Behind the banter

Suicide among UK construction workers is more than three times the national average, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Why that is deserves study, but we know it’s a precarious, macho industry that places a premium on toughness. Dignity, security, and hope can be in short supply.

Remember that catastrophes happen all the time. People around you may be dealing with unimaginable hardship. The death or illness of a child or partner, mounting debt, job loss, violence and humiliation, or the steady, creeping erosion of confidence for whatever reason.

We can’t know what’s going on behind people’s eyes, behind their banter.

If it is you entering a cycle of anxiety and depression, talk, now, to anybody. Then talk some more, to more people. Be awkward; make your friends embarrassed for a minute, so they can then help you.

Your partner, your kids, your dog, your plants: they all need you. Survival is the measure of real toughness.