World Mental Health Day takes place on Saturday 10 October, with the 2026 theme “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change.” It asks us to do more than talk about mental health. It asks us to listen to the people whose lives are affected and allow what they tell us to shape what happens next.
For Costa Women, that means recognising that there is no single version of women’s experience. Some women are craving more face-to-face contact, while others feel anxious about walking into a room where they don´t know anybody. Some rely on online communities for connection, yet feel exhausted by the pressure to be constantly available.
What women are telling us
More women are talking about needing a break from social media. The endless stream of notifications, opinions, news and other people’s lives can become overwhelming, even when the platforms themselves provide friendship, information and support.
For women running businesses, stepping away can feel especially difficult. Social media is not only social. It may also be where they find customers, maintain professional relationships and remind people that their business exists.
That can create an uncomfortable conflict. A woman might know she needs time away from her phone, but worry that taking it will damage the work she’s spent years building. Rest begins to feel like another decision with consequences.
These are the kinds of lived experiences that deserve to be heard. Telling people to switch off is easy. However, understanding why they feel unable to do that requires a more honest conversation.
When being visible becomes a constant job
Small-business owners are often their own marketing departments. Alongside their paid work, they write posts, take photos, film videos, answer messages, and try to figure out what each platform wants from them this week.
There is rarely a natural stopping point. Once one post has been published, the next one is already waiting. Even time away can be accompanied by the feeling that somebody else is posting, growing and being seen.
Visibility matters, but it should not demand permanent availability. A quieter day or week does not erase a business. Websites, email lists, recommendations, collaborations, networking and real conversations all help people remain visible without requiring them to spend every spare moment online.
The renewed value of meeting in person
Many women are also saying that they want more face-to-face connection. A conversation over coffee, a shared meal or a walk can offer something that comments and reactions cannot. We hear tone, notice expression, and give one another our attention in a different way. This cannot be replicated in a post.
This can matter greatly for women who work alone or have moved to a new area or country. Online introductions may help us discover a community, but meeting someone in person can turn a familiar name into a friendship or trusted professional relationship.
However, attending an event alone is not easy for everyone. Anxiety, health, caring responsibilities, distance, or lack of transport can all make online participation the more accessible choice. A supportive community needs both forms of connection.
Across Costa Women’s 38 locations, online and in-person contact can work together. A woman might begin by attending an online group, start recognising names and faces as the weeks go on, and eventually feel confident enough to attend an in-person event. Whereas someone who cannot be there physically can still remain part of the online conversation.
This was particularly interesting during COVID when all our events had to be online. We never met anyone for years, and then when we eventually did, it was like meeting an old friend.
Listening must lead to something
The second half of this year’s theme, “real change”, matters as much as “real voices”. Asking women to share their experiences achieves little if no one thinks about what should change afterwards.
Real change starts with asking better questions and being prepared to hear honest answers. A community cannot decide what women need without listening to the women within it and allowing their experiences to influence what it does next. We are always open to hearing your thoughts.
Listening also means resisting the urge to solve somebody’s problem before she has finished describing it. Not everyone wants immediate advice. Sometimes the first thing a person needs is to know that her experience has been heard and taken seriously.
Join the Costa Women Digital Detox Challenge
To mark World Mental Health Day, we are inviting the Costa Women community to take part in our own digital detox on Saturday 10 October.
The ideal challenge is to step away from social media and non-essential screen use for 24 hours. You can put your phone away completely or keep it available for essential calls, messages, maps and other practical needs. If a full day is not realistic, choose several hours or one dedicated hour and see how it feels.
What would you do with your time?
You might meet a friend, go for a walk, read, cook, spend time with family, return to something you enjoy but rarely make time for, or just simply chill.
We also know that a full day will not be practical for everyone. You may need your phone for work, family, health, or safety, or the thought of being unreachable may itself feel stressful. Therefore, if 24 hours is not realistic, choose a dedicated phone-free hour, try several hours, or see how long you can comfortably manage.
This is not a competition, and one hour is not a lesser achievement. The purpose is to notice our habits and create some space between ourselves and the constant pull of the screen.
If you do decide to switch off completely, before switching off, decide how people can contact you if something is genuinely urgent. Tell those close to you what you are doing, turn off unnecessary notifications, and plan one or two offline activities so the time does not feel empty.
When you return, ask yourself what you noticed. Did you feel relieved, restless, calmer, or worried about what you might be missing? Did time move differently? Was it easier to concentrate on the person or activity in front of you?
After the weekend, we will invite Costa Women members to share as much or as little of their experience as they wish. Those real voices can help us think about how we use social media, how our online and face-to-face communities support one another, and what healthier visibility might look like for women in business.
World Mental Health Day should not be about speaking for other people. It should create space to listen.
This Saturday, perhaps we can begin by creating a little more space to hear ourselves and one another.
Arrive in September with something already moving
September has a habit of arriving sooner than expected.
Suddenly, diaries begin filling, events return to their usual rhythm and businesses start planning for the final part of the year. Everything that was postponed until “after the summer” demands attention at once.
August can help reduce that pressure.
It can be a month for rest, family, visitors and a less demanding routine. It can also include useful conversations, enjoyable Costa Women events, a co-working session or a few carefully chosen business actions.
There is no need to choose between pushing through the heat and disappearing completely.
Slow down where you need to. Continue attending the events that work for you. Bring your visitors along. Join conversations on the website and keep a small amount of business activity moving.
Then, when September arrives, you will not be starting again from the beginning.
What would you like to continue during August — and what would you be happy to leave until September?
