Welcome to the start of the new year! We hope you had a restorative and mentally healthy holiday season.

As we look to the year ahead, it is a great time to think about our goals and what we want to achieve. When striving for self-improvement, it's important to be kind to yourself and take care of your social and emotional wellbeing. Remember, change is non-linear and that self-acceptance and self-improvement can require both practice and patience. 

In this month's newsletter, we're sharing resolution examples and resources to help you prioritise your mental wellbeing. We also share a few tips to help you with your QMHW planning.

Let's make 2023 a year where we all help create mentally healthier communities by focusing on awareness, belonging, and connection.

QMHW events provide a great opportunity to raise awareness and promote positive mental wellbeing in our communities. If you want to host an event, it's important to start planning early. We'll release an updated Event Starter Kit for 2023 in the coming months but in the meantime here are some quick tips to get you started!

Set a date as soon as possible. The official dates for QMHW in 2023 are 7-15 October. Once you have this locked in you may like to send a save the date message to key contacts and/or set up a Facebook event, so you can easily share updates with anyone interested in supporting or attending your activity.

Create a plan so you can see what the scope of the event will involve. This might help you work out who you want to ask to help you organise the event. By having a working group or committee, tasks can be divided among multiple individuals, allowing for more efficient delegation and management of the event. This also allows for multiple perspectives and ideas to be considered when planning.

Book a venue early. This will ensure that you have a space that is appropriate for the event and that you have enough time to make any necessary arrangements.

If you're thinking about setting some goals or New Year's resolutions for 2023, consider focusing on those that will benefit your mental health and wellbeing.

You may like to start by reflecting on the past year and identifying what brought you joy and helped you flourish, and then incorporate those lessons into your new resolutions. Here are some ideas to consider.

Connect with friends and family. Relationships play a crucial role in our mental wellbeing, and require time and effort to grow. You could plan for how you will spend meaningful time with loved ones by scheduling a regular date night if you're in a relationship, a weekly phone call with a family member, or a monthly catch-up with friends.

Take time for activities you enjoy. Hobbies can help recharge and provide a sense of self. This could be drawing, painting, roller skating, swimming, music, or anything else that you enjoy.

Practice mindfulness. This could be through meditation (you may like to try an app like Smiling Mind or Headspace) or doing things that bring you joy mindfully. Even five minutes a day can be beneficial.

Seek support when needed. Whether you book a consultation with your GP or health professional or talk to a friend about what you’re going through, it’s important to put your hand up if you need help.

Want to get started with writing down your goals and tracking your progress? Darling Downs Health has some handy printables!

• Wellness goals sheet
• Weekly health planner
• Monthly goal tracker

It's important to be gentle with yourself and understand that setbacks are a normal part of the process. Keep working towards your goals and don't give up.

Lastly, keep in mind that New Year's resolutions may not be for everyone, so don't feel pressured to set an intention for 2023. Instead, focus on developing healthy habits that nourish and support you throughout the year.

Shifting minds: Queensland Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs Strategic Plan 2018–2023 sets the direction for a whole-of-government, whole-of-person, and whole-of-community approach to improve the mental health and wellbeing of all Queenslanders, as well as prevent and reduce the impact of mental ill-health, problematic alcohol and other drug use, and suicide. As the current Shifting minds reaches completion in 2023, the Queensland Mental Health Commission is working to develop a renewed strategic plan for the next five years.

Following a series of consultation sessions at the end of 2022, the Commission is inviting people to review a consulation paper and complete a consultation survey to provide further thoughts. Also, from the end of January, the Commission will be holding community forums in several regional locations throughout Queensland, as well as a state-wide community webinar to share the draft vision and priorities for the renewed Shifting minds strategic plan. They will also discuss phase two of the Every life suicide prevention plan. Register now for a community forum.

SANE's 2023 Bridging the Gaps survey is seeking input from the community. If you are someone with lived experience of mental health issues, whether personal or as a supporter, family member or carer, you are invited to complete a short anonymous survey that will help SANE advocate to government, address inequity, and bridge the current gaps in mental health care. Click here to provide your feedback.

Are you interested in contributing to a systems approach to improvement of Queensland Mental Health Alcohol and Other Drugs (MHAOD) services? Have you accessed or cared for someone who has accessed Queensland Mental Health Alcohol and Other Drugs services? You could help by becoming a member of the MHAOD Safety and Quality Improvement Framework Project Reference Group!

The Mental Health Alcohol and Other Drugs Branch, Office of the Chief Psychiatrist (within the Department of Health) is offering two (2) lived experience representatives the opportunity to participate in the Queensland Mental Health Alcohol and Other Drug (MHAOD) Safety and Quality Improvement (S&QI) Framework project by joining the S&QI Framework Project Reference Group (the Reference Group).

The closing date for this opportunity is 9am on Friday 3 March. Learn more here.

Are you supporting someone with an eating disorder? Are you struggling to communicate and connect with your loved one?

Join Butterfly’s expert counsellors for a free six-week webinar workshop to help you develop practical skills to support your loved one in their recovery. Online webinars will be held every Thursday night, starting from 2 February - 9 March. Space is limited, so learn more and register here.

When every parent can get the skills to be a confident and capable carer, including research-based tips and tools to help them raise healthy, happy kids, the whole community benefits. This is why professional development in Triple P including training, implementation support and resources is completely free for eligible practitioners who provide parenting and family support services at no cost to families in Queensland. This is funded by the Queensland Government. You can book now for the Fear-Less Triple P training, so you can give parents and carers of children and teens with anxiety the tools to support their children effectively. 

Visit the Triple P website to learn more. If you’re a Queensland family support, community and/or health agency interested in free group training and support to embed these programs into your usual service delivery, please contact qld@triplep.net.

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care released the National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations late last year. The standards provide best practice guidance for service providers and developers and are a framework for delivering safer mental health care. Read more here.

Funded by the Queensland Mental Health Commission, Queensland Mental Health Week is coordinated by CheckUP and delivered by a strong cross-sector collaboration.

24/7 Crisis Helplines

If you need immediate support, Lifeline (13 11 14) and the Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467) are available 24/7. In an emergency, call 000.

Contact CheckUP

Email: info@qldmentalhealthweek.org.au
PO Box 3205, South Brisbane Queensland 4101