Having fun while raising awareness

What do doughnuts and silly socks have in common? Nothing, actually, but this past Friday, June 3, the Caxton Joburg West branch found a connection between the two and jumped at the opportunity to be part of both National Doughnut Day and Crazy Socks for Docs Day (#CS4D).

To be honest, it was a no-brainer, because journalists are always hungry, and seeing that a very popular doughnut store had quite an attractive special on the specific day, it was an offer that we could not allow to become stale.

The Crazy Socks for Docs Day was not only an opportunity to let our hair down a bit, but also to show our support (and raise awareness) about the mental health of our healthcare workers. Every day, healthcare workers help and support many people who are facing health challenges, but the fact is that they also need help and support. Especially during Covid-19, the added strain, pressure, trauma and grief have led to increased anxiety, depression and PTSD. In some cases, even suicide. In short, healthcare workers’ metal health has been deteriorating, and to make matters worse, they are too embarrassed to talk about it, for fear of being stigmatised.

Needless to say, the staff members did not disappoint, and pitched up with their craziest, funkiest, most colourful (and some with their most mismatched!) socks they could find, showing that we at Caxton really care. We had a bunch of fun showing off our socks, taking loads of photos and also making time to devour a sweet doughnut or two.

My only hope is that while we were showing our support, we were also able to alleviate some of the pressure we experience daily and had an opportunity to experience some calmness and a healthier state of mind.

What I do know is that by showing our support with some fun activities, we realised that it is okay to not be okay and there is no harm in asking for help should you need it.

Did you do anything on this day? Share your photos by sending them to adeleb@caxton.co.za/ roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za/ northside@caxton.co.za.

Until next week, look out for each other and stay safe …