And in this rush, we do not even think about how we feel, and we do not stop to analyze our mood, we do not pay attention to our mental health.

Let’s face it even though the events industry has a lot of social interaction; sometimes, it feels like the loneliest profession. And that is because mental health is something that is not on our radar. We assume it is not important, or we do not have time for that.

But the truth is it does matter, and it has a significant impact not only on our personal but in our professional life as well. That is why it is essential to start talking about it, to create a support network so we can feel free to share our feelings.

Especially during these times, that have been so hard not only for our industry, but the whole world, and we do not understand, and we live surrounded by uncertainty.

We need to know it is ok to feel stressed or anxious. Still, there is no need to deny these feelings. It is vital to accept them and know how to process them, and for that, we need someone who can hear us and let us know we are not alone.

I met Laura from Stress Matters at the last ESSA yearly gathering in the UK. She gave a conference about her platform, Buddies Matter, a free peer-to-peer support program created by her company for the meeting, events, and exhibitions industry.

This initiative was designed to match you to someone similar who can become your Support, Buddy. So you can find support in people with similar experiences and responsibilities. This is a way of bringing people from all our industry together.

Your Buddy is not likely to have any professional training in mental health or wellbeing support like you. Still, he or she may be someone like you who wants to know that someone has their back.

We, in Happy Projects, are very proud of supporting this program that has already started operations in the UK and is launching in the US. We want to encourage the creation of a safe environment and community for all the people of our industry. Because together, we are stronger.

It is time for us to take care of us and our mental health; we all can help each other. Maybe this year’s lesson is just that we need to learn how and when to reach out.

Do you have an idea of an initiative to help our industry? We would like to know about it.

You can share your thoughts at paco@happyprojects.usFor more information about Stress Matters go to https://www.stressmatters.org.uk/