A Message from the Editor,

Sonia Last 📝

Many of us are struggling to keep up with changes brought about by new technologies, organisational restructuring and ever-moving goalposts. If the organisations we work for need to be highly adaptable and agile to survive, we too need to find ways to remain relevant.

Navigating the shifting sands of the modern workplace can be as tricky as a desert crossing on a starless night, but we can improve our prospects by upskilling, expanding our networks, being more versatile, updating our profiles and developing a side hustle. These measures of self-preservation can help us feel more resilient.

When our confidence is undermined, being able to talk to the right people and access helpful resources can reduce our anxiety and help us take a firmer grip.

Supporting people with practical information and a little care can move them forward. In this uncertain world, let’s at least provide this invaluable gift to one another and empower others to do the same.

Sonia

Sonia Last

Editor

A quick reminder!

Your Mental Health First Aid certificate only lasts three years - when’s yours due? If you’re overdue, you’re not alone, many people don’t realise their MHFA certificate has an expiry date.

If you need to requalify as a Mental Health First Aider you can join our open course starting on 23rd September 2025, consisting of:

• Self-paced learning
• Two short Zoom sessions
• One-to-one assessment
• Ongoing access to resources

Places are discounted to £250 + VAT per person and filling up fast!

Email: hello@mentalhealthscot.land for more info or to book.

All employees at OFGEM (the UK’s energy regulator) are now able to request reasonable adjustments at work with their Optimal Working Passport app.

Our founder, Catherine Eadie, summed up just how forward thinking this move is:

"What if everyone had access to workplace adjustments - no diagnosis, no disclosure, no justification? That’s the shift Ofgem just made with its Optimal Working Passport app.

Originally meant for disability-related accommodations, it’s now open to anyone who needs support to do their best work and that's exactly how it should be. This is more than a digital form. It’s a cultural reset.

• It disrupts the idea that support is only for “the disabled”

• It normalises personalisation instead of pathologisation

• It helps employees ask for what they need without fear or shame

Let’s face it: people often don’t disclose mental or physical health conditions because the system makes them feel like a problem to be managed.

A reasonable adjustment isn’t a favour. It’s a fundamental, so why are we still treating support like a privilege?

Where’s the line between support and control in your organisation?"

Read the announcement here and share it widely. The hope is that all reasonable sized organisations in the UK follow suit: UK’s Ofgem removes disability ‘reasonable accommodations’ barriers with its Optimal Working Passport app

Mental health awareness campaigns improve our knowledge, help reduce stigma and foster hope. They provide an opportunity to initiate conversations and that bolster understanding and collaboration and kick start positive action in the workplace and beyond.

10 October – World Mental Health Day

6-10 October – National Work Life Week

3–7 November – International Stress Awareness Week

17-21 November – National Self-Care Week

1-30 November – ‘Movember’ – International Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month

A little inspiration for your week…

Words to spark a little reflection, a smile, and maybe a fresh perspective:

‘Think of many things, do one.’

– Portuguese proverb.

‘Knowledge speaks but wisdom listens.’

– Jimmy Hendrix

‘Everything in moderation, including moderation.’

– Oscar Wilde

‘There are two types of people, those who can extrapolate from incomplete data.’

– Leandro Herrero

Thanks for learning with us.

We wish you wildly unexpected connections with nature and her creatures.

Warm wishes,

Sonia and the MHScot Team

www.mentalhealthscot.land