Maidstone Time To Talk Day and Beyond
Time to Talk Day & Beyond
For anyone reading this who is perhaps a little bit more queued up on Social Media trends and campaigns – you may already have heard of Time To Talk Day. Time to Talk Day, which took place last Thursday 7th February and is organised by Time To Change amongst other organisations, is an opportunity to get more people talking about mental health.
The whole premise behind Time to Talk Day is one which is designed to encourage individuals to talk more openly, and more casually, about mental health. By taking away the sense of scale and escalation that we often see with mental health; and by making it something which we can do casually as opposed to making it out to be a big event, we can make mental health discussions a casual part of everyday life – beating the stigma often associated with them. By talking about mental health over something like a cup of tea (one of my favourite things Time to Change encourage), mental health becomes the norm.
So – how can you start that mental health conversation? I know for some it’s a hard topic to tackle – as it is very easy to worry that you might make a mistake and see the wrong thing.
For me, I think it is a case of just checking in with someone and saying ‘Hey – how are you doing?’, and then maybe highlighting if you have noticed any changes in someone. As people, we don’t like to make a fuss – but we’re more willing to open up when we’re prompted as opposed to doing it ourselves. Sometimes, in fact, someone just saying ‘Hey, I think something’s up – what’s wrong?’ takes a weight of our shoulders because we don’t need to start that dialogue. So really, the key thing is being aware of your friends/family/colleagues and not being afraid to ask them if they are okay when something seems wrong. Without realising, you could be making a massive difference.
Now, we appreciate that sometimes it’s not that easy – but thankfully Time to Change have your back. Click here if you’d like some useful resources.
Ultimately, with Time To Talk day, and looking ahead to the future, the key is to be open with what we talk about. Slowly, but surely, we can make a huge difference by just sharing more, supporting each other and making a real positive impact to how we support one another’s wellbeing.
And, if you want to take that even further and begin to really help others – why not look at fundraising for local mental health organisations?
Whatever you do; whether just meeting a friend for a coffee, or going that step further to support local organisations, make sure you use Time To Talk day and it’s aftermath to make some positive changes when it comes to mental health.