Shout UK

We're delighted to announce that we're working with Shout UK! 💙 📲 🧠 Shout UK is a free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging service that provides essential support for those struggling to cope with mental health challenges. 🗣️ Victoria Hornby OBE, CEO of Mental Health Innovations, said: “Every day, around 50 people reach out to our free, confidential text message service Shout UK for support due to money worries, and we’re delighted to be working with PayPlan to be able to signpost people to their financial advice and assistance services.” 🙋♀️ For the full details of our partnership and more reaction from Emma Gibbons, our Vulnerability Lead, you can read our release here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eiNR6hp5 #DebtAdvice #MentalHealth #Partnership

I’m happy to announce that I have now been volunteering with Shout UK UK for a year now. As it’s Men’s Mental Health Month I would like to take the opportunity to express what being a Shout volunteer means to me and how I believe it’s helped improve my own mental health and how it’s allowed me to come to the conclusion how important it is to check on those people around you as you can never truly fathom what might be going on in their life, which is why it’s always important to be kind to everyone. For those of you who don’t know, Shout is a crisis text line dedicated to supporting individuals in distress. As a volunteer I tend to work with individuals who may have the following issues: suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety, relationship problems, loneliness, and self - harm. We try and work together with the individual to bring them to a calmer moment and empower them to take their next steps to feeling better and handling future issues. We help texters plan for their safety and to use techniques that support their wellbeing. Over the course of my journey with Shout, I have worked 113 hours and have supported over 150 individuals in that time. Since my first shift I believe I have improved tremendously, especially my active listening and showing empathy towards the texter, therefore allowing me to connect with them easier. Every conversation is different, some are harder than others, sometimes you can feel like you aren’t helping but being there for them physically or figuratively goes a long way. Sometimes people just want someone to offload to, other times it can be more than that, being able to help someone through a tough time and potentially saving lives. This is a very rewarding endeavour and motivates me to carry on what I’m doing, especially when I get feedback from people I have helped. My form on Shout has taken a bit of a dip over the last couple of months, sometimes life can get the better of you and you’re just not in the right headspace to be helping others the best you can. It’s in that moment you realise that it’s important to talk about how you’re also feeling however big or small, and in my experience we should never just keep things bottled up, as it can further ruin our mood subsequently impacting our relationships with the individuals around us. Growing up in this society we are often told to 'man' up , be 'strong' , or to hold back our emotions. Advice like this is why so many men struggle to open up about their emotions and psychological struggles. It’s important to remember that you’ll always have people you can turn to when life gets a little too tough, or you’ve just had a bad day; friends, parents, colleagues, teachers, or even a shout volunteer! There’s always someone there for you. Remember in your darkest moments, don’t keep your friends in the dark. let's break the cycle! #endthestigma #MensMentalHealth #MentalHealth #selflove #brainsareweird