Get some Headroom and unwind your mind
Introduction
This month, the ±«Óãtv will launch a brand new, multi-platform
campaign to encourage everyone to take care of their mental
health and wellbeing.
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The multi-pronged initiative will span two
years and include on-air programming, outdoor events and a fully
interactive website featuring Ruby Wax and Kathy Sykes (±«Óãtv Two's
Alternative Therapies) as regular contributors and advisors.
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Created and co-ordinated by ±«Óãtv Learning, Headroom will be the
focal point for a wide range of ±«Óãtv activity and events.
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Executive producer Nina Bell said: "The aim is to actively
encourage people to assess their mental wellbeing and take
simple, practical steps to manage or improve it.
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"And they can do
this in many ways – online at the Headroom site, by taking part
in a Headroom event or engaging with a variety of programming
across the ±«Óãtv's networks.
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"It's about giving people the tools to
deal with the everyday stresses and strains of life as well as
providing a safe place to start finding answers to more complex
problems."
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bbc.co.uk/headroom
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The focal point of the campaign is centred on a fully interactive
site at bbc.co.uk/headroom where users can come, dip into the
Mind Spa, visit Ruby's Room and sign up for a free online life
coach.
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Known to millions as the brash American comedienne, nearly four
years ago Ruby Wax decided to take a break from show business and
return to her originally calling – psychotherapy.
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She has since
spent her time training as a psychotherapist and continues her
studies towards her MA.
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In this new capacity, she will act as
online advisor and agony aunt to individuals seeking guidance
through the Headroom website, with a weekly webcast.
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Dropping
into Ruby's Room, visitors will have the chance to see her weekly
webcast in which she will invite viewers to email their
problems, experiences or views on a particular mental health
issue.
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Each week she will explore a different topic suggested in
her inbox.
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Ruby said: "The thing about mental illness is that it still
carries such stigma.
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"We're ashamed to say we're ill since it's
all in our heads and you can't see any wounds, scars or lumps.
People can't see it, so they don't know how to help and you can't
wish it away.
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"I know, because I have depression. But, now I
know what causes it and how to deal with it.
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"I also know how
frightening and isolating it is, so if you feel like a stranger
to yourself, call in to Ruby's Room and you'll find we're all in
it together."
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Meanwhile, Mind Spa guests will be able to assess their own
mental wellbeing through six interactive zones.
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The zones
developed by Peter Kinderman, Professor of Clinical Psychology at
the University of Liverpool, focus on mood, self esteem, social
life, food & fitness and drink.
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Having completed each zone,
individuals receive a personal assessment and the offer of an
online life-coach to help them explore the results and develop a
personal plan with goals for the future.
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Headroom in action
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As one of the many grassroots initiatives planned by Headroom,
the first outing of the Headroom Tent was at ±«Óãtv Radio 1's Big
Weekend in Maidstone, Kent (10 and 11 May).
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The Headroom Tent
is a special place for festival goers to unwind their minds and
take part in workshops and Q&A sessions with Radio 1 DJs Nick
Grimshaw and Kelly Osbourne and local youth organisations.
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Headroom Tent producer Nick Jankel said: "The Headroom Tent is
about empowerment and emotional freedom brought to life in ways
that don't turn people off by being boring or serious.
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"We want
people to drop in and find new ways of dealing with the ups and
downs of everyday life – be they exam stress, relationship
problems, low self-esteem or whatever it is that's getting them
down.
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"By providing fun, innovative ways of looking at life, we
hope people who come into the tent will leave lighter, brighter
and more excited about their lives.
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"And when the festival leaves
town, we hope they will go online and check into Mind Spa so we
can stay in touch and support them to stay positive."
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The
Headroom Tent will tour festivals across the UK over the
summer.
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Headroom across the networks
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Headroom will also provide support for an eclectic and thought-provoking range of programming across the ±«Óãtv's television and
radio networks, aiming to raise awareness of mental health and
wellbeing issues.
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The campaign kicks off on ±«Óãtv Three with Make
My Body Younger in which boozers, binge drinkers and party
animals undergo a high-tech "living autopsy": the ultimate wake-up call about the damage their lifestyle is doing to their
bodies.
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Nina Bell concludes: "Headroom is an ambitious, long-term project
involving all aspects of the ±«Óãtv working with expert contributors
from across the fields of psychology, life coaching, medicine and
mental health to create a comprehensive, accessible multimedia
resource for mental wellbeing for all."
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FW
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