Samaritans Awareness Day - Ruth Crowley

A good soul friend once said to me: “What people need is a good listening to.” If we’ve been able to share with a trusted ‘other’ and have experienced being listened to, well it can be freeing because we’ve been heard and accepted for who we are.

Mental health and well-being are taken seriously by Sheffield Forgemasters, and rightly so. If we feel stressed, distressed, anxious or worried, our health and well-being can be affected this affects not only us but others as well.

The temptation can be to put feelings to one side and try and bottle them up, which can be damaging to ourselves and maybe others. I am reminded of those sudden bangs in the Foundry after a casting has been poured. The trapped gases have to escape. Similarly, perhaps, with bottled-up feelings. It takes huge courage to open up to another, but it can really help to talk to somebody. A trouble shared really can be a trouble halved.

As a chaplain with South Yorkshire Chaplaincy and Listening Services, and a guest visitor to Sheffield Forgemasters, my role is about seeking to care for and support people in the workplace.

Part of that role is to provide a listening ear, and I try to listen with my heart because people are precious, and every encounter with someone is holy ground. 

Chaplain, Ruth Crowley