It isn’t long past ‘R U OK?’ day – a day for others to take the initiative to show care and interest in others and potentially prevent a suicide. But how often do you ask if you are ok? I mean, really take the time to check if you are.

We all struggle with the challenges of life, e.g. kids, partners, work, finances – (or a lack thereof!). We’re used to “handling it” or “working through it” which most times is fine and while uncomfortable, relatively manageable. The problem is though that often these concerns, worries and feelings of unhappiness snowball and suddenly you’re at a point where you’re feeling so down and unmotivated – perhaps even bursting into tears.

… and suddenly you realise how very not ok you are.

If your concerns, worries and feelings of unhappiness fill up a lot of hours, then you’re not ok. There’s no measurement for how seriously ‘not ok’ you need to be in order to seek help – any measure of ‘not ok’ should be a red flag. Speak to people and seek other sources of help/assistance. Don’t just keep trying to struggle on by yourself or keep your head in the sand. Other people can help, even if it’s just by them being there to help talk it through with you; at least you won’t feel so lonely with your burdens.

The hardest step can often be stopping to take a moment to properly reflect on whether you really are ok and admitting when you aren’t. The next step is to do something about it and actually reach out to others. Someone will always be able to help. You can’t look after anyone or anything if you’re not looking after yourself. Look after you. Regularly check in with yourself and make sure you are ok.