Join this conversation
Dan Goodyear wants you to ask friends how they are feeling, especially if they seem down or different. “We need to talk about mental health and mental illness,” he says, “as opposed to avoiding the issue and brushing it under the carpet.”
For this “A Week of Change” series, community leaders have been asked to suggest a simple change people could make, or an action they could take, that would make a difference to others. The advice had to be free. Goodyear is CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Newfoundland and Labrador Division.
His suggestion of greater dialogue about mental illness between friends and family may not cost a cent, but it’s not always an easy subject to broach.
Still, the potential rewards for our collective well-being are immense and worth any awkwardness.
Goodyear simply believes people should be comfortable asking friends questions about mental health.
“I think based on your relationship, if it’s a good one, you should be able to say, ‘How ya doing? Is there anything that you want to talk about?’ ”
And if someone seems particularly distressed or suicidal, Goodyear suggests asking: “Are you contemplating, are you thinking of, hurting yourself? “You don’t want to think, ‘Oh my, this is not serious.’”
The advocate believes this type of communication will bring positive results for people and the community as a whole, helping resolve milder issues for some and encouraging those with more serious illnesses to speak up and/or seek help. He also thinks it will lead to systemic change. Goodyear says such talks start from strong relationships and acknowledges that not everyone has one.
He suggests that everyone build a support system, which could include fostering relationships with friends and family, and availing of medical professionals and community groups like his.
“We all need a good support system,” he says, adding it’s “key to recovery.”
Over the past six days, the suggestions for change in this series have ranged from using small dinner plates to greeting each other with the word, “Namaste.”
You never know what the answer is going to be when you ask someone for a suggestion on how people can change.
And, of course, you have no idea how the reading public is going to react when you try something totally different in a space long reserved for opinion and provocation on current affairs. (Of course, you know the trolls will bite. Yawn.)
While this series didn’t opine on a news event or development, hopefully it provoked some thought and made you think differently.
Because each suggestion reminded us of a need in our collective current affairs — and that’s the need to take a care of each other, whether using smaller plates for improved health, learning to appreciate each other’s differences, or supporting a worthy cause.
Every week should be a week of change, of trying to make a difference.