Last week I was delighted to pass my mental health first aid qualification with the wonderful NewbyCore Consulting Limited
I think it’s really important that more people take these courses to help those in need and smash the stigma around mental health. It is also great to take time to study the steps that we can take to protect our own wellbeing, We need to ensure that society and all places of work have an open minded and proactive culture. It’s important to remember that we all have mental health and that people with mental illness can maintain excellent mental health with the correct support. There are many with no mental illness who suffer poor mental health. The course I completed (find it here) provides lots of important training, there are so many people who have no idea what to do or say if a person becomes mentally unwell. It can be very easy to take things personally and learning how to listen judgement free with an open mind is key. It is so important to hold space for a person who becomes mentally unwell, remembering that they are not themselves and that they need help. Mental illness can happen to anyone. I have been there myself and watched it happen to loved ones. It wasn’t their fault and it wasn’t mine. Sometimes our mind can stop working and we can lose touch with reality. Knowing how to support others is key and of course it is also important to protect our own mental health if we are providing first aid or supporting a person with a mental illness.
Knowing the signs to spot is also key. We need to educate ourselves to save many lives and relationships. Stress or insomnia can very easily spiral and turn into a full on mental illness.
Talking and learning helps to break down stigma. Although things are improving slowly, we have a long way to go. I’ve been a mental health researcher for 6 years and one thing I know to be true – shame and old school stereotypes prolong recovery. We need to work hard to break down the barriers, especially in 2020 ❤️
