Time to Talk Day 2023.
There are so many reasons why Time to Talk Day is so important.
- Every year, 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem.
- Talking helps to create supportive communities which can empower us to seek help.
- By opening up the conversation about mental health, we can support ourselves and others.
This year Time to Talk Day is on Thursday 2 February. It is run by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness. It is the nation’s biggest mental health conversation.
Are you in?
Can you make space in your day for a conversation about mental health?
If the answer if yes here are a few ideas on how to take part:
Get involved….
You don’t have to host a huge event or make it a big deal to get the conversation going. Every conversation matters.
You could try:
- Check-in with a friend
- Run an online mindfulness session at work
- Pop posters on your community notice boards
- Host a coffee and chat in your office kitchen or coffee shop
- Put some posters up in your kid’s school
- Run a well-being lunch and learn in February
- Simply text a mate
- Arrange a walk and talk
We especially love this conversation starter
The Tonic Team want it to be as easy as possible for everyone to get the conversation going. There are a huge range of resources to download, from social media posts to activity ideas.
Conversations have the power to change lives – helping to create supportive communities where we can talk openly about mental health and feel empowered to seek help when we need it.
For more great resources check out:
TIME TO TALK DAY
Tips for talking
There’s no right or wrong way to talk about mental health, but these tips can help make sure you’re approaching the conversation helpfully.
- Ask questions and listen
Asking questions can give the person space to express how they’re feeling and what they’re going through. And it can help you to understand their experience better. Try to ask questions that are open and not leading or judgmental. For example, “how does that affect you?” or “what does it feel like?”
- Think about the time and place
Sometimes it’s easier to talk side by side rather than face to face. If you do talk in person, you might want to chat while doing something else. You could start a conversation when you’re walking, cooking or stuck in traffic. But don’t let the search for the perfect place put you off!
- Don’t try and fix it
It can be hard to see someone you care about having a difficult time. Try to resist the urge to offer quick fixes to what they’re going through. Learning to manage or recover from a mental health problem can be a long journey, and they’ve likely already considered lots of different tools and strategies. Just talking can be really powerful, so unless they’ve asked for advice directly, it might be best just to listen.
- Treat them the same
When someone has a mental health problem, they’re still the same person as they were before. When a friend or loved one opens up about mental health, they don’t want to be treated any differently. If you want to support them, keep it simple. Do the things you’d normally do.
- Be patient
No matter how hard you try, some people might not be ready to talk about what they’re going through. That’s ok – the fact that you’ve tried to talk may make it easier for them to open up another time.
Time to Talk to Tonic
Poor mental health costs employers up to £42 billion a year (Deloitte).
That includes a significant amount of lost time, reputation, and resources too. It directly impacts the employee experience. Employees who feel unhappy or unsupported cannot work to their full potential because there is a gap between what they need and what they’re getting. This can lead to toxic conversations, teams and cultures if mismanaged.
So, if you want to make workplace wellbeing a priority and show you take the mental and physical health of your workforce seriously, it is time to be more human. It is time to talk to Tonic.
