“I appear at times merry and in good heart, talk, too, before others quite reasonably, and it looks as if I felt, too, God knows how well within my skin. Yet the soul maintains its deathly sleep and the heart bleeds from a thousand wounds.” – Hugo Wolf, American composer

Let’s be honest, we all have those days where we can’t quite get it together. Whether we pull a t-shirt on back-to-front, button up wrong, or wear a pair of mismatched socks, some days are just quite odd.

If you can’t find a matching pair of socks to wear today – Friday, October 3, 2014 – don’t fret. In fact, embrace it and wear a pair of odd socks.

Today marks odd socks day, a light-hearted approach to reminding us all that anyone can have an odd day.

In Australia, the biggest barrier for people living with, or recovering from mental health issues is stigma.

We still judge every little oddity in a person known to be living with a mental health issue as a sign that they’re struggling. However, this isn’t always the case. So by donning a pair of odd socks today, you can show your support to “stomp out stigma”.

Did you know each year one-in-five Aussies are diagnosed with some sort of mental illness – Australia’s third leading cause of disability burden.

Mental illness is most prevalent among Aussies aged 18-24, with the most prevalent mental illness, anxiety, experienced by up to 14 per cent of Australians each year, while depression and affective disorders affect 6.2 per cent of our population. Other common mental health issues in Australia include substance abuse disorders (5 per cent per annum), and psychotic illness (3 per cent per annum).

With one-in-five of us living with a mental illness, it’s time we put on a pair of odd socks to let our friends and family members, or those in our community know, they don’t have to feel ashamed or alone in their illness.

So sport a pair of odd socks today to “stomp out stigma” and let everyone know that it’s totally fine to have an odd day.

To learn more about Odd Socks Day, head to www.oddsocksday.org.au