Rubens’ Blog: Good Conversation Can Improve Your Wellbeing

Published on: 27 Feb, 2022
Updated on: 27 Feb, 2022

Rubens King works for Surrey Choices as an employment support specialist, helping people find work experience, volunteering and paid work. He also writes giving advice on mental health issues to tackle stigma and make conversations about mental health normal. Here, he explains by talking to someone can improve your wellbeing, with a focus on Surrey Young Carers and Reconnections Guildford and Waverley.

Wellbeing could be defined as the absence of illness. Wellbeing can be divided into physical, mental, and emotional wellness.

One way you can feel good is by talking to someone, feeling listened to and having a conversation that leaves you empowered.

Feeling empowered could be seen as the feeling of having the information, tools, knowledge, and resources needed to do a task. Two situations that would benefit from feeling empowered is caring for others and reducing isolation.

Surrey Young Carers supports those who help members of their own family.

To discuss young carers, these are people who care for family members like parents or siblings who have mental and or physical disabilities.

Some advice to help the wellbeing and mental health of young careers is to reach out to others for support. For some, this may be friends, and if there is more need for support, perhaps Surrey Young Carers could help (https://www.actionforcarers.org.uk/who-we-help/young-carers-under-18/).

The benefit of a good conversation is to check in with how you are coping and feel supported. These check-ins can create a sense of reassurance, confidence, and self-awareness.

As well as reaching out for conversations, staying motivated can be helpful. Motivation could be sustained by trying to ensure you can still do what you enjoy, whether exercise, cinema, reading a book or something else entirely. You do you.

One other challenge in our community is reducing loneliness and isolation, especially among older people. One organisation that recruits volunteer befrienders who phone older people in need of support is Reconnections Guildford and Waverley (https://www.independentage.org/reconnections/service).

Having been a befriender for the Salvation Army, it is incredible to create a bond with knowledgeable people in the community and to give back to support.

Volunteer befrienders for Reconnections Guildford and Waverley help to continue to bring out the spark, passion, and joy in an individual.

If you know someone who is isolated, recommending the Reconnection service could help continue to bring out the spark, passion, and joy in an individual.

Positive interactions can give boosts in mental wellbeing and buffer against any practical day to day challenges. Alongside positive interactions, eating healthy, having a balanced diet, and making sure to eat breakfast can be a small but efficient way of staying mentally healthy.

Conversations can be helpful to deal with challenging situations or reduce loneliness and isolation.

The benefits of conversations include potentially improving quality of life, feeling reassured and feeling a spark of connection.

Conversations are a great part of a strategy alongside exercise, hobbies and making healthy eating choices which help to feel supported and live life to the fullest.

Knowing your options is useful, and Surrey Young Carers and Reconnections would love to hear from you.

Rubens King has his own blog site Stay Fruity.