Now that got your attention didn’t it!  But it raises an important question.  Time to Talk Day is this year is 6 February 2020 and is led by Time To Change – set up to end mental health discrimination.

According to Time to Change, 1 in 4 workers of us deal with a mental health problem in any given year, such as anxiety, depression or stress. It can affect absolutely anyone and stop us performing at our best.

It’s easy to tell if someone has a broken leg – the crutches and cast are a bit of a giveaway. We know how to help that person get on with everyday life. But how do you know if someone is suffering from severe anxiety or depression? You probably can’t pick them out of a crowd

So we need to encourage talking to help each other. It is your right to feel safe and supported to talk about your mental health at work.

`The more conversations we have about mental health, the more myths we can bust and barriers we can break down – helping to end the isolation, shame and worthlessness that too many of us feel when experiencing a mental health problem.’*

So what can you do to encourage conversations around mental health in your team? Here are just some ideas you might like to try.

• Walk and Talk: Organise a Lunchtime walk and talk to encourage your colleagues to get outside and have conversations
• Pledge Wall: Set up a board in a visible place where colleagues can stick up their pledges to change the way we all act and think about mental health in the workplace
• Mental Health Quiz Use a quick mental health quiz to start conversations, test staff’s mental health knowledge and help people learn something new. https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/mental-health-quiz

For more ideas click here:

If you need any further help there are a number of links to organisations that can help you under the useful resources section of this website.

*Time-to-change.org.uk