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!
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