R U Ok? Day

I am taking a break from BBAW posts to talk about RU Ok? Day.

What is R U Ok Day?

It’s a national day of action which aims to prevent suicide by encouraging Australians to connect with someone they care about and help stop little problems turning into big ones.

On that day we want everyone across the country, from all backgrounds and walks of life, to ask family, friends and colleagues: "Are you OK?".

Staying connected with others is crucial to our general health and wellbeing. Feeling isolated or hopeless can contribute to depression and other mental illnesses, which can ultimately result in suicide. Regular, meaningful conversations can protect those we know and love.

It's so simple. In the time it takes to have a coffee, you can start a conversation that could change a life.

Whilst I don't shout it from the rooftops, I also don't really keep it a secret that I walk the line pretty close to depression some of the time, and there are times when I cross that line. Most of the time I try to keep on a mask that I am coping but it is not always true. Other times, it is too hard to keep it all in and it just has to be expressed in some way or another.

Sometimes life just becomes too much. The loneliness, the money troubles, weight, the past, the present and often what I perceive the future to be. I have never seriously contemplated suicide but I know how bad I feel sometimes - how isolated and how without hope - and it isn't that much of a stretch to see how people get to a place where they just can't see any other way out. Maybe for some of those people who are at that point, just one person asking R U Ok might make all the difference.

So today, ask someone R U Ok?

As for me....today I am okay. Thanks for asking!