Around 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem this year yet the shame and silence can be as bad as the mental health problem itself. Your attitude to mental health could change someone’s life.

Nine out of ten people with a mental health problem have experienced stigma and discrimination. Here at Smile, we believe we can all do something to help diminish this stigma.

The Time to Change campaign aims to change the way people think and act about mental health problems. There are dozens of different kinds of mental illnesses, that affect tens of millions of people, such as depression and anxiety.

Protecting the wellbeing of our employees is a key part of our ethos and working in a fast-paced industry can be stressful. So, acknowledging this movement is very important to us! Last year Smile education signed the Time to Change Pledge and pledged to:

“Smile Education pledge to provide information, resources and training for our employees and managers to help them effectively support and signpost others within our organisation who may be struggling in order to aid their recovery. We pledge to provide a supportive non-judgemental environment for people to be open about their mental health.”

We successfully delivered on this pledge and the whole office benefitted from it. This year, on Time to Talk Day, our team have made individual pledges that they will all carry out to help improve their own mental health or others around them. Acknowledging a way to help yourself or someone else can make a big difference to yours or their health. Good self-care can lead to a positive mindset and increased motivation and productivity. On top of this, everyone in the office has committed a random act of kindness to make someone smile! A small action can make a difference in someone’s day. Stay tuned for updates on this.