Time to Talk Day
Time to Talk Day 01 Feb 2024
On 1 February, the UK charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness will be running Time to Talk Day.
1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem in any given year.
Time to Talk Day is the perfect opportunity to start a conversation about mental health. The day is all
about creating supportive environment by having conversations with employees and colleagues about
mental health. We all have mental health and by talking about it we can support ourselves and others.
If someone does open up about their mental health, it might not always feel easy to know what to say.
But it doesn’t have to be awkward, and being there for someone can make a big difference.
There is no right way to talk about mental health. But these tips can help make sure you’re
approaching it in a helpful way.
1. 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 will help you to understand their experience better. Try to ask questions that are
open and not leading or judgmental, like “how does that affect you?” or “what does it feel like?”
2. Think about the time and place
Sometimes it’s easier to talk side by side rather than face to face. So, if you do talk in person, you
might want to chat while you are doing something else.
3. Don’t try and fix it
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 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.
4. Treat them the same
When someone has a mental health problem, they’re still the same person as they were before.
That means when an employee or colleague 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.
5. 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 may make it easier for them
to open up another time.
To help start mental health conversations in your workplace, download your free business pack on the
following link https://timetotalkday.co.uk/download-a-pack/
If you would like help in implementing or further advice this, please get in touch
Time to Talk Day – Mind – Mind
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