5 months ago, almost to the day, I posted a blog about Time to Talk Day – Thursday 6th February – a day when mental health is in the forefront of many people’s minds and when hopefully people and organisations are galvanised to take action to support those with mental health issues.  It has been interesting to see how much focus has been placed on mental wellbeing during the lockdown, and it really came home to me this weekend how important social contact is for that wellbeing.  It’s been a bit of a revelation to see leaders talking openly about the effects of lockdown and encouraging their staff to talk about their issues.
 
You see, feeling fed up, tired and grouchy last week – I phoned a good friend.  We chatted for a while about the usual stuff then got down to planning a bit of a get-together for the weekend.  Come hell or high water (and lets face it in Tewkesbury you can get either), we were going to meet up for an ice-cream, a walk and a good catch up.  Of course, it rained!  So we got our ice-creams, sat each end of a bench with our brollies and anoraks and started talking.  We then walked for a while, maintaining our social distance as we poured our hearts out to eachother for nigh on 2 and half hours.  It was fabulous.  I came away feeling much more me again.
 
 
And from a personal viewpoint, remember even the small things can make a difference:  take someone for an ice-cream in the rain, walk a familiar route with a friend, plan things to do together soon.  Big or small, every action could make the difference to someone.