WHILE WE MIGHT not always realise it, sincerely asking someone how they’re doing and listening to what they have to say can make an enormous difference to their wellbeing.

Perhaps too often we use the phrase ‘How are you?’ in a passive way — not listening closely enough to the answer, or not answering the question seriously when we’re the ones who are asked. By asking ‘How are you?’ and meaning it, we can all do our part to encourage the people we care about to open up about their mental health.

On 15 May, Mental Health Ireland is encouraging people to ask ‘Hello, how are you?’  in a meaningful way, bringing us all closer together, tackling loneliness, and facilitating important conversations about our collective mental wellbeing. Making conversations about mental health more commonplace is a great way to normalise the topic, and increase the public’s confidence in starting conversations about mental health.

The Hello, How Are You? campaign has been running nationally since 2022 and there are many ways that you can get involved this year. By visiting this page, you can see what campaign events are taking place in your area. The website provides an interactive map that will show you which events are happening in every county. 

Events and gatherings, where you can go to talk about how you are and find out how others in your community are doing, include park runs, crocheting events, “walk and talk” events and some meet-ups that are simply geared towards saying “Hello” with a view to giving people the invaluable opportunity to just talk. Make sure to browse the full list of events in your county here.

If you want to get involved in a more hands-on way, you can also register your own event with Mental Health Ireland as part of the campaign. There are resources available for planning an event of your own, including conversation cards that can help foster healthy chats around mental wellbeing. These conversation cards are available in a range of different languages, including Irish. 

Through the website, you can also download a guide on how to run your event, as well as printable posters. 

But whether or not you set up your own event, the main way to take part in the campaign is to ask someone in your life one simple question: “How are you?” 

Mental Health Ireland has encouraged anyone participating in the spirit of the campaign to follow the ‘HELLO’ steps when having a conversation about mental health: 

H — Hello: say hello and ask the person you care about how they are.

E — Engage: make sure the person you’re speaking with understands you’re truly interested in how they are doing.

L — Listen: hear them out and listen carefully when they tell you about their wellbeing.

L —Learn: empathise with what your friend or loved one is describing, make sure that they know they’re not alone.

O — Options: make sure you’re informed about the various options available to the person you’re talking to should they need to continue the conversation further. 

Hello, How Are You? is a campaign about connection and engaging in open conversations about mental health. The campaign asks individuals, communities, workplaces, friends & family to say Hello and ask the question ‘How Are You?’ in a meaningful way. Learn more about the campaign and how you can get involved here.