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Hi @MB95!
I just wanted to say that I share your feelings about this day. I have heard lots of people say they feel the same way too and it can be a difficult day for people with mental health challenges. I personally believe there is too much focus on asking the question and not enough education and training on how to respond if the person says that they are not okay. I also do not think it should be a one-day initiative.
At my workplace, I thought it was an absolute joke. They set up a station with food and drink and acted like it was a party. Not one person asked the question seriously and in the posters that were sent out, there was absolutely no resources or advice about what to do if a person were to say that they were not okay, they just told people to keep asking to make sure that they were 'really' okay. It literally just said to ask, 'How are you really?'
In my opinion, it is a day to make the person who is asking feel better about themselves rather than the person being asked. It seems to have largely been designed without actually consulting with consumers or people who have experienced mental health issues themselves.
I feel like instead of having this day and having the focus be on the question, there should be free active listening and mental health first aid training so that more people know how to support someone who confides in them.