It’s OK To Not Be OK

I'm sure many of us would agree that this year has been one the hardest we have had to deal with – both personally and professionally.

In many respects, it's been a nightmare and it's not over yet.

A candid post on LinkedIn last week from a CEO sharing her own struggle, while offering support to others, really hit home for me.

She gave a platform to many, who were out of work, struggling with their mental health and feeling helpless.

The positive takeaway from her post was that by pulling together with our support networks (friends, family, colleagues or by reaching out for help on social media or to a charity), we can all support each other and feel strong enough to keep going.

Her post went viral with many people offering support to others. It demonstrated that by sharing our vulnerabilities that we can help others who are struggling, just like ourselves.

On a personal level, we've all been impacted by Coronavirus in one way of another, many of us while trying to keep small businesses running and supporting our teams and clients in an ever-changing landscape.

On the upside, I've spent extra time with my family and been forced to get to grips with using new technology that I never had time to master before – recruiting Alex – our newest team member using Zoom and meeting her in person on her first day in the office!

I don't mind admitting that I have struggled with the uncertainty of life, to adapting to radically different ways of working - the whole way of doing business has changed forever.

People have had to learn how to navigate and access government help, such as Universal Credit and to go back to being employed, as some of their businesses are no longer viable. That's really tough, especially when you've built your business from scratch.

I am seeing colleagues, friends and clients face real hardship and daily struggles and I have felt helpless at times.

Sometimes all myself and the rest of the team have been able to do is to listen, offer our professional knowledge and to advise people what help they can access to help keep themselves and their families afloat.

Often it continues to feel like a mountain to climb, so it's OK to ask for help, to say you're struggling and to admit sometimes it feels like too much to handle.

It's an incredibly hard time for many of us, but please don't feel alone - reach out if you need to. Some organisations that can also help are:

Mind is the UK's leading mental health charity. They're there to make sure no one has to face a mental health problem alone you can call or text for free anytime.

Contact details
0300 123 3393 or text 86463
info@mind.org.uk
Find out more on the Mind's website

Samaritans are there 24 hours a day, 365 days a year providing emotional support to anyone in emotional distress. Call them free any time, from any phone.

Contact details
116 123
jo@samaritans.org
Find out more on the Samaritans' website