LAST week schools and organisations in the Borders took part in the UK's biggest conversation on mental health stigma as part of Time to Talk Day.

Led in Scotland by mental health charity See Me, Time to Talk Day offers the opportunity for friends, families, and the wider community the chance to speak about mental health barriers and the stigma that can come from being open about your struggles.

According to a poll conducted ahead of Time to Talk Day on February 2, of more than 1,000 Scots polled, three in five felt that the cost-of-living crisis had negatively impacted their mental health. However, a third admitted they don't make space in their day to talk about mental health.

See Me director Wendy Halliday said: “I have been so impressed all the support we had for this year’s Time to Talk Day across the Scottish Borders.

“Everyone has mental health, and any one of us can struggle with our mental health at one point or another.

"It’s also crucial to understand stigma plays a role in opening up about how you’re feeling.

"We want everyone to feel comfortable talking about mental health in a way that suits them.”

Other responses to the poll included that people didn't want to "bother people" with their problems as there are "bigger issues".

Worries about judgement also contributed to people finding it hard to have conversations about mental health.

Workplaces, schools, community groups, sports clubs and others got together to talk about mental health issues.

The Coldingham Brave Bayers outdoor swimming group took part in a swim and then had conversations about mental health around a fire with hot chocolate.

And the Quarriers Resilience for Wellbeing Service has a drop-in session for young people.

See Me volunteer spokesperson Nikki Furnival said: “I think it’s important to talk about mental health because hearing other people’s experiences and what they’ve gone through really helps. It also helps to reduce the stigma around mental health – the stigma from other people, from organisations, but also the self-stigma which is quite prevalent.

“The advice I would give to someone who may be a little hesitant to open up about their mental health is to think about how and where you have that conversation.

"Think about the right location for you – for some people, it might be a busy, crowded place, for others it might be a quiet, private place.

"And think about how you’re going to start that conversation.

"For me, some of the times that I’ve opened up about my mental health, the easiest has been going for a walk.”

For more information on mental health, and how to tackle the stigma around it, visit: seemescotland.org/SeeUs.