You are not alone, and it is ok not to be ok!

#mentalhealthawarenessweek2021 is underway and I would like to encourage important and necessary conversations around #mentalhealth as a whole.

I think like many my mental well being has been at an all time low this year, yet to speak to me on a zoom call, you would never know. Why? That is an easy one to answer I think as human beings we are scared to show our vulnerabilities, weaknesses, so we hide behind a mask of fake smiles and bravado. We put on a brave face and try and appear normal, I think I have become a master of this over the last year and I am sure I am not alone.

This is why it is so scary as it means these issues so many of us are facing fall under the radar and are not discussed or noticed, this is dangerous territory as these issues then grown and fester inside until they become so consuming and debilitating, that the very thing we have been hiding for so long take complete control.

Poor mental health comes in many shapes and forms and no one is immune, it can develop differently from one person to the next. My two coping mechanisms are polar opposites, one has been huge doubts in my ability to do anything at all, from work to home life, to being a Mum, friend, partner etc so I withdraw or secondly I burn myself out trying to prove the first one is not there. It looks very different on us all. This is one of the biggest battles with helping people with #mentalhealthissues it is very difficult to spot the signs even when it is someone close to you.

The pandemic is undoubtedly going to see us having a huge increase in people needing help with their #mentalhealth abd this will go on long after the restrictions are lifted and masks are forgotten.

If you got this far thank you for reading, and I would like to urge everyone to ALWAYS check on their loved ones, friends and colleagues, and please, please look after yourself and be kind to yourself and others always, the next person you have a call with today could be fighting a battle all on their own and your kindness could be just the thing they need to bring them back.

My phone is always on and my ears are always ready to listen to any one who needs it, take care, Nikki