World Mental Health Day - Tea and Talk

It’s World Mental Health Day and we are holding a ‘Tea and Talk’ at our offices. Organised by the Mental Health Foundation, Tea and Talk is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

The aim of this annual event is to start the conversation surrounding mental health, whilst also raising money for the Mental Health Foundation. Funds raised from holding a Tea and Talk help pay for research and spread mental health messages further; helping to create a world with good mental health for all.

We will be selling delicious homemade cakes – baked by the Catsurveys team – in our office in Brentwood to raise money. We have decided to split the money raised between the Mental Health Foundation and our chosen charity Mates in Mind.

Why hold a Tea and Talk?

Research shows that talking is good for your mental health, and that’s what Tea and Talk is all about. Staying connected is often more important than we realise. It is important to prioritise investing in building and maintaining good relationships and spending quality time together is a great place to start!

People who are more socially connected to family, friends, colleagues or their community are happier, physically healthier and live longer, with fewer mental health problems than people who are less well connected.

The Mental Health Foundation have given 5 top tips to get talking at your Tea and Talk:

1. Put aside some time – Tea and Talk is perfect for this. How often do you get together with friends or people in your community to just have a chat?
2. Think about the room layout – it might be easier to get people talking if the chairs are arranged in small clusters. Put on some music (not too loud) so people feel less self-conscious.
3. Plan some talking points (or use our resources) if things are slow to get started.
4. Icebreakers and resources are great but if the conversation’s flowing, let it flow.
5. Talk about mental health if you want. If you want to make mental health the focus of conversation then great, it’s always important to help people become more aware of their mental health and how they can look after it. Use our talking resource or some of our publications to get started.