Time to Talk Day: Your mental health stories

Today (Thursday 2 February) is Time To Talk Day.

Time to Talk Day brings charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness together to encourage people to take time to speak to others about their mental health.

Being open about mental health is not always easy, but it is often a valuable step in receiving support and helping others realise that they are not alone.

To mark the day, a group of 10 colleagues who have faced struggles with their own mental health have bravely come forward to tell their stories.

They hope that by sharing their own experiences, it might encourage others to talk more openly about mental health and remove the current stigma around mental illness.

You can read the stories on the Diversity and Inclusion website. A log-in is required.

*Trigger warning* - some people may find these stories upsetting, so please consider this before reading.

Support available

There are many sources of support available if you would like to talk further about mental health:

• The University’s Wellbeing pages include general wellbeing assistance for all staff, along with help and support for managers.
• Our Employee Assistance Programme is free for all colleagues to access and can offer both practical and emotional support, as well as counselling.
• The University’s Wellbeing Peer Support Network can get you in touch with a trained colleague who is someone to speak to if you have a mental health issue or just need to talk.