Listening Up


The Alpacas are Coming...



I've met some really wonderful people in the past few months, who have spoken with me about how they're feeling and how well or unwell their mental health is. The stuff that life throws at you, the impact of different things on different people. "Why do you react like this and I react like that?"
I've heard of brilliant support from teams and managers. And I've heard of some quite dreadful things in places where you'd expect people to be more understanding. I've had colleagues so thankful of Somerset County Council for the support through mental health issues and others who perhaps feel they've been let down by an organisation whose main purpose, really, is to look after people. As we keep saying, our vision is to Improve Lives in Somerset.
Stress and mental health issues are the number one cause of absence at SCC. Mental health is as important as physical health; actually, I feel the two are intertwined. You'll hear me talking about the importance of relationships in our work, across the council, our communities and our partner organisations. It's these relationships that are so important in supporting one another here and at home; mental health is everyone's business. Mental health doesn't always stay the same and in any one year, one in four adults of working age will have some form of problem with their mental wellbeing. 
Next week is mental health week at Somerset County Council, with World Mental Health Day on Thursday 10th October. I'm so proud of our colleagues who have put in so much time to organise and present activities. There are events that will make you think, explore, laugh, cry and smile. You'll meet people from different teams and you can try something you've never done before: Brass rubbing, drumming, hairdresser, foot health, mindfulness, massage, knitting, pilates, dog therapy (actually, on this point, my family has a 16-week collie/labrador puppy. Pet Therapy at the moment for us could be a Stephen King novel). Yes, the reports about the alpacas are true, all being well... We've also got a couple of great talks - "When your get up and go has got up and gone"  from Chris Hutchinson and "Mental Health Through the Looking Glass " by Matt Jackson. 
So we've got all this happening, but I do have some asks. For us to think about one another and to consider why a reaction might be done in a certain way. To listen to one another and provide the time to think in situations. As managers and colleagues, to give people the time in the knowledge that you'll get the time back.



Please take part where you can and encourage your colleagues to join in. Talk about how you're feeling, perhaps have an item at your next team meeting to discuss mental health. This is a good organisation rammed full of brilliant people, doing amazing things. But sometimes we all need help.


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