The weekly Thursday Renew Wellbeing drop-in at the Living Room welcomed Darrell Binding, Co-op Member Pioneer for the City of Southend on 1 February to mark the UK wide Time to Talk Day.
Time to Talk Day is run by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness in England, in partnership with Co-op. The day is all about creating supportive communities by having conversations with family, friends, or colleagues about mental health.
Darrell brought along conversation starters, prompt cards and a jenga-like game with wood blocks to help those who attend Renew Wellbeing each week relax and start honest conversations. Time to Talk Day aims to help us all be open to the idea of talking – we all have mental health, and by having conversations about it we can help ourselves and others.
The Renew Wellbeing (RW) drop-in meets weekly on a Thursday from 2pm to 4pm at the Living Room and is designed to be a relaxed space to promote emotional wellbeing. Tanya Pain, who is on the RW volunteer team said, “At Renew Wellbeing we see the value in providing space to talk and listen each week. Therefore, it was great to welcome Darrell to mark Time to Talk Day. Many people of all ages and backgrounds come along, bring or take part in an activity, chat and listen to each other and reap the benefit. New people are always welcome just drop in”.
Darrell Binding added, “The Time to Talk survey highlights that too often, we put a brave face on and tell people we’re fine when we’re not because we’re worried about being a burden during difficult times. But bottling things up is only making things worse. Talking about our mental health can help us feel less alone, more able to cope, and encouraged to seek support if we need to. It was my privilege to join with Renew Wellbeing and have a conversation this Time to Talk Day.”
To learn more about Renew Wellbeing, please see this directory entry on Livewell: Renew Wellbeing at the Living Room, Leigh-on-Sea