Monday 10th October was World Mental Health Day, this year with the theme ‘Make mental health and wellbeing a global priority’.
The start of the week is usually a social media day for me, and it was great to see the message (and graphic) getting spread far and wide.
The key now is to try to make that theme a reality.
Mental health is something that is hugely important to me. I’ve suffered bad mental health in the past, and watched family and friends struggle too.
I’m an optimistic person. There’s a big clue to that in my company name, Stay Bright. Those two words, whilst also encouraging common sense in your work (particularly social media) were the way that my Mum used to sign off phone calls. Instead of saying ‘Speak to you later’, she’d say ‘Stay bright’. It was her way to encourage me to keep smiling, and I’ve tried to live to that in her honour.
But it’s not always easy being positive, particularly in today’s society. We’ve seen a lot of incredibly influential world events in the last few years, both home and abroad. They’ve had a big impact on a lot of people. And that is before taking into account any personal issues or traumas.
Society also seems that bit harder edged too. Social media, although doing a lot of good, can also do even more damage. People have less patience, and aren’t afraid to call out others, rightly or wrongly.
Your mental health has always been important, but I think now, more than ever, we need to look to whatever works to protect and nurture ourselves.
The Role Of Mentoring
I had a conversation last week about the role of mentoring within mental health. Could it really make a difference?
You won’t be surprised to hear that I said a firm yes.
At a really base level, mentoring offers us someone who will listen and not judge. A mentor may not be someone you know very well, but I’m a big believer in that being a benefit when things are tough, not an obstacle. That separation is why it is a non-judgemental space. A mentor is there to listen first and foremost.
But it’s more than that. As well as giving us someone to open up to, mentoring is also a great way to find coping mechanisms. Everyone is different, and what works for one person, may not work for another. If you find things a bit overwhelming, a mentor is there to suggest things you can try to calm yourself, and help you explore in order to find a path to a solution.
I’ve been a mentor for 15 years now, and I’ve seen both of these in practice many times. I’ve also spoken to other mentors who shared coping methods and approaches with me, that I later put into practice.
But most important of all, I’ve been the mentee. I know the value of a mentor to your mental health, because I’ve experienced the benefits myself. Indeed, it was that which directly led to the launch of Stay Bright Mentoring, and my continued mentoring with Project Scotland.
The More Mentors The Better!
Working can be challenging at the best of times when you are a young person. But the pandemic, hybrid working, the cost of living crisis and other issues have piled on the pressure. And that’s where I think… no, know that mentoring can make the difference.
My aim is not only to provide valuable mentoring to support young people, but to train up others to be mentors within the workplace. As in my work with social media, I value upskilling those within the work environment. Creating new mentors who understand the pressures of a company or organisation is an incredibly valuable way of doing that.
More mentors is just one small step to making mental health a priority. But it is going to take a lot of small, and large steps, before we get there.
Mental health shouldn’t be about one day or one month. We should celebrate our mental health, take care of it and nurture it, every day of the year. Even if that is a big challenge.
It’s time to make your mental health and wellbeing a personal and global priority.