Samaritans 'Talk to Us' Month - July 2021
Every year in July, Samaritans branches in the UK and Republic of Ireland hold local events to raise awareness that Samaritans are there to listen to anyone who's struggling to cope, at any time of the day or night.
The 24th of July - '24/7' - is a key day of the year for Samaritans. A chance to share the message that volunteers are available to listen, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Whatever you're going through, call Samaritans, free any time, from any phone, on 116 123.
https://www.samaritans.org/support-us/campaign/talk-us/
Since lockdown in March, Samaritans volunteers suggest that one in three callers talk about coronavirus with many people feeling more anxious and distressed than before the pandemic. Volunteer surveys which gathered over 3,000 responses, also found the most common concerns related to coronavirus are around loneliness, isolation, mental health and illness, family, finances and unemployment.
Samaritans are there to listen 24/7, 365 days a year but we can all be better listeners and support one another. Throughout July they will be encouraging all of us to become better listeners.
"Many people worry that reaching out will be intrusive or make things worse. You’ll soon be able to tell if the person you’re speaking to isn’t comfortable or doesn’t want to have that kind of conversation. If they don’t want to open up, you’ll still have let them know you’re there for them.
Once someone starts to share how they’re feeling, it’s important to listen. This could mean not offering advice, not trying to identify what they’re going through with your own experiences and not trying to solve their problems. We’ve compiled some listening tips to help you give the best support you can."
SHUSH - active listening tips
https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/if-youre-worried-about-someone-else/how-support-someone-youre-worried-about/what-do-if-you-think-someone-struggling/