Time to Talk – Talk, Listen, Change Lives

This Thursday 3^rd February is Time to Talk Day. A joint initiative from Mind, Rethink Mental Illness and the Co-op, it’s a chance for everyone to start a conversation about mental health, to talk, listen and help to change lives.

One in four people will experience a mental health problem during any given year and it’s important to be able to feel comfortable talking about any challenges you might be facing. By talking openly about mental health issues, we can all help to minimise the stigma, to create supportive communities and help people to feel empowered to seek the help they may need.

Ways to start a conversation about mental health include:

• Talking about a celebrity who has opened up about their own struggles
• Sharing some of your own experiences
• Sometimes it is easier to ‘talk’ in writing, so contact someone by letter, text or email
• Ask how someone is and really mean it
• Don’t try to fix it, sometimes just listening is enough
• Sometimes talking side by side, while walking or driving is easier than face to face
• Talk about books, TV or films that portray mental health issues in a responsible way

We all have mental health and by talking about it we can support both ourselves and others.