Check in,
before they check out Continued frrom page 14
How do we know when someone is struggling and what can we do?
The truth is, there won’t always be signs to spot as we, as humans, are very good at masking our emotions. But some common warning signs that someone is struggling with their mental health can be:
• Becoming withdrawn and using words such as hopeless, worthless, useless – Everyone has a bad days and some turn into weeks. But withdrawing is not great, as we enter our own echo chamber of thoughts which almost always turns in to negativity towards ourselves. Encourage people to talk – not force, but encourage. Ask them open-ended questions about their day, how they feel and what plans they might have to look forward to in the near and distant futures.
• Erratic shifts in mood with no explanation (easily irritated, agitated, or unsettled) – We ALL have mood swings, it’s human nature to have varying moods and emotions, but if someone’s mood is shifting erratically with no explanation, we need to not punish the behaviour but look behind the actions and ask ‘why?’ What is causing this response, is it something that we could change or help to initiate change for this person to clear their mind fog.
• Joking about mental health or suicide – This one may seem a little odd but here’s the thing, dark humour is allowed and is actually a very common coping mechanism which helps us to navigate rough times in our lives. We must use it wisely and not at the expense of others, whilst also being cautious to not belittle the feeling of those around us. However, we must all be mindful that men are rubbish at starting conversations, so what is perceived as just a flippant remark or ‘banter’ may actually be someone trying to put the conversation on the table as a starter to gauge the response. So next time someone throws out a joke, be sure to look beyond the behaviour and question, ‘Are you ok?’
Check in, before they check out
For decades, wonderful and caring people have used phrases such as “My door is always open, I’m always here to talk.’ And whilst this is a very kind offer, many of us don’t have the confidence to down tools, walk across the shopfloor, ascend the
creaky staircase and walk down the glass- doored corridor to the manager’s office for a chat. Whether it be an physical journey through these obstacles or a metaphorical journey before simply picking up a phone, these barriers are often too big to overcome for the first step to reaching out. Instead, check in on those we work with on a regular basis; weekly, fortnightly or monthly is up to you, but by making regular check-ins we build a relationship of trust, and let’s face it, we are only completely open and honest with people we trust. These check- ins do not have to be War and Peace: a simple ‘You don’t seem yourself recently, are you ok?’ or ‘Hey mate, just wanted to check in and see if you’re doing alright’ can be enough for someone to know that they don’t have to fight any battle on their own.
Responding to someone in crisis
Dealing with someone in crisis can be an overwhelming and scary situation. Simply approach the individual calmly, reassure them they are not alone and that you can help them through this situation. You don’t have to know all the answers, just give them space and time to talk, allow them to be open and honest without fear of judgement and where necessary, explain to them that you need to call for support, for their benefit and to get the correct support they require. Just being there for them is enough, you do not have to fix the issue as that is the role of the professional services.
We offer support, signposting and training for everyone.
For support:
Text TOUGH to 85258 for free, confidential support 24/7.
Email:
info@toughenoughtocare.org Or visit:
https://toughenoughtocare.help/
Stu Bratt BCAh Founder & CEO
Tough Enough To Care – Supporting people, NOT labels
Security health and
T
he security sector is increasing its focus on how to respond to those
experiencing mental illness and how to support mental wellbeing.
In this article, security professional Dominic Chandler shares a diary of his experience of mental illness and the lessons that can be learnt.
As a society, we have opened up about mental health over the past few years with various campaigns and slogans:’It’s ok not to be ok,’ ‘Speak up, don’t man up’ etc. But in the security industry, can we do that? What happens when one of us within the sector is ‘not ok’? What do we do? That typical British ‘stiff-upper lip’ mentality, ‘plough on’.
The agony of a close family member committing suicide
So, where do I begin? January 3rd 2020. Like any normal day. That was, until my father stepped through the front door at about 17:30. He announced that a close family member was dead– the details of which became apparent later. I’m not going to go into details but suffice it to say, she ended her own life. What followed was pure agony for my family.
Working through the pandemic
March 23rd 2020: Lockdown announced. We had 13 hours’ notice that our security team (two of us with a weekend agency officer) were going to go to 12-hour day-night split working, instead of our usual working pattern of 17:00–01:00 / 01:00–08:30. Like most at the time, we thought it would blow over in a month or so, so we could hack alternating 66 / 72-hour weeks. Stiff upper lip and all that, typical British attitude. Oh, how wrong we were!
It became pretty tiring around July / August, but we did manage some holiday days! Fast forward to Christmas time, our client had started to pack up as they were moving out. Oh boy, ANOTHER TUPE! We had already experienced our fair share of these.
15 © CITY SECURITY MAGAZINE – AUTUMN 2023
www.citysecuritymagazine.com
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