Smiling Mind, Australia’s leading digital-led, child focussed, mental health not-for -profit, has pioneered a new approach to ending Australia’s mental health crisis and stop the associated stigma, with the organisation officially launching a program to build Lifelong Mental Fitness - and it’s free.
A survey of 900 Australians (400 aged 5-18 years) showed that mental health is still terminology that carries negativity and stigma. Those surveyed also overwhelmingly conflate the term ‘mental health’ with ‘mental illness’.
Newly appointed Smiling Mind CEO Sarah La Roche said that although we have made some inroads in mental health education and acceptance, stigma persists, making it hard for people to talk openly about their mental health, meaning they do not access necessary services.
“Our research suggests that to end Australia’s mental health crisis, we need to change how we think, speak, and feel about mental health. We need to champion a proactive approach to looking after our own mental health that people feel positive about,” said La Roche.
To ensure future generations enjoy better mental health, Smiling Mind’s new mental fitness program helps a person to be at their best every day, navigate challenges and support a state of mental wellbeing, beginning in childhood and continuing as a lifelong practice.
Leveraging global research and validated by psychologists, Smiling Mind’s unique approach to Lifelong Mental Fitness expands beyond mindfulness, supporting people to improve their mental overall wellbeing through five core skill sets:
Leveraging global research and validated by psychologists, Smiling Mind’s unique approach to Lifelong Mental Fitness expands beyond mindfulness, supporting people to improve their mental overall wellbeing through five core skill sets:
This new approach builds on a legacy that has already positively impacted almost 13 million young people globally. “Our research showed people made a spontaneous association between physical fitness and mental fitness. We want to build on this by teaching people the skills to exercise their brain, just as they do different muscles in their body, with a focus on supporting children,” said La Roche.
“In the same way we've been taught from a young age to exercise and eat certain foods to keep our bodies physically healthy, we want to raise awareness of the things we can all proactively do to keep our minds healthy. If Aussie kids can grow up learning these skills, we’ll be setting them up to thrive before mental ill-health prevails.”
Smiling Mind is 100% not for profit. The Smiling Mind App has remained accessible for over 12 years through the support of individual donors, philanthropy and corporate partners as Smiling Mind does not receive government funding for its app, despite supporting millions of Australians every year.
Download the Smiling Mind App via the App Store or Google Play.
For more information on Smiling Mind’s new Lifelong Mental Fitness model visit smilingmind.com.au