Time to Talk

Today is Time to Talk day, but what does that actually mean?

Time to Talk Day is the nation’s biggest mental health conversation and takes place on Thursday 3 February 2022, it’s a day that friends, families, communities, and workplaces come together to talk, listen and change lives – visit the dedicated website here for more details:?https://timetotalkday.co.uk/

Sounds simple as for those of us who have had experience of living with mental health problems or have supported others as they experience them, key to addressing and accessing help is by talking, but sometimes we are either unable to ask for help and start that conversation ourselves, or we might feel unsure as to how best to start the conversation with those close to us who we might be worried about.

The past two years have been challenging for all of us, regardless of the quality of our mental health before entering the pandemic and it's never been more important to see beyond the "edited highlights" on social media and check in on your friends and your family and let them know you are there for them and that you care - it's important to look after each other.

Today take some time and check in on someone who you’ve maybe not spoken to for a little while. Check in on anyone, but especially that person who you usually bump into at a routine social events or at work who you've not seen for a while. Check in on your "strong" friends and colleagues who are those ones always solving problems and helping out - they are the worst at knowing how to ask for help themselves. Check in on that person who you have invited out a few times and hasn't shown up or has cancelled at the last minute - they might be struggling with anxiety and not know how to tell you that going out in public is too much. My challenge to you today is to get in touch with someone you haven't spoken to for a while and check they are doing ok. I promise it will make you feel good too.

You might not know how to best start a conversation - so here are some ideas - especially when you are starting the conversation on text:

• "Hi, I saw this and immediately thought of you??How've you been?”?- a picture of anything you might like to share that you think they’ll appreciate and if all else fails pictures of baby animals have been scientifically proven to have a positive impact on someone’s mood!
• "Get ready, we're going for a walk.” – having a difficult conversation can often be made easier by doing it side by side rather than face to face.
• "How was your day?" - it doesn't need to be complicated, just start a conversation and let them know you are thinking of them.
• "Hey, I'm stopping by the shops near your place, let me know if you need anything" – people don’t like feeling as though they are a burden, so this can be a great way of inviting them to say they’d like some help.
• "Remember when you watched my dog/fed my cat?"?- It doesn't need to be exactly this, but remind them of something nice they did for you as this will help someone with low mood feel like they have worth.
• "Wanted to let you know I'm thinking of you!" – Simple, but effective to let someone know you care.
• "No need to respond, but just wanted to say hey!" – Again simple, but also a pressure-off way to let someone know you care.
• "I saw you posted on Instagram and wanted to make sure you're OK" – social media is a challenging place, sometimes you need to reach out to check that the person posting is ok.
• "Hey, just wanted to hear more about what's been going on"
• "What do you need right now?"
• "I know you said you're not ready to talk. But I'm here when you are" – Another pressure off way of letting someone know you care, you may not hear back from them straight away, but your message will make a difference to them.

There are some useful links below for additional resources to signpost people to or use yourself, but please never think your problems are too small or too big to talk about, look after each other and spend some time today talking to people.

Samaritans

To talk about anything that is upsetting you, you can contact Samaritans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can call 116 123 (free from any phone), email?[email protected]?or visit some branches in person. You can also call the Samaritans Welsh Language Line on 0808 164 0123 (7pm–11pm every day).

SANEline

If you're experiencing a mental health problem or supporting someone else, you can call SANEline on 0300 304 7000 (4.30pm–10.30pm every day).

National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK

Offers a supportive listening service to anyone with thoughts of suicide. You can call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK on 0800 689 5652 (open 24/7).

Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)

You can call the CALM on 0800 58 58 58 (5pm–midnight every day) if you are struggling and need to talk. Or if you prefer not to speak on the phone, you could try the CALM webchat service.

The Mix

If you're under 25, you can call The Mix on 0808 808 4994 (3pm–midnight every day), request support by email using this form on The Mix website or use their crisis text messenger service.

Papyrus HOPELINEUK

If you're under 35 and struggling with suicidal feelings, or concerned about a young person who might be struggling, you can call Papyrus

HOPELINEUK on 0800 068 4141 (weekdays 10am-10pm, weekends 2pm-10pm and bank holidays 2pm–10pm), email?[email protected]?or text 07786 209 697.

Nightline

If you're a student, you can look on the Nightline website to see if your university or college offers a night-time listening service. Nightline phone operators are all students too.

Switchboard

If you identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, you can call Switchboard on 0300 330 0630 (10am–10pm every day), email?[email protected]?or use their webchat service. Phone operators all identify as LGBT+.

Shout

For anyone who would prefer to use a text service, you can also text 'Shout' to 85258. A 24/7 text service with mental health trained responders., and free from all major mobile networks.

https://giveusashout.org/