The Lord Mayor’s Appeal speaks to Dr Joanna Abeyie on mental health
The Lord Mayor’s Appeal’s This is Me is committed to changing attitudes around mental health and strives to create healthier and more inclusive workplaces by reducing stigma, dispelling myths, and improving employee wellbeing for good. It helps organisations encourage their employees to open the conversation around mental health by sharing their personal experiences, be of their own challenges or of supporting a loved one.
Dr Joanna Abeyie MBE, Trustee TLMA and Founder of Blue Moon speaks about her experiences of mental health, and what it means to speak up about it.
When did you decide to speak up about your mental health at work?
I run a diversity and inclusion consultancy business Blue Moon. Mental health and wellbeing are a huge part of the inclusion conversation. We were discussing our Blue Moon workshop the subject of mental health with a client, and the topic of my mental health came up. I decided that I should be brave and talk about how I dealt with my mental wellbeing. So, in 2018 I spoke openly about my mental health for an Advertising client. Shared coping mechanisms, the journey I had been on, and how I’d identified I needed more help.
How was the experience?
I found the experience hard but more and more liberating as the session went on. I wanted to speak up about my struggles in case there were other people in the room going through something similar and didn’t have anyone to speak to about their feelings, or they felt like it was something they were experiencing alone. However, that didn’t make it any easier. I talked to a room of strangers about my most vulnerable moments, and even while talking about these issues, you still have the thoughts in the back of your mind, ‘Are they judging me?’ ‘Will they tell anyone?’ ‘Do they think I’m weird? I still worry about that today.
How did you use This is Me storytelling, and what was the benefit?
This Is Me storytelling, the launch events, and the online campaign are something I’m proud of not just for the support it’s offered me but the platform it has provided so many to start the conversation and end the stigma. It’s fascinating that we’ve concentrated, for some time now, on visible health and physical health challenges and have become comfortable talking about these subjects. Mental health, although being discussed more often now, still has a stigma attached to it, and once you’ve told someone about it, you worry that they will only see you through that lens. This Is Me reminds me there is more to me than what the bad days of my depression might have me believe. The toolkit makes things feel more manageable and reiterates that we are not defined by the bad days.
Has your organisation taken part in the Green Ribbon campaign?
Yes, I wear the ribbon, and attend the reception at Mansion House every year.
Will you get involved digitally this year?
Of course, I’m looking forward to promoting the message to end the stigma.
The theme of MHAW is kindness – who has shown you support or kindness in a way that has helped your mental health?
My boyfriend, my Mum and Dad and siblings, my best friends, sister-in-laws, mentors, and mental health practitioners. It does take a village!
What advice would you offer someone considering speaking up about their mental health?
I’d suggest that you try to speak to someone you trust, and if you struggle to identify this person, don’t be afraid to talk to a professional. Not only are they judgment-free, but they provide coping mechanisms and strategies. Most significantly for me, they helped me feel less odd and reassured me that my feelings were valid.
This is Me is committed to changing attitudes around mental health and strives to create healthier and more inclusive workplaces by reducing stigma, dispelling myths, and improving employee wellbeing for good. The Green Ribbon campaign is an annual campaign where businesses and individuals wear green ribbons as a show of solidarity and support for mental health, and a commitment to #endthestigma. For Mental Health Awareness Week 2020, running from Monday 18 – Friday 22 May 2020, we are going digital, and have created materials and assets that can help you spread the Green Ribbon message online. From social media cover photos to gifs to give the Green Ribbon, to origami ribbons and colouring sheets, as well as a toolkit of activities, there’s loads to get involved with. Simply download the resources that you would like to use from the Green Ribbon website.