Lifeline is encouraging people to reach out to someone
they haven’t connected with for a while – make a phone
call, send a text or better yet, arrange to meet
face-to-face.
Lifeline Operations Manager Helena de
Fontenay says the last couple of years have been tough for
people wanting to stay connected. This was reflected in a
20% jump in calls to Lifeline helplines since the start of
the COVID-19 pandemic to an average of 10,000 calls per
month.
“Loneliness and isolation account for the
biggest reason people make calls to Lifeline. Everyone needs
to feel connected, but reconnecting is still tricky due to
COVID-19. We’re still not back to normal,” says
Helena.
“While we can’t provide exact number
breakdowns due to Lifeline being an anonymous service and
the way we collect data, what we can say is that loneliness
is prevalent in callers over 21, compared to those under
21.
“In the calls I took on a recent Saturday night,
people were talking about this in the context of issues with
family, or struggling to make friends and join groups due to
Covid, mental health challenges, addictions and relationship
breakdowns.
“Working at Lifeline, you can see how
important a phone call or a text is for someone – it can
actually save a life.”
As part of Mental Health
Awareness Week, Lifeline is encouraging people to, when they
can, book a face-to-face catch-up with that person they
haven’t seen in a while. Make the effort, make it special,
and make lasting memories.
“The convenience of
technology means we don’t often see people in real life.
We can reach people more often, and more rapidly, but does
that contact mean as much?
“Call someone to say
you’re thinking of them or book in to see them. Check in
with friends and family, and neighbours that you haven’t
seen for a while or the 10th person on your call list,”
says Helena.
“Or try getting out and about to places
that feed your soul. Connection doesn’t always have to be
about other people. It could also be about connecting with
yourself by unplugging from things that aren’t important
like social media, and reconnecting with yourself to find a
greater sense of balance.”
This year’s Mental
Health Awareness Week theme is ‘Reconnect – with the
people and places that lift you up, hei pikinga
waiora.’
Lifeline is inviting people to post photos
of places that mean a lot to them on its Facebook
or Instagram
pages.
“We also want to take this opportunity to
shine a spotlight on our amazing Lifeline team who have
stayed connected and been there for New Zealanders – every
single day of the year,” adds Helena.
Lifeline
employs more than 70 staff along with a team of 100
volunteers in Auckland and Christchurch who show up to care
for everyone that calls – rain, hail, shine and
lockdowns.
Whenever you need connection – Lifeline
is there.
To help ensure we are always there,
donations to Lifeline can be made via its website: www.lifeline.org.nz.
Lifeline is not Government funded and all donations go
towards funding the Lifeline call centres in Auckland and
Christchurch.
Wear your support for Lifeline
this year
This Mental Health Awareness Week,
wordstohealyou is selling a limited-edition hoodie and
donating $20 from each sale to Lifeline.
Designed and
made by Brooklyn Engelken, the founder of wordstohealyou
hopes to raise $5000 to help Lifeline answer calls and save
lives. Featuring the words “The World Is Better With You
In It” on the back, the hoodie has the Lifeline phone
number 0800 543 354 on the front. To find out more, visit https://www.wordstohealyou.com/shop.
Ends
About
Lifeline
Lifeline Aotearoa is all about giving
hope and saving lives. It’s what our health professionals
and trained volunteers do every day of the year. Lifeline
receives around 10,000 calls and receives and sends 30,000
texts every month from people in distress. We support an
average of 15 to 20 people at high risk of suicide each
day.
Lifeline supports all ages across our phone and
text services, with text being the most popular way to get
support for those under 30-years-old.
The most common
issues people talk to us about are: loneliness and
isolation, relationship difficulties, clinical mental health
issues, anxiety and depression and suicide. With no
Government funding, Lifeline is reliant on donations from
the public and support from New Zealand business. The more
support we receive, the more calls we can
answer.
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