2020 has been a strange year for all. A worldwide Pandemic causing the shutdown of life as we know it, countless people losing their jobs and everyone feeling more out of touch than ever.
We can only begin to imagine the effect that this has had on everyone’s mental wellbeing. Some people more than others. The key thing to remember is that it’s OK to not feel OK.
Whether we choose to talk about or write about our feelings studies have shown that it drastically reduces our emotional pain. You know the feeling when you have something on your chest and you just have to get it off? You have to let someone know something before it eats you up inside? And when you do you feel a release, a sense of freedom.
September is Mental Health Awareness month with September 10 marking the month with R U OK day. R U OK is an Australian suicide inhibition organisation, established by Gavin Larkin in 2009. It has the slogan, R U OK and advocates for people to have conversations with others.
The organisation has a devoted R U OK Day, held annually on the second Thursday of September, which urges Australians to connect with people who have emotional instability, to address social isolation and promote community cohesiveness.
Starting the conversation around Mental Health can feel a little overwhelming. We find applying some basic principles to our everyday life a great way to encourage an everyday action toward mental health awareness.
- Giving individuals respect and acceptance eliminates a significant barrier to successfully coping with their disease. Having people recognize you as an individual and not as your illness can make the most significant difference for someone who is fighting with their mental health issues.
- Supporting within our circles of influence helps assure these individuals have the same benefits and opportunities as other members of your community.
- Discovering more about mental health allows us to give helpful support to those affected in our families and communities.
Trying to have a meaningful conversation in a busy, overcrowded area is never a good idea. We find that when we are in nature we often feel more relaxed and comfortable in opening up.
A walk in a local park, along the beach or a scenic drive can be a great place to start a conversation. If you are in or run a Women’s Circle – this can always be a safe, welcoming environment that encourages honest conversation about feelings and emotions.
We like to think of R U OK day as not just the only day you ask people around you and yourself if you are OK but a gentle reminder that this should be a part of our everyday life.
So we challenge you today to ask yourself – how can you integrate this way of thinking and action into your daily routine? How can you ensure that the people around you know that you are always open for conversation no matter what the topic is.
R U OK day special
In honour of R U OK day and supporting each other’s mental health Honouring Heart wants to help you contribute to the wellbeing of people in your community by getting trained in the powerful tool of circle.
For R U OK day we are running a super special where you and a friend can train with us in Circle Facilitation two for the price of one. You can use this special for either of our courses (Women’s circle training or our Ultimate bundle facilitator training).
Simply email our founder Imogen Bailey [email protected] and tell her why you and your friend want to do this and we will give you a special code to use to get your buy one course and get a friend certified for free.
Special ends September 20th 2020.
