We are grateful to Deaf Scotland for their assistance in co-designing these new tips, which are shared in this piece. 

As we worked together on this, we realised the many other barriers to communication and connections. While these wee tips sheets alone will not have all the answers, we hope you find them a useful contacts section to learn more about how we reach out and connect. Sometimes there can be barriers to connection; however, by working together, we can overcome them. The Samaritans hold an annual awareness day to remind people they are there if people need to talk. We can also take a pledge to:

I pledge to listen without being distracted
I pledge to listen without interrupting
I pledge to check in with my loved ones more often and ask them how they really are........

Or make up a pledge that matters to you, which helps build connections and improve communication so we can be there for others and learn it's okay for us to reach out to when we need support.

You may also enjoy this video. 

Again it was co-designed with people for whom 'audio' relaxation alone did not help acquire new skills to relax. The world can become richer, as can our experiences when we learn from each other and perceive it in new ways.

"To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others." 

Tony Robbins

Make time for you as well as everyone else. You also matter. 

Thank you for reading, for caring and seeking to perceive the world from another's point of view.

Together, we can help build a kinder, more connected world for all of us and the planet.