No, really how are you doing?

It was something we said a lot back in early April and May. The phrase had gone from being a mere pleasantry to becoming a way of checking on someone’s welfare and wellbeing. As the months have moved on the question has stopped being asked and I think there is a simple reason why. We know that people are struggling and that things are not good.

The important thing is what we do now with this situation. We can ignore it, worry about our own problems and then hope that everything will start to pick up soon. After all we are all responsible for our own health and happiness aren’t we? Wrong.

There is so much we can do to help each other and in helping each other boost our own wellbeing. In the past couple of weeks I have become increasingly concerned about the impact that 2020 has had on people. People young and old are struggling and things are starting to feel worse because of the dark nights and the thoughts of a festive period separated from loved ones. Many parts of the UK are also facing tough restrictions that are impacting on people’s lives.

It can feel overwhelming that there are so many people in pain and distress. I am not immune from feeling the pressure as well and have had some bleak days where I would be happy to stay in bed and pull the covers over my head. But I want to find a way to help. I started this week by getting back in touch with my local Age UK group to see how I can help them again now residents in the area are back in Tier 3 restrictions. At the start of lockdown in April and throughout the summer I was able to offer a bit of voluntary support to get the message out that they were around.

I am also continuing to offer to be a listening point for communicators who may be feeling the pressure. If anyone wants to have a 20 minute #thinkthroughbrew let me know, and I have offered to provide a free advice session to businesses that are stuck in Tier 3 restrictions. These are all small things but if more people are able to do these small things it will make a big difference. Just look at the response to the free school meals issue and how millions have been raised by people just giving what they can.

In the weeks ahead I am going to make sure that ‘how are you doing?’ is a question that I am focused on, and that I really listen to the answers.

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash