It seems like hardly a week goes by that isn’t “national something week.” My personal favourite is “British Pie Week” but that one’s been and gone sadly! This week however we’re celebrating National Conversation Week, maybe this will be my new favourite? After all there’s nothing much better than a proper chinwag with a good friend is there??
Some of my favourite conversations have been with my Mum. I used to call her every day – and there always seemed so much to talk about. They were moments of connection and it was so validating to have a conversation with someone who totally had your back and loved you unconditionally. Neither of us were expecting anything of each other, other than to be there for that short while and really listen.
For those of us old enough to remember, the BT adverts from the 1990s were so keen to assure us, it’s good to talk, and yet fewer and fewer actually doing that.Our lives are so busy and cluttered that it seems many of us no longer have time for actual face to face conversations about the important stuff – things like how we and other people feel, things that are worrying us, our hopes and dreams for the future.
That’s why we really do need National Conversation Week, to remind us to have important conversations with one another. According to YouGov research nearly half of adults shy away from having conversations about general life issues with their friends and family, let alone conversations with people such as health professionals.
Apparently 47 per cent of us never or rarely seek face to face advice about everyday things such as our health, home, work or family. It seems we’d rather consult the internet instead; and just four per cent of us say that we’d turn to our loved ones for reassurance about life’s worries.
It’s no wonder that the mental health charity Mind is backing this week’s campaign to get us all talking more. There’s nothing that can replace a chinwag with a genuine friend who knows you inside out. It takes time and effort to meet up with people in real life, to actually listen to them and to have a proper conversation. But if we don’t make the effort then we miss out on something much more rewarding – a meaningful human interaction….and they dear friends are priceless!
So, let’s take the opportunity this week to hook up, catch up and check up on each other…it definitely IS good to talk!
