Mental Health Awareness Month

“Anxiety is a normal emotion in us all, but sometimes it can get out of control and become a mental health problem. Lots of things can lead to feelings of anxiety, including exam pressures, relationships, starting a new job (or losing one) or other big life events. We can also get anxious when it comes to things to do with money and not being able to meet our basic needs, like heating our home or buying food. But anxiety can be made easier to manage.

Focusing on anxiety for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week will increase people’s awareness and understanding of anxiety by providing information on the things that can help prevent it from becoming a problem. At the same time, we will keep up the pressure to demand change – making sure that improving mental health is a key priority for the government and society as a whole.” – Mental Health Foundation

At Central, the school marked the occasion with the return of alumna Nicola Kabera who gave a presentation on the theme of overwhelm to the current student cohort. The presentation focused on the particular stresses and anxieties that may affect dancers training or working in the industry today. Nicole graduated from Central in 2010 and went on to become Principal Dancer with Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures. She now works with professional dancers to develop their self-confidence.