{"id":5564,"date":"2024-09-12T09:48:34","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T23:48:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/?p=5564"},"modified":"2024-09-12T09:48:34","modified_gmt":"2024-09-11T23:48:34","slug":"it-takes-four-simple-steps-to-ask-someone-r-u-ok","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/it-takes-four-simple-steps-to-ask-someone-r-u-ok\/","title":{"rendered":"It takes four simple steps to ask someone: \u2018R U OK?\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Originally posted on <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/deakinlife\/2024\/09\/12\/it-takes-four-simple-steps-to-ask-someone-r-u-ok\/\">Deakin Life<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Today, <strong>Thursday 12 September<\/strong>, is <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ruok.org.au\/\" rel=\"noopener\">R\u00a0U\u00a0OK? Day<\/a> \u2013 the national day of action reminding us all to check in with the people around us.<\/p>\n<p>The simple act of having regular and meaningful conversations can make a huge difference to someone who may be struggling. Everyone can feel low at different times, and it\u2019s such a gift to let your family, friends and peers know that you\u2019re always here, to ask them <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ruok.org.au\/r-u-ok-day\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>R U OK? Any Day<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>We know that it\u2019s not easy being a uni student \u2013 and it may be that some of your friends are struggling with things like:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>adjusting to study<\/li>\n<li>managing anxiety, depression or low self-esteem<\/li>\n<li>building social networks or intimacy<\/li>\n<li>managing friendships.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Whatever the issue, feeling noticed, heard and cared for is a powerful thing \u2013 and it\u2019s something we can all do. So, if you feel like something\u2019s a bit \u2018off\u2019 with someone you know, or you notice a change in what they\u2019re doing or saying, trust your instincts and take the time to ask them: \u2018Are you OK?\u2019<\/p>\n<h2>Where do I start?<\/h2>\n<p>You don\u2019t need to have professional qualifications to have an R U OK? conversation \u2013 just listening and giving someone your time is a great place to start. Try following these four simple steps:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-72735\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/deakinlife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/63\/2023\/09\/RUOK-steps.png\" alt=\"Cartoon people asking each other if they are ok through speech bubbles.\" width=\"1035\" height=\"504\" data-attachment-id=\"72735\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/deakinlife\/2023\/09\/14\/it-only-takes-four-simple-steps-to-ask-someone-r-u-ok\/ruok-steps\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/deakinlife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/63\/2023\/09\/RUOK-steps.png\" data-orig-size=\"1800,876\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"RUOK-steps\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/deakinlife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/63\/2023\/09\/RUOK-steps-300x146.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/deakinlife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/63\/2023\/09\/RUOK-steps-1024x498.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re worried that you\u2019re prying or that you might make things worse, or you\u2019d like some extra tips on starting a conversation, check out these <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ruok.org.au\/how-to-ask\" rel=\"noopener\">helpful R U OK Day resources<\/a> for ways to prepare yourself and some useful strategies to try.<\/p>\n<h2>What if I think professional help is required?<\/h2>\n<p>Some situations may be too big or serious for you to handle alone. By listening to your friend, together you can identify the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ruok.org.au\/findhelp\" rel=\"noopener\">type of help<\/a> they\u2019re ready for \u2013 from self-help resources to professional help that includes medical and counselling support.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you\u2019re ever concerned for your safety or the safety of others, seek immediate assistance by calling Triple Zero (000).<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Deakin offers a range of free services to help students with their mental health and wellbeing. We encourage you to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If you\u2019re <strong>located in Australia<\/strong>, reach out to our experienced and qualified <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.deakin.edu.au\/students\/health-and-wellbeing\/counselling\" rel=\"noopener\">counsellors<\/a> for free and confidential support. If you\u2019re a <strong>GIFT City student<\/strong>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.deakin.edu.au\/students\/gift-city\/student-life-and-services\/counselling\" rel=\"noopener\">find out more about booking an appointment with a counsellor here<\/a>. If you\u2019re based overseas, please contact your local health practitioner for further advice and support.<\/li>\n<li>Book an appointment with a doctor at the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.deakin.edu.au\/students\/health-and-wellbeing\/medical-centres\" rel=\"noopener\">Deakin Medical Centre<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Visit our <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/dsl-counselling\" rel=\"noopener\">Ask Counselling<\/a> online blog for confidential advice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Oh, and don\u2019t miss our campus pop-up and trivia tonight!<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re on campus today, look out for our Wellbeing Ambassadors in the bright yellow R U OK? Day t\u2011shirts. They\u2019ll be roving around<strong> each campus between 10am\u20131pm on Thursday 12 September<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>for R U OK? Day<\/strong>, handing out some yummy treats, as well as some R U OK? Day merch. Stop by <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.deakin.edu.au\/students\/student-life-and-services\/get-involved\/healthy-universities\/r-u-ok-day\" rel=\"noopener\">where they\u2019re stationed on your campus<\/a>\u00a0and say hi!<\/p>\n<p>Plus, it\u2019s not too late to register for our <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4PgcV-kRu\" rel=\"noopener\">R U OK? Day online trivia<\/a> <strong>at 6pm on Thursday 12 September<\/strong>! Run by the Deakin Wellbeing Ambassadors, we\u2019ll test your knowledge of all things pop culture, and there\u2019ll be some great prizes up for grabs at the end of each round too. See the registration link for terms and conditions.<\/p>\n<p>Find out more via the<strong> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.deakin.edu.au\/students\/student-life-and-services\/get-involved\/healthy-universities\/r-u-ok-day\" rel=\"noopener\">R U OK? webpage on the Current Students webpage<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Originally posted on Deakin Life Today, Thursday 12 September, is R\u00a0U\u00a0OK? Day \u2013 the national day of action reminding us all to check in with the people around us. The simple act of having regular and meaningful conversations can make a huge difference to someone who may be struggling. Everyone can feel low at different [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33472,"featured_media":5565,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[141,142],"class_list":["post-5564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-interest","tag-mental-health","tag-wellbeing"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/326\/2024\/09\/RUOK-blog-banner-2024.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pao1A6-1rK","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33472"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5564"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5564\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5566,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5564\/revisions\/5566"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}