Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/111460
currentaffair Are we OK? Checking in with friends and family regularly and asking if they're okay can change lives and strengthen bonds. R U OK?Day encourages all of us to do just that, writes Simone Henderson-Smart. It's a simple question, yet one we often neglect to ask: Are you okay? The stresses of the daily grind take a toll on all of us. Work pressures, money worries, relationship issues, peer group pressure and just the sheer pace of life leave most people feeling a bit down or incapable from time to time. For others it's a lot more serious, as feelings of helplessness can spin out of control, leading to anxiety, depression, feelings of hopelessness and even thoughts of suicide. We Aussies are a stoic lot. Phrases like "No worries" and "She'll be right" are part of our vernacular. Sadly, though, this often prevents people, particularly men, from admitting they're doing it tough and asking for help. Asking someone, "Are you okay?" can open the door to comfort, support and even treatment, and reduce the alarming rate at which Australians are taking their lives. Spurred by the tragic loss of his father, who took his own life in 1995, the late Gavin Larkin OAM (who died from cancer) sought to establish a national day of action dedicated to reducing the suicide rate in Australia. In 2009 he and co-founder and CEO Janina Nearn came up with the simple but brilliant idea of R U OK?Day. Their hope was to inspire all Australians to take greater responsibility for people in their lives who may be struggling and need an opportunity to say, "You know what? No, I'm really not okay at all!" to a friend or family member. "Anyone can get involved in the campaign by simply reaching out to a friend or loved one," says Janina. "We want all Australians to take a moment to check in with someone and ask, 'Are you okay?' A conversation could change a life." R U OK?Day is a national event held annually on the second Thursday in September, and every year more and more Australians are getting involved. In fact, an independent survey held after last year's day of action showed that one in three Australians took part, with 70 per cent of participants asking someone face to face, "Are you okay?" Janina says the results are extremely positive for a national campaign now in its 71