Make room for one more

Many of us would have started the New Year by making a list of resolutions - changes we want to make to be happier - like getting fit, eating healthier and spending more time with our family. But what if instead of just focusing on improving ourselves, we added one more goal to that list: Making 2017 a brighter year for everyone.

What can you do?

• Invite colleagues to join you for lunch or coffee.
• Invest more time in the people who matter most to you. Lock in regular catch ups, phone calls and quality time together.
• Invite others to get involved in your group and sporting activities.
• Be more understanding of people’s seemingly odd or angsty behaviour. Often people are dealing with much more than we know.

If you’re already doing the above, then make 2017 the year you ask anyone who's struggling, “Are you ok?”

R U OK? Ambassador Commando Steve Willis believes we've all got what it takes to ask that question.

"I know it can be daunting to ask people, or ask a friend, R U OK? because in the back of your mind you may be thinking, “What happens if they say ‘No’?” Then you think to yourself, but I don’t have all the answers. You don’t have to have all the answers. Just follow these four steps:

1. Ask the question
2. Listen without judgement
3. Encourage Action
4. Check in

Those simple steps could be enough to really help a person turn their life around.”

So, this year if you notice:

•Changes in their sleep patterns and energy levels

•They’re not turning up to events or withdrawing socially

•They seem more irritable and restless

•Or they just don’t seem themselves

Trust your gut instinct and start a conversation.

Find tips to get the conversation started at www.ruok.org.au

We hope your year is off to a great start and you take this challenge to help us create a more connected world.