repeated, that remind you that you are not carrying everything by yourself.
There is also something important about building the right kind of support around you as things unfold. Not all at once, and not perfectly, but gradually. Different people and resources can hold different aspects of what you are going through. When that happens, the weight tends to feel more manageable, and your ability to make considered decisions often returns.
If and when it feels appropriate, that circle of support might widen to include more structured help. For some, that means therapy, a space to make sense of what is happening internally and to stay connected to your own judgement. For others, particularly when there are legal or family changes involved, it can be helpful to have clear, early guidance so that uncertainty does not take over. Approached in the right way, these kinds of support are not about taking over, but about helping you feel more steady within the process.
This year’s theme of action does not have to mean doing something dramatic. It might simply be the decision not to do this entirely on your own.
That could look like starting a conversation. Letting someone see a bit more of what is going on. Asking a question you have been holding back. Reaching for support before things reach a crisis point.
You do not need to have a plan for everything ahead. Often, the most meaningful action is the first step that brings a little more support into your world, and allows the next step to become clearer.
If you’re considering reaching out for support, therapy can be a steady place to begin. You can find more about how I work at www.epjtherapy.co.uk.
