It's time to open up about mental health
Next month, marks ‘Time to Talk’ day (2nd Feb), the nation’s biggest mental health conversation, providing the perfect opportunity for you to instigate challenging but important discussions in your learning environment…
Time to Talk Day first launched in 2014. Run by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, it is part of the Time to Change campaign to end mental health stigma and discrimination and provides us with a reminder of how important it is to make space for conversations about mental health.
Talking about mental health is never easy, but with one in four of young people aged 17-19 experiencing a mental health disorder, having conversations helps:
- Reduce stigma and discrimination around mental illness
- Create supportive communities in which people look out for, understand and support each other
- Empower people to feel able to speak up when in need of support
If you’re wanting to use the day as a springboard to initiate conversations in your community there are three simple steps you can take today:
- Explore the raft of free resources available on the Time to Talk website
- Download our free Role Models ‘Worry’ resources, a practical and accessible way to start discussions around mental health, created by young people, for young people
- Head over to our Learning4Life site - a springboard into discovering a wealth of carefully researched mental health support services, community initiatives, websites and resources
Together we can ensure that mental health is no longer stigmatised or brushed under the carpet, but talked about openly, so that we can create environments in which everyone feels understood and supported…