June 6, 2019
You’ve probably heard about the #CrazySocks4Docs Day, and are already looking for your most interesting socks to wear to work tomorrow, but do you know the story behind it?
Dr Geoff Toogood, founder of this initiative, had an awkward experience when he wore odd coloured socks to work. The talk behind his back was that he was failing again, but in reality, he was well and all his good socks had been eaten by his new puppy.
Rather than his colleagues asking him if he was okay, he heard whispering. This led to the creation of ‘Crazy Socks for Docs’ Day, an initiative to raise awareness and normalise the discussion around psychological wellbeing.
This year, Northern Health is supporting ‘Crazy Socks for Docs’ Day by making it a Crazy Socks Day for all our staff.
“We would like to raise awareness of mental health for all doctors and health practitioners and would like to encourage everyone to wear crazy socks to work tomorrow,” said Rachael Coutts, Associate Director, Emergency Physician.
Staff are encouraged to be creative when choosing their socks for Friday, and also share conversations with colleagues about psychological wellbeing.
Will Halpin, Director Occupational Health Safety & Wellbeing said this is the second year Northern Health is marking the day.
“We’d like to raise awareness and reduce stigma around mental illness by normalising the conversation about our mental health. Wear your craziest socks and share photos to support the important campaign,” he said.
Sita Murugappan, Co Chair, Junior Medical Staff Association (JMSA) said:
“CrazySocks4Docs is a great initiative to bring awareness to mental health of doctors because whilst we look after people for a living, we do need to look after ourselves. Whilst we wear crazy socks for one day – it’s just a first step and highlights the importance for doctors to start talking to each other, their family and friends about mental illness.”
