Time To Talk Day – 2nd February
Thursday 2nd February is Time to Talk Day.
Time to Talk Day is organised by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness in England, in partnership with Co-op. The purpose of the day is to create support networks and communities by having conversations with family, friends and colleagues about mental health. Time to Talk Day is the nation’s biggest mental health conversation. It takes place each year and our members can get involved and find out more in the link below.
There are lots of things you can do on the day from calling a friend to check in, hosting a coffee and chat on the office or out of the office, running a learning event or even simply texting someone.
Our DDLS and DJLD members will find further information in the following link:
https://timetotalkday.co.uk/how-to-take-part/
Time to talk day encourages communities nationally to have more conversations about mental health than ever before and by opening up lines of communication about this it enables us to support ourselves and others.
Mental health can feel like a taboo subject to talk about for some, for fear of stigma or how they will be perceived. The LawCare report Life in the Law, evidences significant mental health issues within the legal sector with over 69% reporting mental ill-health in the 12 months preceding the survey. As a result of this report, The Junior Lawyers Division then undertook numerous surveys of their members in 2019 which found that:
- 58% of junior lawyers had considered taking time off work for mental health reasons but did not do so
- 60% of junior lawyers' mental ill-health had negatively impacted their physical health, and
- 14% of junior lawyers have had suicidal thoughts
Only 19% said their employer was aware they were experiencing mental ill-health.
It is clear that there is so much more to be done to combat these issues but having conversations about mental health really does have the power to change lives. Research done by Mind shows how important open conversations are in supporting mental health and wellbeing.
Talking about mental health helps to reduce the stigma and helps to create support networks where mental health can be talked about openly and allows people to feel empowered to seek help when they need it.
This Time to Talk Day we are encouraging our DDLS and DJLD members to get involved. There are lots of ways to do so, from sharing on social media using #TimetoTalk, having conversations with your colleagues, friends and family or even getting involved in events and activities within your own community. However, you choose to take part, it is important to allow time within your day for a conversation about mental health.
Shabana Ali – DDLS
Yasmin Walker – DJLD