At NELFT, we’re supporting Time to Talk Day on Thursday 4 February, which is all about getting us talking about mental health.

At the moment, too many people with mental health problems are made to feel isolated, ashamed and unable to talk about their experiences. But having conversations around mental health doesn’t have to be awkward.

Time To Talk day is an annual event organised by the social movement Time to Change who are working to end mental health discrimination.

It is hoped that by supporting these types of conversations, being more open to them and making them more common-place, we are all more likely to talk about the things that we find difficult and seek help and support, before things feel so out of control.

Simelia Afroz, Senior Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, said: “We all focus a lot on our physical health, however our mental health is just like our physical health, we all have it and we all need to be taking care of it.

“We know that 1 in 4 of us is suffering with our mental health. It is important to talk about how you’re feeling with your family, with your friends and asking for help from health professionals. We are here.”

This year, Time to Change have got plenty of resources to get conversations started. The activity pack is full of simple and fun activities and games that you can use to kickstart conversations about mental health including snakes and ladders, wordsearch, quizzes and sussed, perfect for colleagues, family members and friends.