#TimetoTalk2021

#TimetoTalk2021

With the suicide rate within the Construction & related industries being 3.7 times greater than the national average, Rainham have been proud members of the ‘Mates in Mind’ campaign since 2019.   As such we are proud to participate in and support the Time to Talk Day 2021

This Thursday, February 4^th marks Time to Talk Day, a day in which we celebrate small conversations about Mental Health, which have the power to make a big difference.

This year’s focus is on the power of small, because however you have a conversation about Mental Health – whether it’s a quick text to a friend, a virtual coffee morning with colleagues, or a socially distanced walk and talk with your family – it has the power to make a huge difference.

Thursday is a day to encourage small conversations, and for everyone to start talking.  The more conversations we can have the more barriers we can break down and myths we can bust.  It is safe to say that Covid-19 has had a significant effect on everybody’s Mental health – which is why this year, we are giving the campaign a push across all of our sites and office locations.

Top tips for starting a conversation are:

1. Ask Questions and listen – Try to ask questions that are open and not leading or judgmental – such as “how does that affect you” or “what does that feel like?”.
2. Consider the time & place – sometimes it is easier to talk side to side rather than face to face.  So, if you do talk in person, you might want to chat while you are doing something else, like making tea / coffee in the break room.
3. Don’t try and fix everything – It can be hard to see someone you care about having a difficult time but 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 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.
4. 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 to them about it might make it easier for them to open up another time.

For more information on Mates and Minds, and what they do – please visit their website www.matesinmind.org or call them directly on 020 3510 5018.