Aren't we all a little crazy sometimes?

It is so good to see how invested the Perth community is on Mental Health, from R you OK? Days to having a whole week dedicated to this topic last week. I attended the Fenders Mental Health Week event with great talks from Mandy Michael, Julie Grundy, Felicity Millman, Kylie Timpani, Patrik Affentranger, Amy Kapernick and Ming Johanson and agree with some key points made:

1. It is not always easy to notice a mental health issue, even if a colleague, family member or friend seems like they have the most amazing life, are confident, seem happy all the time etc, they could be suffering with issues inside that you can not see or likely do not understand.

2. It is OK to seek help from a professional, even if it feels crap at first or you do not gel with the first person you meet, there are professionals out there who have seen it all and can help you through various issues, using things such as cognitive behavior therapy to change the way you are used to thinking or reacting to situations for the better.

3. You are more resilient than you think, everyone has issues, sometimes its about taking a step back and evaluating what is truly happening in a situation before action is taken and also, only allow things to worry you that are within your control.

4. Toxic behavior, especially in the work place can really effect individuals and teams in a serious way, so try to change if you are this person, speak up if the person is directly affecting you or report it if you think someone else's toxicity is effecting others around you.

5. Its OK to say no, but also saying yes can be managed more effectively too, if you have lots of demands in your life, professionally and personally that are becoming overwhelming, use a calendar to log all your activities you want to do for yourself, then if anyone needs your help with anything else, do not compromise yourself, schedule them in to a free spot, then forget about it till that time arrives, causing less day to day stress, guilt, time wasting etc.

6. It is OK to fail, as long as you do it mindfully, you can learn from failure and grow as a result. Do not make someone in the work place feel bad about failure or doing something majorly wrong, punish them with having to buy the team doughnuts, but not just for doughnuts sake, that is important too.

7. You can save a life, just asking if someone is OK, making time for someone if they are down and following up with them regular. Its also OK, not be OK all the time, so be open if your not and hopefully others can support you too, if it is you that is the one not feeling OK right now.