Your mental health is the most important thing in your life.
Seriously. Losing it could really mess your life up.
But like most issues, it really helps as a society to open up more about mental health and support each other.
Here are ten reasons why we should talk about mental health.
1 – It is not a dirty secret
We all have a mind (didn’t read well to write a mental). And that mind has a ‘health’ of its own. It can get poorly with anxiety, stress, depression most commonlly. And these issues, just like colds, broken legs and tummy bugs can happen to anyone at anytime.
But people don’t talk about mental health like they do physical illnesses so many people don’t open up or get the help they need.
2 – Most mental health issues can be managed or ‘fixed
When you suffer a bout of anxiety, it can feel like you can’t imagine getting a grip on it. It really does sneak in and take over. And yet there has never been more understanding of it or help available.
Options include CBT, counselling, meditation, mindfulness, tapping, NLP and of course ❤️💯❤️hypnosis ❤️💯❤️
Seriously, try some of these things, you will be amazed at the effectiveness when you find the ‘right’ therapy /therapist for you.
3 – 1 in 3 people will experience a mental health issue at least once in their life
That makes mental health issues more famous than Ant & Dec, Beyonce & JZ, Harry & Megan, but not Elvis 😀
Seriously though, mental health issues can happen to anyone and they do not discriminate between the ‘weak’ and the ‘strong’. It could be you so hold the judgement when you hear of someone else’s plight.
4 – You could save someone’s life
I recently found out that most suicide survivors say they are glad they survived and that having someone to talk you in their time of need was priceless. Enough said. Watch and listen, you could save a life.
5 – Talking about mental health at work can raise performance
Thank goodness workplaces are realising that the people that work there are…. people! They have families they like to see, they work well from home and they enjoy having fun at work.
Businesses that do not open the conversation and support on mental health for their employees will be left behind. There is stacks of evidence that when people feel supported by the company they work for, performance improves.
The shoulder pads and cigars are nearly gone, the bean bags ate them!
6 – You could connect with someone in a much deeper way
Standard conversation goes:
‘Hi, how are you’?
‘Yeah, good thanks’ (but this person is secretly feeling very low, lonely and confused about life).
Go beyond the basics, observe the person you are talking to, reach out with kindness and make time to really listen. The benefits are enormous to both parties.
7 – Teach children about mental health
Children (especially teens) are navigating a whole heap of learning and mental processing and it’s not just their school work.
They are learning to interact with the world and the people in it. For every young person you teach that mental health is important, it will improve the life of 10 other young people (I made that stat up but it’s probably much higher).
Mental health should be on the curriculum (what good is algebra if your head’s a mess!).
8 – Times have changed and there is more information available than ever
Which means, more stress. Speaking out about when you feel stressed means that work can be adjusted accordingly and in cases where it’s constant, resources accordingly to match the workload.
If you are stressed at home and you don’t speak out you may not get the support that could make a big difference.
9 – The economic cost of mental ill health is estimated at £74-99 billion a year.
That is a real stat and I’m now thinking what we could spend it on. How about free tea bags for everyone!
10 – Be the change
People are often ashamed to talk about mental health with family, teachers, work colleagues which may hinder people from seeking help. Stigma can lead to exclusion of people from employment, housing, social activities and relationships.
Being more open about mental health will reduce prejudice and discrimination. And we all want that don’t we?
Please collect your free gift now.
Head over to the ‘free resources‘ page on this website. You will find a range of free gifts to help you manage your mental health, wellbeing and happiness.
It’s so important to take away the stigma of mental health and at the same time empower people to take positive steps and actions with awareness and the right support and openness 🙂
Absolutely agree Sarupa. Removing the stigma means more happiness all round. And there really is so much support available now.
When I worked in corporate, I made sure my team could discuss anything with me. Together then we could find the best resources for the way forward.
I can’t say I remember that any of the companies had a policy though. Very sad.
You sound like you were a great manager Dale. There are so many resources available and the good news is that many companies are now running mental health awareness initiatives.
This is so refreshing and down to earth – I’ve often got frustrated at the lack of understanding and the stigma that surrounds mental health. So great to bring this topic into the open – and I love all your tips.
Thanks Melina and yes, I hear you on the stigma and there is a lot of activity going on to change this 🙂
Thanks for sharing, Honey! This is such a vital topic. As we lose our shame about talking about mental health issues we’re free to overcome and find solutions. In addition, as we reach out to others and make sure they know we are available to stand with them can be huge! It can save someone’s life and help those struggling to get to the other side and live a more peaceful life.
At my last work place everyone was open and talked freely about struggles and getting through them. We truly helped each other and made a difference. It was a liberating experience for the time I was there.
I’m so thankful your making yourself available to be a help to others!
Hi Cindy, your last workplce sounds like it had a good support network going on. And agree on the losing shame. Shame can keep us stuck and the funny thing is, once to put it aside, a while new world can open up to us.
It’s strange how physical fitness is so popular now but mental fitness is nowhere close to it. We do need to get comfortable talking about it. Hope it gets easier as time goes by.
Absolutely Vaishakhi. Sports people are all over the mindset fitness as they know it gives them the edge. It’s good to see mental health as an industry growing which hopefully will make it easier, yes.