If you've been to a field day, chances are you've seen a bright red ute emblazoned with a powerful message - before it gets too much, talk to a mate.
Behind the wheel is The Regional Men's Health Initiative (RMHI), a not-for-profit created to raise awareness of men's wellbeing and health across regional, rural and remote WA.
The group encourages people to open up about their problems, and identify their true mates and the people they can confide in, when times get tough.
The power of having a conversation or asking the simple question, "are you OK?" should not be underestimated and could make a positive difference to someone's life.
RMHI senior community educator and executive officer Owen Catto said looking after ourselves and others, including mates and neighbours, was important in challenging times.
Mr Catto said staying connected was one way of doing this.
He said rural communities had an innate capacity to reach out and organise and participate in many "bottoms up" activities and events.
This allowed people to have a conversation about where they are at individually and as a collective.
"There are less and less of us living in regional areas, add this to the nature of modern farming and a challenging season for many and isolation becomes more prevalent," Mr Catto said.
"Staying connected is important and something we must actively work on."
The RMHI team has been busy in recent months, attending community events, including breakfasts, sundowners, shows and other gatherings across WA, where plenty of conversations have been had.
Mr Catto expects there will be many more to come post-harvest and into the new year.
He said as blokes, there was often a propensity to "self-medicate".
"A lot of people think that is done by sex, drugs and rock and roll," Mr Catto said.
"However, in the work we do it's mostly blokes spending more time in their cave, working harder, longer and talking less.
"If we feel isolated from others, don't be afraid to seek help - whether that be from a mate, family member, a GP, a counsellor, a pastor, or anyone else you feel comfortable talking to."
When looking after yourself and others, Mr Catto said connection, listening and empathy were important.
He said the RMHI's small team of community educators were always challenged on "what was classified as a mental illness".
DO THE SIMPLE THINGS
- Mr Catto suggested simple tasks which could help include:
- Talk to a mate - realise that you are not alone.
- Keep an eye on others - drop into a neighbour and have a chat and a coffee.
- Ask someone "are you OK?" while reminding yourself we do not carry the responsibility for other people's health and wellbeing - they do.
- Be there for people who are going through a tough time or want to tell their story.
- Slow the pace of life, join a group that fits in with your passions and interests and;
- Take care of yourself, have that holiday/break, maintain your sense of humour, laugh at yourself and with others.
A small percentage of the population have a genetic mental illness predisposition.
However, he said situational distress described a stage in mental health and wellbeing, which gave people permission to be in a space between "being well" and "being diagnosed with a mental illness".
The adoption of this language resonates with blokes and community and fosters change to take personal responsibility for our own wellbeing and health.
"Our mental health and wellbeing gauge (pictured) shows the space (amber) there is between being well and a mental illness diagnosis," Mr Catto said.
"This is a very important space, because quite often the system wants to shift us from being well straight to a mental illness diagnosis.
"As individuals we are born with a random capacity to handle things thrown at us in life, these situational factors can come from many places, for example relationships, financial worries, traumatic events, physical health and pressures of what we do.
"We know that our mental health and wellbeing is a continuum and the gauge can trip from being well (green) to situational distress (amber) and to a mental illness diagnosis and back."
Mr Catto said everyone would spend some time in the amber through life, whether daily or annually, but very few would end up in the red zone.
He said the only way people get to the red zone is by being born with a mental illness, which applies to a very small percentage of the population, and/or spending too much time in the amber area, which will vary based on individual capacity.
"We must allow people to have a normal reaction to an adverse/abnormal life event, otherwise known as situational distress," Mr Catto said.
"If we recognise and acknowledge the issues causing distress and take steps to address the problems, we will then be able to back up out of the amber zone and back into the green zone.
"If mates and family members don't ask, it is difficult, even impossible, to ascertain that someone is struggling.
"Additionally, if issues are left unresolved, too much time is spent in the amber zone, a mental illness diagnosis and/or suicidal thinking can occur."
- For more information on the Regional Men's Health Initiative, delivered by Wheatbelt Men's Health, phone 08 9690 2277, email menshealth@4blokes.com.au or go to regionalmenshealth.com.au
