Time to Talk

Time to talk is a campaign encouraging you and others to open up and talk about mental health. Join us and start a conversation, not only on 4th of February, but every day, making small conversations in order to make a big difference.

Coronavirus has affected us all, often leaving us feeling anxious, worried and isolated. It is also normal to maybe have different feelings to others towards lockdown restrictions and the changes we all face surrounding these.

You don’t have to be an expert in mental health to be able to support someone, or to be able to start a conversation.

Here are our top tips:
• Check in – you do not have to do this face-to-face if you/they do not feel comfortable. Get creative! Use social media, make a phone call, write a letter, send a text or even paint/draw messages! A simple hi, how are you? is always a great way to start.

• Listen and reflect – you do not have to fix things or always offer advice, sometimes listening is enough.

• Ask questions – ask how they are managing/how they are coping with lockdown…. and if it doesn’t seem that they are sharing the full picture with you – ask again with interest! Sometimes asking someone twice how they really are will open up another conversation.

Did you know?

• Just over a quarter of young people (27%) had had a one-to-one conversation with a teacher or other member of staff in which they were asked about their wellbeing in either the Summer term or so far in the Autumn term (Young Minds, 2020).
• In 2020, one in six (16.%) children aged 5 to 16 years were identified as having a probable mental health disorder, increasing from one in nine (10.8%) in 2017 (NHS Digital, 2020).
• Children and young people with a probable mental health disorder were more likely to say that lockdown had made their life worse (54.1% of 11 to 16 year olds) than those unlikely to have a mental health disorder (39.2%). (NHS Digital, 2020).

Looking at these statistics, it is REALLY important to talk – to anybody you feel comfortable with; whether this is your friends, your family, your carers or even your animals! It’s important to check in on others, just as much as it is for you to talk to others too.

Written By Elin Evans Student School Nurse

Written By Danielle Coomber Specialist School Nurse