Chat to your mates - Mental Health - Potentially heavy one.
Howdy Team,
Earlier this week, I had a very emotional chat to our team at work about mental health. I tried to start the conversation on Monday but couldnt pre-compose myself enough to start talking. On the 3rd attempt during a meeting on Wednesday, I finally managed to get it out and yeah it was fucking hard work.
As a mental health first aider at work, we are in lots of conversations with people about a lot of topics. Most recently we have had a person who doesnt want to wake up in the morning. They have experienced a lot of tragety in the past year and are visibly masking their emotion and putting on a happy face to those around them, but are actually a broken person just under the surface.
Personally for me, we had to say goodbye to our dog in early march after 15 years. She was my first born, my shadow and my underdog. (and is in my avatar) Although not unexpected, (we knew she wasnt well but were planning a night at garden island so she was with my folks and had to race back to the ramp just after sunset) absoloutely broke me. Each to their own but if you're a dog person (or pet person really), you may get it.
This with a combination of work stresses / neglect over the past 12 months have made the past two and a half months really shit. Most of mine will recover with time, and my healing is quality time with the family (which is essentially every week night and weekend), disconnection time (camping / boating offshore) and shutdown time (turning off the computer after work and over the weekend)
I know what works for me, and thankfully, i have a lot of people at work who i genuinely enjoy spending time with so have people to talk with. Again, time will help with a chunk of mine.
I guess I am writing this to speak up and get people to reach out to their mates. As i type this, i have tears running down my face but I am honestly ok.
Please send a message to a mate and tell them how important they are to you. Fuck it - tell them you love them! You may get called a few names and may get people calling you to find out whats wrong. It doesnt matter - reach out.
This video popped up on Instagram last night and had another grown man crying and talking about mental health. As a NOVA listener, Greg Hire was on the wireless on Tuesday morning and crying talking about mental health.
www.instagram.com/p/DJ5cQZqTbIk/
We loose 7 brothers/uncles/sons/fathers/mates each week and 3 of our mums/sisters/daughters/mates.
Adam Selwood knew the impact of suicide. He knew the resources available but still whatever he was going through was too much. All the knowledge in the world wasnt enough.
Speak to your mates. Each problem is like a sinker. Sharing that problem with some one else takes a bit of that weight could help someone get their head above water.
www.youtube.com/watch
Coastrunner
Posts: 477
Date Joined: 25/10/14
Take care of yourself mate
It takes guts to speak out, keep your family and friends close.
Tight lines.
Brock O
Posts: 3293
Date Joined: 11/01/08
Great Post Swompa! Got me
Great Post Swompa!
Got me worked up just reading this, lost a mate in high school and few others through sporting clubs. My brother actually had a few cracks at it as well.
Don't get me started on losing mans best friend.
An email came through a few weeks ago for a training course which I really don't have time for, Mental Health First Aid. I accepted and start the course next week.
Think I'll msg a few mates now!
Swompa
Posts: 3966
Date Joined: 14/10/12
Please do mate!Cheers!
Please do mate!
Cheers!
Faulkner Family
Posts: 18167
Date Joined: 11/03/08
Well spoken. Way too many
Well spoken. Way too many keep it bottled up and it eats away at them till they snap. I am one that bottled up a lot and I am lucky I got help before it was too late. Sandy was a very strong supporter of me and I'm lucky to have someone like her .
In turn I have helped others out over the years simply by talking to them and understanding what they are going through.
Speak up and get help as there is lots of it out there even in the places you least expect
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together
Bradmac73
Posts: 209
Date Joined: 22/03/17
Well written
Great post Swompa,
Sorry to hear of your loss, losing a pet is one of the hardest things.
I'm 2 weeks away from my annual fishing trip with my 4 best mates on the planet. It's a week that for all of us means so much. Restores the soul. Disconnent from the world, reconnect with each other, and a safe place to talk through anything if we need.
We regularly tell each other we love one another (possibly more after a few tins) and we always greet and farewell each other with a hug. This was born from a loss we all experienced, and it felt weird for a while, but I wouldn't change it now for anything.
All the best mate.
uncle
Posts: 9578
Date Joined: 10/02/07
Yeah it's a terrible epidemic
At my age it's the natural ones that get us now.
all aggressive fish love bigjohnsjigs
davewillo
Posts: 2568
Date Joined: 08/09/16
Well said mate. I manage to
Well said mate. I manage to keep on top of things pretty well but would be the first to reach out if I felt overwhelmed. My wife is very good in that regard but if I needed someone else my best mate is really open too. It's good to have people you can rely on.
Said goodbye to one of the best on Friday and that hurts. Only 4 months younger than me and so much left to do. Having said that he said himself that he has no regrets and felt he left nothing on the table. It wasn't by his own hand but the C that ended a life well lived but gone way too soon. Look after one another and let's keep the ones who have a choice if we can.
PGFC member and lure tragic