What is Time to Talk Day?
Time to Talk Day is a campaign that began in 2014 by the organisation Time to Change which aims at ending the stigma and discrimination associated with mental health. It takes place on Thursday 3rd of February 2022. This campaign is run by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, in partnership with Co-op. It has gone on to cover the entire UK with the involvement of the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) and See Me in Scotland, Inspire and Change Your Mind in Northern Ireland and Time to Change in Wales. The point of this day is to encourage conversations with family, friends or colleagues about mental health.
Why it is so important?
Recently we have seen great strides being made to bring mental health discussions into the forefront of conversation topics. This has been seen through an increasing number of television networks using their platform to introduce characters with mental health problems. With further exposure this helps to normalize mental health problems to the rest of the world as something not to hide but something that can affect anyone. The result of this is that it increases the likelihood that people will ask for help and support for what is affecting their mental health.
By building a supportive supportive community we can also reduce the stigma around mental health. This is because the people in the community would be in a position where they feel it is normal to talk about their mental health. Consequently, they will feel empowered to get treatment and help for what is affecting them. This can, in turn, lead to people looking after their mental health and well-being on a daily basis.
How to talk to someone about your mental health
- If you are not quite ready to talk to a friend, loved one or family member about your heath you can speak to your GP
- Listed below, there will also be the contact numbers of several help lines that you can contact
- Remember that you are not alone and there are people who care about you
- Talking to someone about how you are feeling can come as a great sense of relief to you
- If you find the idea of talking face-to-face a bit scary then you can always contact through text message
- Choose a setting to talk where you feel comfortable, this could be at home or going out for a walk
- Opening up to someone about your mental health struggles takes a lot of courage so if you feel like at this moment you do not want to answer all of their questions then that’s fine
- You can try to write a journal as a means of helping you to process your feelings and when you feel ready, transition to talking about those feelings to someone
- You can try to practise what you wish to say by making some notes or preparing it in your head
- Suggest some things that they could do to help, this could be to offer emotional support or practical help like taking on some of your day-to-day tasks
Starting the conversation
Starting a conversation with someone can be a vital first step in helping them, however, it is not something that they should feel like they are forced to do. This is because it can prove to be potentially damaging to the individual in question. Therefore, it is all about creating an environment where they feel comfortable and supported so that when they do wish to talk, they know you are here for them. For those who are a little worried about how you should start a conversation with someone about their mental health, here are a few helpful tips:
- Open question – ask open questions so that they have the opportunity to express how they are feeling whilst also giving you the chance to better understand what they are going through
- Setting – having this conversation in a quiet room can feel very daunting so it can be easier to have this conversation whilst being in a more ordinary setting like sitting in traffic, going for a walk or going out for some food
- No quick fix – it can be difficult to see someone you care about go through something like this alone, but it is not something that will fix immediately. Having a conversation with them can be a good first step in their recovery
- Don’t change – it takes a lot for someone to open up about their mental health, the last thing that they want is for you to start treating them differently. Try not to make every conversation or everything that you do revolve around their mental health. Do the things that you would normally do
- Support – if it is okay with them, you can accompany them to their appointments or just sit in the waiting room if they want
Help available:
- Samaritans – 116 123 (24hrs a day)
- Mind – 0300 123 3393 (Monday to Friday 9am-6pm)
- Saneline – 0300 304 7000 (4:30pm-10:30pm)
- NHS – 111
- ChildLine – 0800 1111 (lines open 24/7)
