Let's talk about mental health.
Time to Talk Day is celebrated annually in early February. In 2025, it is celebrated on February 6th. This is a great opportunity to start a conversation about mental health.
In case it's helpful, below are the main points covered in this post:
About This Day
Organized in the UK by Rethink Mental Illness and Mind, Time to Talk Day is celebrated annually in early February. This year, Time to Talk Day is celebrated on 6 February 2025.
People are encouraged to have a conversation and be more open about mental health. By doing so, the goal is to foster a supportive community by letting everyone know that they do not have to feel secluded with their feelings.
Anyone open to having a conversation about mental health may feel more comfortable to continue the discussion when needed.
How to Celebrate
As the name says, take Time to Talk about mental health on this day. Have a mental health conversation with family, friends, colleagues, and health professionals. The conversation can be casual in nature or deep and direct.
Share your thoughts and feelings with others and patiently listen as others do the same as you. Be positive and supportive to help others feel understood and supported without judgement.
If you do not know who to talk to or want to have an anonymous conversation about mental health, you can reach out to a local mental health hotline or share your story on a supportive discussion forum. Search online for resources available in your city, county, state, or country.
For my fellow introverts who are not comfortable speaking with others about the topic, consider a creative outlet for expressing your thoughts and feelings. Painting, poetry, sculpting, and singing are a few creative and fun ways to celebrate the day.
Personally, I prefer writing to clear my mind and not let any thoughts or feelings remain bottled up.
Why I Wanted to Share This
I wanted to write about Time to Talk Day because I found talking about my mental health beneficial. I always feel anxious before starting the conversation, uncomfortable at the beginning, embarrassed during, and overwhelmed by the end. I feel relieved to get my thoughts and feelings off my chest once I stop to take a deep breath after the conversation.
In January 2018, I was diagnosed with "moderate-to-severe depression" (the doctor's exact words). The diagnosis came as no surprise. I believed I became depressed during my pre-teen stage.
During my teenage and young adult years, I kept my thoughts and feelings to myself. I figured, 'Nobody cares about how I feel, so why burden anyone with my thoughts?' My sadness, stress, and pain were my burden to 'carry' and deal with alone.
It did not help that Mom always told me to keep quiet and not talk unless spoken to. Even if someone spoke to me, she always encouraged me to keep my statements short and vague because "nobody cared."
Mom argued that me sharing my thoughts and feelings showed weakness and instability. If I expressed that I felt differently about something (or rather if I did not share her feelings about something) then people would worry about my sanity.
Bottling my emotions took a toll on my mental and physical health. I eventually managed several of my physical health issues (e.g., insomnia, migraines, etc.), but I never opened-up to anyone about my mental state.
Two years ago, jury duty triggered a traumatic memory I completely forgot about. Before long, many forgotten memories resurfaced. Life felt awful.
Fortunately, I found solace in conversations with Dad. Our discussions were uncomfortable but allowed me to 'get things off my chest.' He listened quietly and provided words of encouragement, helping me feel less guilty about things from my past that I realized were out of my control.
There are several memories I do not feel comfortable talking about to Dad or anyone else close to me. I have shared somewhat vague accounts of past events through blog posts on my website. It is terrifying to share my stories publicly, but I do so in case someone online finds it helpful (or entertaining).
If by some weird chance someone online finds it relatable, I hope my stories let them know that they are not alone. Once I publish a personal story blog post, I feel like I can worry about that one less thing.
For more sensitive thoughts and feelings I do not want to share publicly, I write detailed accounts of past events in my private journal/diary. I treat it like a memory word dump. My entries, although chaotic with grammatical errors and no clear writing structure, often help me reflect, organize my thoughts, and clear my mind.
What's Next?
Celebrate Time to Talk Day by starting a conversation about mental health! Comment below to start a conversation about mental health.
Don't forget to subscribe below to be notified by email when I post something new.
Thanks, and have a great day!
~Simply Jelly Jam
Comments