Time To Talk Day is fast approaching so what better time to talk about mental health and raise awareness. We want to show you how important and easy it is to talk about mental health and improve lives in your workplace.
According to the World Health Organization, one in four people are affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives. But it doesn’t stop there. Over a 12 month period, nearly three-fifths of the organisations involved in the CIPD and Simply Health research saw an increase in the number of reported common mental health conditions. This included anxiety and depression. In fact, that Report concluded that even though there has been a bigger focus on mental health in the workplace, there “is still a lack of preventative measures being taken and despite employers’ efforts we are still seeing a worrying increase in poor mental health and workrelated stress. This indicates that the steps taken by employers are falling short of what’s needed”.
The Good News
It’s not all doom and gloom, together we can make a difference. Time To Talk Day is an annual awareness raising event that encourages people to talk about mental health. It is the perfect opportunity to raise awareness of mental health and even put preventative measures in for the future. Here are some ideas to get you ready for Time To Talk Day…
Time to Talk Website
The Time to Talk website has some fantastic resources to help you promote the day in your workplace. They have partnered with Sussed and created conversation starting cards. You can download their posters and even use their template emails to spread the word in your office.
Social Media
Get involved on social media – and get your colleagues involved too. It’s great to see all the brilliant work going on throughout the country and get inspired. Follow Time to Change on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Activities at Work
It’s easy to arrange simple and effective activities at work that can get conversations started. Here are some examples that you can start to organise right away:
- Walk and talk. Some people find it difficult to talk when they’re not doing something else. Going out for a walk is a great idea to help get a conversation going. Getting some fresh air on your lunch break is also beneficial for mental health on its own. And of course, you get the physical benefits too.
- Take it one step further by organising regular walks for your colleagues. This will help colleagues know that there’s always a time and place to talk to someone. A great preventative measure to stop mental health problems escalating.
- Mental Health Awareness Workshops. Some people really struggle to recognise and understand stress and mental health problems. And, understand the affect they can have on someone’s work. We have specially designed Workshops that can teach people in your workplace how to recognise mental health issues and help others. These workshops can even be delivered during your lunch break as a ‘lunch and learn’ sessions.
- Take it one step further by putting on workshops for managers. If managers can grasp the importance of recognising and understanding mental health, it can really impact the people that they manage.
Look at it from a long-term perspective
Time to Talk Day is a great excuse to get your colleagues together and talk about mental health. But don’t let it stop there. Put some initiatives in place to help people talk all year round. By doing so, you really can change someone’s life.
