A MENTAL health expert from the University of Worcester will give a free talk on building and maintaining good emotional health at The Hive next week.

Professor Jo Smith will give the talk on work being done in Worcestershire to help people with mental health problems on Wednesday, October 7, starting at 6pm.

The event has been scheduled to fall between World Suicide Prevention Day, which was on Saturday, September 19, and World Mental Health Day on Saturday, October 10.

Professor Smith, who is the leader of the Suicide Safer project in which the University of Worcester, Worcestershire County Council and the NHS are working together to improve mental health in the county, said: “Good mental health is not just the absence of mental health difficulties.

“Being mentally or emotionally healthy is much more than being free of depression, anxiety, or other psychological issues.

“Rather than the absence of mental illness, mental and emotional health refers to the presence of positive characteristics where people who are emotionally healthy are much better equipped to handle life’s challenges, build strong relationships, and recover from setbacks.

“This does not just happen. Instead, we need to develop strategies in our lives to improve our emotional health to boost mood, build coping resilience and experience overall life enjoyment.

“This can include taking care of your physical health, finding activities that you enjoy and building up protective factors, like strong relationships, a healthy lifestyle, and coping strategies for managing stress and negative emotions.

“This public lecture will outline simple actions we all can do to start to improve our emotional health and identify support and resources that are available when mood and mental wellbeing are challenged.”

To book a ticket visit thehiveworcester.org/events.