Let’s Talk

It’s the tenth annual Bell Let’s Talk day.  A day where we are encouraged to continue the conversation about mental health.   Watch the video on social media.  Use the hashtags.

Bell promises to donate five cents for every time the video is viewed.  You are encouraged to change your profile pic on Facebook too.

It’s a great day and it’s for sure worth putting the spotlight on mental health.

But we need to do more.  We need to do so much more and I’m not sure how.

Too many lives are lost to suicide in this community alone.  Too many people are left alone and struggling and with no where to turn.  Too many people are hurting and broken and feel ashamed or afraid to share their struggle.

Let’s talk.

Not just today.  But every day.   Let’s pay attention to those around us.

Let’s pay attention to the clerk at the grocery store or the waitress who brings you food.

Let’s pay attention to the person you pass on the street, or walk past at the mall.

Let’s notice people around us.

Let’s ask people how they are and LISTEN to the answer.

Let’s get off social media and get face to face a lot more often.

Let’s care about other people.

Let’s teach our kids to believe in themselves and who they are because of who they are and not because of how many likes or comments they get online.

Let’s put the phone down and talk to our kids and have a conversation about their day.

Let’s be curious about our friends and neighbours and co-workers and invest in people in a positive way.

Let’s hand out compliments and hold back on our insults and judgements.

Let’s talk about things that are hard.

Let’s talk about what is breaking our hearts and stop pretending we are okay because that’s what we think we are supposed to say.

Let’s talk.

Not just today.  But everyday.

Let’s not be afraid to not be ok.

Let’s not get lost in a one day campaign and forget how much it matters every other day.

Let’s reach out to those people we haven’t talked to in a while.

Let’s send a text or email and say “Hey, I was thinking about you.”

Let’s do that coffee date we said we’d do.

Let’s talk about how important it is to keep this conversation going so nobody has to feel like they are in it alone.

Let’s talk about how important people are to us and how we can all do something to help.

My heart breaks for those who suffer in silence and feel like they don’t matter.  Because you do matter.

Let’s talk about how one day is not enough.

Categorised in: Afternoons

This post was written by Carrie Buchanan