Take action
This Mental Health Awareness Week (11-17 May 2026) we asked people to join us in taking action to support good mental health. Even small actions can help us feel hopeful and less powerless. And while our individual actions matter, when we come together we are even more powerful.
Action: for yourself, for someone else, for all of us
We chose Action as this year's theme for Mental Health Awareness Week because, while awareness is vital, real change comes when we take action too. Together, we’ve come a long way on mental health, but we can’t risk going backwards. There’s still much we can do to prevent people becoming unwell in the first place.
Take action for yourself
Whether you're looking for a quick boost or something to help form long-term healthy habits, there are lots of actions you can take today to improve your mental health.
Find your action
Take action for someone else
The world we live in impacts our mental health. We all have a role to play in creating mentally healthy communities, workplaces and schools.
Talking about mental health
Encouraging someone to act
Prioritising mental health at work
Take action for all of us
Our individual actions matter, but they're only part of the story.
Have we reached peak mental health awareness?
Our Mental Health Awareness Week event
How we can build a mentally healthier society
The mental health crisis needs to end
Support our work
We've been running Mental Health Awareness Week for 25 years, and are working all year round to prevent mental ill health. Every pound you donate helps us do more.
Donate now
FAQs
Mental Health Awareness Week is a week-long campaign that takes place every year in May. This year it takes place 11-17 May 2026. It highlights the importance of good mental health, challenges stigma and promotes practical actions people can take to support their own wellbeing. It’s one of the most high-profile public health campaigns in the UK, reaching millions of people through media, workplaces, schools, and community events.
The Mental Health Foundation has been organising Mental Health Awareness Week for the last twenty-five years. We are the only UK charity solely focused on preventing poor mental health and building and protecting good mental health. We research, develop, and campaign for new and more effective ways to support and protect people’s good mental health.
Around one in five adults in the UK have a common mental health condition such as anxiety and depression. And this proportion is higher among young people aged 16-24. Poor mental health is one of the biggest drivers of workplace absence with millions of workdays missed due to poor mental health. With poor mental health affecting so many of us, even those who aren’t directly affected themselves are likely to know, love, work alongside or care for someone who does.
We chose action as this year’s theme because, although awareness is vital, real change comes when we take action too. Together, we’ve come a long way on mental health, but we can’t risk going backwards. There’s still much we can do to prevent people becoming unwell in the first place. Taking even small actions can give us feelings of hope and make us feel less powerless. Learn more about why we chose action as the theme for this year.
Previous themes for Mental Health Awareness Week have included; community, movement, anxiety, loneliness, nature, kindness and body image.