With Bell Let’s Talk Day around the corner, we want to encourage as many people as possible to participate and if they need to, reach out and get the help that they need. To that end, we asked one question of our staff:
What would you say to someone who was afraid to reach out about their mental health?
“For me, growing up, I was told never to talk about my personal problems. So I never went to counsellor, until one day I was in high school and my dad passed away. Even though it was only a high school counsellor, I was able to let it out. But as I got older, life became more difficult and many more struggles came along. I closed myself up again and now I’m trying to move forward which is extremely hard. All I can really say is for someone who is struggling with depression is when you feel ready to talk to someone, do it. Because it’s help gets a lot off your chest.” – Team Member, Wellin5
“How you feel is always valuable, always matters and if you give someone you trust, the chance to hear you, being heard can bring you incredible freedom. From my own life, I can think of times that I have felt depressed from experiences I have gone through. Every time I began to really despair or feel like I was in a dark place, the most liberating thing I could do was to tell someone about how I was feeling. Sometimes it took me a really long time to talk to someone but when I realized the relief I could feel just opening up, I would try to remember this and work up the courage to open up and share where I was at.
If you’re afraid to reach out just remember, there is freedom on the other side of your isolation and loneliness – a text or phone call can seem so difficult but it can be the key to finding relief from the struggles you are going through.” Brittany, Operations Manager, Wellin5
“Sometimes having someone who doesn’t judge, someone that listens with an open ear can make a huge difference in how you feel about yourself and the world. There’s no need to wait, and there’s nothing to be ashamed of. We all need someone to talk to.” Jon, Lead Engineer, Wellin5
“There’s an ongoing shift in attitudes about mental health and people are more likely to view someone seeking help as a sign of strength rather than a sign of weakness. Your mental health can affect everything you do and every relationship you have, so if you are struggling it’s important to find somebody to help you through what you’re going through. It’s not easy but it’s worth it. I think everyone has those times where they’re just barely holding everything together and the most important thing you can do is reach out to someone, be it a friend, family member, or a mental health professional. It takes a lot of courage to do it, and you need to remember that you’re worth it.” Chris, QA Engineer, Wellin5
“I came from a very good upbringing and background but I didn’t realize there were things I needed to work out. Until I went to a counsellor, that was the first time it hit me how transformative counselling can be. The filters I was seeing life through, everything, the basis of all my thinking had to change for me to feel better. I was young in my early 20’s when I was able to come to this realization – but I think you can talk to someone at any age because at any age you can start again.
Talking to a counsellor was what armed me with tools to handle everything that life throws at me. Don’t accept dysfunctional relationships and suffering as your norm. It’s only when you get help that you can really see change in your life. Don’t wait for tomorrow, it’s never too late, start today.” William, CEO, Wellin5
If you’re in need of someone to talk to, make sure to reach out to someone you trust. It is important and so are you! We hope our insights have been helpful. Bell Let’s Talk Day is happening January 30, 2019 and we hope you will join in this important conversation about mental health. Find out how you can get involved here.
Have a listen to Bell Let’s Talk Ambassador Melynda’s story here:
