Let’s Make Time To Talk

With the First Minister announcing yesterday that lockdown is set to continue until the end of the month and the pressures of working at home, furlough, home schooling can feel endless. This is further challenged by the current restrictions on our usual outlets socially and also physically through our beloved orienteering and other sports/outdoor pursuits. We recognise that dealing with lockdown can be tough, regardless of age and that staying at home is likely to be having an impact on most people’s mental health to some extent. We encourage all members to Take the Time to Talk on 4th February

Thursday 4 February is designated Time to Talk Day.  Talking about mental health is not always easy but starting a conversation can make a huge difference. We are all coping with lockdown in different ways, the more we can chat openly about how we feel and how we may be experiencing the impact it may be having on our mental health, the more we opportunity we have to relieve ourselves of some of the feelings we may be experiencing and crucially connecting with others to help them. This year the focus of Time to Talk Day is the power of small, because however you have a conversation about mental health – whether it’s a quick message to a colleague, a virtual coffee morning, or a socially distanced walk and talk – it has the power to make a big difference. Tips on how best to do this can be found on the Time to Talk website.

We would encourage all members and clubs to connect with someone tomorrow. Take 10 minutes to have a talk.

It’s really important to recognise that we are not experts in this field, nor do we claim to be. But, we do care about our members and we also have some fantastic partners and links to share to organisations, which can offer practical support they may need to help each other, and themselves, during hard times.

Samaritans 24/7 helpline: 116 123

SAMH: 0344 800 0550 https://www.samh.org.uk/

MIND: 0300 123 3393

Breathing Space: 0800 83 85 87 https://breathingspace.scot/

Young Minds: https://youngminds.org.uk/