Time to Talk Day: Practical Advice

Today is Time to Talk Day. It's the nation's biggest mental health conversation. A chance to listen, share, and talk about what really matters. You might be thinking that it is time to brave the big conversation.  

Libby Richardson is a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner at our Trust. In this short article, she likens the experience of asking for support and offering support to parallel universes, like how you would want to be there for a friend, reaching out for support, checking in with a friend and talking about difficulties can have a massive impact:

Popular culture has me thinking about the concept of parallel universes lately, with shows, like ‘Stranger Things’ and big budget films, like ‘Marvel.’ Parallel universes are depicting a reality that is nearly like your own, just slightly different. This got me thinking: 

Imagine one universe is focusing on your friend. You know they’re struggling. You see it in their half-cancelled plans, stifled yawns during conversations and small smiles that don’t seem to reach their eyes. They’ve been experiencing stress at work, causing restless nights and endless worrying about the worst case. So, you do what any good friend would do, you check in. You show you care.

This could look very different from a blunt yet effective text of “you ok?” To a more heart felt approach of a note saying, ‘I am thinking of you and I’m here for you.’ You hope they receive this message and feel less lonely in their worries. Perhaps they can respond in a wholehearted truth how “everything just feels a bit much at the moment.” 

Knowing that a friend might provide some practical suggestions or even just acknowledge they’ve heard with a subtle “I know, it sounds difficult.” We all know that caring for family and friends is never a chore, urging people how they can help, they can listen or even just ‘be there’.  

If we travel to another parallel universe, a reality like your own. Imagine in this case, you lay awake at night worried how you are going to stretch this month’s pay, whether you are going to be able to chair that meeting, despite feeling sick whenever you open your mouth or even whether you are going to be able to drag yourself up out of bed at a reasonable time to brush your teeth, on your day off. 

You’re feeling low, anxious and downright frustrated. But in a moment of feeling stuck in a hopeless void, with worries spinning, you receive a message. Your friend, who was never one to be subtle says: “I notice you’ve been having a hard time lately, are you ok?” Hopefully there exists a universe, not different from your reality that you remember how you want to be there for others, how others want to be there for you and we are all able to share “everything feels just a bit much at the moment.” So that you too can share a sigh of relief when your friend, who cares very much, replies “I know, it sounds difficult.”  

Remember, just like how you would want to be there for a friend, reaching out for support, checking in with a friend and talking about difficulties can have a massive impact, in all realities.  

If you struggle to speak to those close to you, perhaps try to reach out to professional support: 

East Riding Talking Therapies 01482 335451 or self-refer here: NHS East Riding Talking Therapies 

Mental health telephone numbers:  

Crisis: 0800 138 0990 and 111  

Samaritans: 116 123

Crisis under 18s: 01482 301 701 (under 18’s)  

Humber Recovery and Wellbeing College  

Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust’s Recovery and Wellbeing College enables conversations about mental health to come naturally through shared activities and mindful moments. The College takes a non-clinical, educational approach to health and wellbeing, offering the space to talk while also enjoying participation in something active or creative. 

The Recovery College is free to join and open to everyone, but it is particularly ideal for anyone needing support but not ready for clinical services or those are stepping down from clinical therapy. By offering a broad range of activities for people to access as and when they want to, people can take their recovery at their own pace. 

NHS Humber Recovery and Wellbeing College