Valentine’s Day – the day of love. A time when you feel overcome with warm feelings for your significant other.

While being in love is a wonderful thing, for many people not in a relationship, Valentine’s Day can play a little bit of havoc on your mental health.

Over the years, our team at VIVA! Communications have been privileged to work on a number of campaigns and projects that have sought to raise awareness of the importance of mental health, as well as providing information on the various tools and support that are available for people who live with mental illness, or are struggling with their mental health.

Most recently, we’ve been supporting QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Queensland in their quest to recruit thousands of Australians to take part in a genetic investigation into clinical depression.

With over 14,500 fully qualified participants and counting, the lead investigators believe they will be able to pinpoint the genes that cause clinical depression to help improve treatments, and ultimately find a cure for the illness afflicting one-in-seven Australians.

While you might not be able to do anything about the genes you’ve inherited, there are other ways to look after your mental and physical health this Valentine’s Day.

There is plenty of research to show that the release of endorphins often experienced when you’re in love can fill you with feelings that make you glow from the inside out.

However, you can also find positive vibes at work by creating a calm and welcoming environment with your colleagues.

At VIVA! we are big proponents of eating a healthy diet and making sure there is plenty of fruit to snack on around the office. A lunchtime walk helps to clear your head and can even get those creative juices flowing when we’re working on that next big campaign.

It’s also important to strike a good work life balance by fitting in exercise and spending quality time with your family.

So whether you’re all loved up or flying solo this Valentine’s Day, try and prioritise the mental health of you and loved ones, and if you need some extra support, don’t be afraid to ask for it.

If you’ve ever been diagnosed with clinical depression and would like to take part in the Genetics of Depression study, you can visit the website here.