Why would I talk to a colleague about my mental health?

There’s a daunting vulnerability that comes with opening up about your mental health, particularly in the workplace.

It can feel like others will see you as weak and not good enough. It can feel like you’re exposing a part of yourself you often keep hidden, even from yourself. And it can feel like you’re alone.

You aren’t alone and you certainly aren’t weak.

Opening up about what’s affecting your mental wellbeing takes a special sort of strength from deep within you. Talking to someone who’s trained in Mental Health First Aid could be an important step to help you feel better.

By providing a network of Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs), Dimensions is giving you an opportunity to talk to someone who’s trained to listen. Much like physical first aid, MHFA is there to protect you and provide help when you need it.

• We have been trained to talk to you in a supportive and proactive way.
• We will listen and we won’t judge.
• We can help you think about an upsetting or stressful situation in a different and more constructive way.
• We will work together to find the best course of action that can help you.

The Dimensions MHFA initiative is being led by the Learning and Development team. They are building up a group of individuals from different services, regions and departments across the organisation.

There is now a directory with names and numbers of MHFSs available to colleagues on the intranet. They can be the first (or sometimes only) step you might need to start feeling better.

I urge you to consider this as an option next time you’re struggling with your mental health. We are here to talk to you about things inside or outside of work that are affecting your wellbeing.

By Sarah Walters, Campaigns Manager, who is one of our new group of trained Mental Health First Aiders available to help you.