Its World Mental Health Day tomorrow, a day which in the past I have had some awareness of but this year it is much more prominent for a whole heap of reasons.
The last year (especially the last 6 months of working with
ABC) has opened my eyes to how wide ranging Mental Health challenges are from
anxiety to depression and everything in between. Thankfully society is becoming
more open minded to mental health and mental ill health and we are able to talk about these feelings much more openly.
Its become more apparent to me that people I know are having their own difficulties and dealing with them in different ways. When I think of my lovely
friends, who I drink wine with, go running with, see on the school run and
generally spend time with, many of them have had a 'wobble' or two. It can be caused
by anything from dealing with troubled teens, big kids flying the nest, parents
getting ill, grief or stress at work, we are all dealing with things all the
time that affect our mental wellbeing. Its only when we recognise that this is
really hard stuff, its a tricky time or we are in a challenged position that we
can see its all around us and we are not on our own. I know I’ve tried to sort
stuff out on my own, thought I was fine and only when I’ve voiced my worries,
how’s its affecting me and how this was more than just a wobble that I
was able to get the help I needed.
Getting help sounds drastic, “I don’t need therapy, I just need a lie in!” Help doesn’t always need to be a couch and a therapist. That help can come in all shapes and sizes. Just a phone call from a friend can alleviate how dark you’re feeling. Just knowing someone is there can be a bit of a lightbulb moment. My husband is really good at it. He calls people all the time. He listens, laughs, reassures and looks after his friends, a trait not always seen as a man thing but that’s a whole other blog post. He doesn’t have any training, he is just there.
Going to a walk with a friend, going for a coffee, going shopping – spending time with other people. All of these things have been difficult to do recently but they definitely help. Not being afraid to ask them how they are. It’s a start. It can be scary and easier to ignore but that friend will feel like a weight has been lifted.
I
know I did.
Ingrid
The wonderful charity Mind tweeted about this very recently. If need a little bit of guidance, here is a link to their tweet thread, its a start and it might just help.
https://twitter.com/MindCharity/status/1313874390208196608
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