{"id":12876,"date":"2021-09-09T23:57:52","date_gmt":"2021-09-09T23:57:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/?p=12876"},"modified":"2021-09-09T23:57:52","modified_gmt":"2021-09-09T23:57:52","slug":"r-u-ok-day-more-important-than-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2021\/09\/09\/r-u-ok-day-more-important-than-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"R U OK? Day more important than ever"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Morrison Government is encouraging Australians to reach out to the people we care about for an important conversation about mental health this R U OK? Day.
\nR U OK? Day has been happening since 2009, but this year it is more important than ever before.
\nWe all continue to face unprecedented challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, and these challenges can have significant impacts on our mental health.
\nThis year\u2019s R U OK? Day theme is \u2018Are they really OK? Ask them today\u2019.
\nResearch has shown that around 22% of Australians don\u2019t reach out to check on the people around them because there hasn\u2019t been an occasion where they felt someone needed their help. However, a regular check in, or just starting the conversation \u2013 even when someone is not visibly distressed or in crisis \u2013 can make a real difference.
\nThe conversation about mental health need not be difficult, it is as simple as asking if someone is okay, listening to them, encouraging action and checking back in.
\nAs much of the country faces restrictions to lower the risk of COVID-19, there are numerous other issues that are testing our resilience as individuals and collectively. Whether it is fear for our physical health, uncertainty around businesses, employment or school, sadness over missed things like a holiday, a birthday or a wedding, or grief over lost loved ones, we are all carrying a significant emotional load.
\nIn 2021, we know that an honest answer to \u2018are you okay?\u2019 is likely to be \u2018no, I\u2019m not\u2019 and that is okay, it\u2019s understandable in these circumstances. But it is not something that has to be carried alone.
\nHelp is available. Anyone experiencing distress can seek immediate advice and support through Lifeline (13 11 14), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800), or the Government\u2019s digital mental health gateway, Head to Health (www.headtohealth.gov.au<\/a>).
\nThe Australian Government is proud to support R U OK? Day and has committed $2.1 million to the work of R U OK? between April 2017 and 30 June 2022.
\nMental health and suicide prevention are a national priority. Our Government has invested a record $2.3 billion in the 2021\u201322 Budget for the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan. A record $6.5 billion will be spent in mental health and suicide prevention services and supports in 2021\u201322, doubling since 2012\u201313.
\nMore information and resources to help support the conversation around mental health are available at\u00a0www.ruok.org.au<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Morrison Government is encouraging Australians to reach out to the people we care about for an important conversation about mental health this R U OK? Day. R U OK? Day has been happening since 2009, but this year it is more important than ever before. We all continue to face unprecedented challenges during the … Continue reading “R U OK? Day more important than ever”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aussie"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12876\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}