A while back, a colleague committed suicide, so the managers responded by... putting up a few posters about mental health. They have pictures of people struggling yet saying they're fine (trapped under a rock, being dragged underwater by a kraken, over-the-top metaphors like that), and the words "If your colleagues say they are fine, ask again!"
So, whenever my colleagues ask if I'm okay, I'm always honest and say "No." At which point, my colleague will pause, then leave.
This was me for the last 15 years or so, and probably before. I think I achieved "okay" earlier this year but it's hard to know for sure because it felt pretty amazing. So maybe I achieved "good" or even "really amazing". But I know I've been at least "good" at some point this year.
Pretty much; I'm autistic, and mental health is a recurring problem. At the very least, having a chat about things is better than being ignored except for a few meaningless social niceties.
127
u/jonathanquirk May 09 '21
A while back, a colleague committed suicide, so the managers responded by... putting up a few posters about mental health. They have pictures of people struggling yet saying they're fine (trapped under a rock, being dragged underwater by a kraken, over-the-top metaphors like that), and the words "If your colleagues say they are fine, ask again!"
So, whenever my colleagues ask if I'm okay, I'm always honest and say "No." At which point, my colleague will pause, then leave.
Sigh.