In Canada, today, the last Wednesday in January is marked by Bell
Canada Lets Talk Day. One of the largest communication companies Bell Media, 12 years ago, started an initiative to bring awareness about Mental Health. It prompts people to use the hashtag #bellletstalk and they have matched every one, with a donation to local health initiatives. This annual movement has been instrumental in raising awareness, and normalizing conversations and acceptance of Mental Health.
12 years is a long time and I'm not too sure if we have come as far as one would expect. I do believe there is decreased stigma, many more conversations being had and a great deal of political lip service. Sadly, I don't know that society is shifting to recognizing Mental and Physical Health as equal and I would rather us take a more proactive approach.
Personally, I have always struggled with some sort of mental health ups and downs but never had good role models for healthy coping. Being resilient to life's ups and down is not something you are born with. We are not taught in school healthy coping mechanisms, aside from sunshine stickers in kindergarten or a guidance counsellor with an open door policy. Being middle age, I had parents that "put on a stiff upper lip" or swept emotions under the rug. Tools they learned from their parents. Just the other day I asked my Dad how my Mom was doing since she started her antidepressants and he responded "she's always been emotional". She has been emotional because she has suffered from depression my whole adult life and that has been masked with addiction. Thankfully my children were born into a time of a shift. It's okay to struggle, be weary, be down, and angry, but don't stay there! What can we do to turn this around? Where are the exceptions? Let's work together to find a solution to these problems? NO I am not minimizing the seriousness of mental health crisis with a pull-up your bootstraps mentality. I am only saying that teaching problem-solving, resilience and asking for help might prevent a difficult and challenging time from escalating into a crisis.
My point of this little soapbox rant is that I believe we are on the right track. Raising awareness is key... people struggle and giving them permission to ask for help is so important. Let's give people an empathetic and non-judgemental place to come when they need to be seen and heard, That's all any of us really want. Like they say in the song, "try a little tenderness."
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