by Sean Paul Curry

I know many people who have lost loved ones to suicide, I know many people who suffer from mental health issues. The truth is: something has got to be done about it.

A lot of us consider mental health as a negative but the truth is it is both good and bad. Mental health is both the emotional and physiological well-being of us all. Everyone experiences, mental Health differently and unfortunately some people face tough challenges when they do. We need to challenge the taboo around mental health and make it easier to talk about our feeling and emotions.

When our government finally gets in place one of the topics they need to be high on the agenda is mental health services for young people in particular and mental health education. The school curriculum must include mental health first aid and safe talk training. Every school should have a designated well-being officer who actively seeks to support young people’s mental health in the school environment and all teachers should also be trained too.

Suicide devastates families and leaves those affected in a state of shock and dismay. We never really know what someone else is going through no matter how close we are to people. I have completed mental health training and was taught that if someone is having problems you should ask them. If you are worried about someone, tell them you are worried them, ask them are they ok, listen to what they have to say.

As a youth worker I worked on a mental health awareness programme called Right Here and one of the initiatives the young people came up with was a positive text messaging service. This meant that every so often maybe once or twice a month you would get a positive message sent to your phone.

If you are feeling in need of a boost here are a few ways to improve your well-being:

1.    Exercise - This is probably the best thing that I do as it clears my head and makes me feel better about myself. It’s a great and safe way of letting go of anger or frustration and at the same time keeping healthy and even better when your body starts feeling and looking better there is no better feeling.

2.    Start a night class - This is great way to meet new people while learning a new subject whether it’s a cookery class, photography class or cookery.

3.    Become a volunteer – Find a charity or organisation and offer to help them anyway you can. This is a great way to learn new skills and also is a great way to get your foot in the door if a job comes up. It is also a way to meet new likeminded people

The above are just a few personal ideas. They may be for you or not but a positive change will do wonders for your emotional well-being.

Please, if you are in a dark place, don’t suffer in silence. There are people around you who love you and will help you at the drop of a hat. If you don’t think you can talk to friends or family then here are some resource you can avail of:

Action Mental Health – Telephone: 028 66 323 630

The Find Centre – Telephone: 028 66 323 722

Oak Healthy Living Centre 028 67 723 843