With another high profile sportsperson losing their life recently we feel it’s important to tackle, again, the mental health and suicide issue. August is Tradie Health Month and Nic and Waz dig deep into what continues to be a confronting, confounding and continuing problem for society.
We don’t talk enough about Mental Health
If it’s a “marketing” or “dealing with staff issue” people don’t usually have any problems talking about it and addressing the situation.. But if it comes down to talking about mental health, why do some people shy away?
People just don’t know how to talk about mental health in a way that’s helpful.. It’s still has so much to do with either/or guilt, shame, fear, discomfort, confusion attached to it. And if we start talking about it, some people just feel weird about it. They feel worried what other people might think if they speak openly about, especially in terms of the impact it may have on their own life or other’s life.
“We should be talking about these events.”
There’s plenty of the outpouring of the grief but there’s not enough of having conversations together about somebody’s off behaviour or off attitude. People don’t always have to say anything or do anything for you to think they may be at risk or something might be going wrong, but they give off a bit of a vibe.
So much doesn’t get said
Why is mental health still an increasing issue in society?
We need to take the time and give consideration to what we’re seeing and actually just reach out. A lot of the time, this doesn’t happen, and for many different reasons..
We’re too busy.
We’re too busy minding our own business.
We get shutdown if we open up.
It can be challenging to know what to say and how to say it.
Not to reach out to ask others for help.
And with the combination of all of these things, unfortunately so much doesn’t get said.
Giving the opportunity to be seen
Usually, it’s not instantly obvious when someone needs help, or when someone is having issues with their mental health. Stuff happens for years, one straw at a time.. and then the final straw, the one that breaks the camel’s back, is the one everyone’s focused on. We don’t even notice those tiny individual straws that people draw out, and even if we notice it, we unconsciously brush it off as if we’re wired to ignore things.
People ignore things before the last straw because it’s not dramatic, urgent or catastrophic; it’s not big enough to warrant even paying attention to it. And all of a sudden, things happen and we just say that ‘we didn’t see it coming.’ Maybe because nobody’s looking for it. Nobody’s calling out their off behaviour lately.
How about actually asking them how they are? It’s simple to call out that behaviour and give someone the opportunity to be seen. And within that opportunity, they won’t feel alone; they wont feel isolated.
NOTE: We discuss concepts such as suicide and mental illness and want to make sure you have contact details for support services. Contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Mates In Construction on 1300 642 111 or reach out to us here at Tradies In Business via our socials or website.
