Yesterday was Time to Talk Day; a day which is aimed at encouraging everyone to be more open about their mental health – to talk, to listen, to change lives.

A day to get people talking is valuable.

But when the day is done we need to keep talking.

What we know is that there is an openness to conversation. But in the midst of a mental health issue you might not be quite ready to talk about it just yet. Sometimes you might not even recognise how you’re really doing.

Sometimes it takes the courage of someone asking that makes you aware that the struggle isn’t ‘normal’. And I hesitate to use that phrase but it seems to be the most appropriate word.

So if you didn’t have the chance to open up about your mental health struggles yesterday; if you started a conversation but feel like you need to talk more; if you meant to ask a friend ‘how are you?’ but didn’t – we want to say, it’s not too late.

We will continue to share our stories today and next week. We’ll be posting some tips about how to have a conversation. Our wellbeing tips will appear throughout the year, providing simple thoughts and techniques that you can engage with to help you to flourish.

According to the Time to Change movement, 51% of people would prefer not to tell anyone if they are struggling with their mental health. Let’s be part of changing that.

Andy kicked us off yesterday with his story; you can watch it here: