It’s Time to Talk Day

Time to Talk Day is the nation’s biggest mental health conversation, it’s the day that friends, families, communities, and workplaces come together to talk, listen and change lives.

Today is about us all being open to the idea of talking – we all have mental health, and by having conversations about it we can help ourselves and others. It’s not about encouraging people to talk about a mental health problem if they don’t want to.

Asking others how they’re doing are simple ways to start conversations about mental health and show the people in your life you’re prepared to talk and listen without judgment.

If someone does open up about their mental health, we know it might not always feel easy to know what to say. But it doesn’t have to be awkward, and being there for someone can make a big difference.

There is no right way to talk about mental health; however, we have 5 tips that can help make sure you’re approaching it in a helpful way:

1 – Ask questions and listen
2 – Think about time and place – sometimes its easier to talk side by side than face to face, try it whilst walking or cooking.
3 – Don’t try and fix it – unless someone has asked for your advice directly, just your ability to listen and be there can be very powerful
4 – Treat them the same as anyone else – having mental health struggles doesn’t define a person
5 – Be patient