A lot of us are talking the talk today (Jan. 25) on Bell Let’s Talk day.
Now, after raising money in support of mental health and raising awareness about the issue, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we can take that a little further and turn all that talk into meaningful conversation?
One in five of us have experienced or will experience mental health problems of some form during our lives, and all of us will be impacted in some way. People we know and care about struggle with mental health problems; many are dealing with some of those challenges right now. Too often, we don’t know, because they might not tell; we might not ask.
When we ask each other questions like ‘how’s it going?’ we don’t always listen closely to the answer, and when we don’t, it’s a missed opportunity, more often than we realize, to have an important conversation. And even if people reply that they’re fine or that they’re OK, that can be relative. Maybe they could be a lot more OK. These aren’t easy conversations to have. These aren’t easy topics to discuss. But if we really want to know, a lot of times we really have to ask.
Maybe Bell Let’s Talk is an icebreaker of sorts. It can be an indication that we do understand – or are at least willing to try to understand – issues surrounding mental health and what we can do to help. It can be a confirmation that we don’t think mental health is a weakness. The more we’re willing to talk, the further we separate mental health problems from shame and stigma.
Each of us can do a little, or we can do a lot. We can be kind and respectful and ask and listen. We don’t need to have all the answers – there are plenty of resources out there, the Canadian Mental Health Association, for example, that can carry on the conversations we start.
We’ve got people talking, right now, about mental health. Let’s talk again soon.