Voice (Part 2)



Yesterday I attended Day 1 of a two part Mental Health First Aid Course. Day 2 takes place next Saturday (April 29th).

Day 1 gave me an idea of how we can give people a voice.

We give people a voice when we initiate a conversation with them.

The instructor told us about self-care and mental health. In order to provide support to others, we have to take care of ourselves first.  In an airplane when there is a problem and the personal oxygen masks drop down, a caregiver should make sure that they put the oxygen mask on themselves first and then look after the person they are caring for. The caregiver won’t be able to fulfil their caregiving role if they put the oxygen mask on the one they are caring for first and the caregiver ends up succumbing from a lack of oxygen.  

The instructor asked the class what they do to take care of their mental health. I heard a lot of great answers like play with their kids, socialize with friends, play with a friend’s dog, exercise, enjoy nature, compose music, do yoga. I do some of the things that my classmates suggested. In addition to those, I journal every day. I look for something positive that happens to me each day. Each day I come up with at least one thing that I feel positive about!

Listening and being present are so important. We did an exercise yesterday where the instructor asked us to pair up with another person. One person did the talking and the other did the listening, and then we switched roles. The person who did the listening had to take on the role of a poor listener. My conversational partner did not ask me any questions or provide me with any feedback. I didn’t feel that she was listening. 

It’s important to encourage others. The instructor pointed out some additional resources that were in our hand-outs that I will take a look at.

The instructor told us how to give someone a voice and that is by asking questions, listening without judgment and encouraging others by providing information or gentle advice.  I realize that all of these things were being demonstrated in class throughout the day!

I think about Bell’s Let’s Talk initiative. 

To me it is an opportunity for people to support each other and to support this important cause. Celebrities shed light on the issue.

The piece that I had not thought about was the “let’s” part. “Let’s” indicates inclusion where two or more people can do something together like talking!

Day 1 of the Mental Health First Aid Course brought home to me how important conversations are. Within our conversations, we need to ask questions, listen with empathy and encourage others by offering information, advice or other support.    

So about how it, let’s initiate a conversation, let’s talk with each other!   



Also Published on LinkedIn on April 23, 2017
Image Credit:  Pixabay

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