An interview with Britt Whyatt, who stars in our campaign film on the small things people can do to support someone they love with their mental health.
Q. Can you remember the first time you talked to a friend about your mental health?
I thought my friend would laugh at me, I thought she would tell me I was being stupid, I was being silly, that I just needed to get on with it. But then I realised that was how I was talking to myself; no one had ever said those words to me, except me. And it was when I spoke to her and said: “I don’t think I'm coping very well,” that when does words actually came out, of my mouth, and I heard them for the first time, that’s where things started to change. She said said to me: "you’re not special, you know – you’re normal. Everyone goes through something like this and we all need help from time to time.”
Q. Tell us about a person in your life that supports you
My partner Tim is definitely the person that I can talk to about my mental health. It’s really helped to have him around – to have someone that I can have open conversations with. He makes it seem normal: he doesn’t build it up to be bigger than it already is. It’s just another thing we have to deal with.
We also have a very fun relationship, which helps. We mess around a lot, make jokes with each other and we’re always laughing. I’ve never laughed so much with anybody, and that laughter has been great because it makes things easier.
Q. What does he do when you’re having a bad day?
He knows when I’m not feeling 100% and I really appreciate that. There are days that I would wake up and I don’t feel as sparkly as I usually do, and without me even saying anything he’ll just bring me a cup of tea and put his arm around me and ask if I’m okay. Even if I’m not, even if everything is falling down inside, I feel like I can express that to him.
Q. What do you think has surprised people the most about you?
I think it’s that I’m quite bold and upfront, and that I’m always cracking jokes. People are sometimes surprised that someone can be so low and still come back. And not just come back – you can go further than you ever thought you could. I think people are also surprised that I’m so open about it – but I think without openness and honesty, nothing changes.
Q. What do you wish people understood about mental health?
One thing I want people to understand is: just the smallest thing can make the biggest difference. Just the text, “thinking of you”, or asking someone to go for coffee – small things like that. I had people I hadn’t spoken to for a very long time say to me years later: “I didn’t know what to say”. They didn’t realise – they didn’t have to say anything at all, they just had to listen.
