It’s that time of year, a week after Blue Monday, where we tend to be down on our luck and not feeling the best. It’s alright to feel this way. It allows us to be a little selfish, for the right reasons.
But now more than ever, every action that we collectively take counts in moving Canada's mental health forward. The unprecedented impacts of the last year have emphasized the need to address mental illness in new ways as well as the important role we can all play in putting the focus on mental health.
The goal of Bell Let’s Talk is to tackle the stigma associated with speaking on mental health and illness. While awareness and empathy are steadily growing, stigma is still ever apparent. Many people are still reluctant to discuss it even with their loved ones. This lack of dialogue causes harmful myths to perpetuate, which in turn makes people feel ashamed. It’s only by talking openly with each other about mental health and issues like stress, anxiety and depression that we can dispel those myths, erase the shame, and provide the appropriate help and support to one another. Poor mental health and mental illness is more common than you think, and given these realities, many are still taught and encouraged to believe that they’re immune to mental illness.
You don’t have to question who you are, rather, how you are.
Be a little selfish. Ask yourself how I can be better, be the best version of myself on a day to day basis. Don’t ask the world of yourself, a good start is to just ask. Accessing mental health services isn’t always easy. Among youth, an estimated 1.2 million young people are affected by mental illness, according to the Mental Health Commission of Canada. But less than 20 percent of those youth receive proper treatment. If you have the opportunity to talk with someone, participate in a group chat about mental health, or be able to reach out for mental health resources do it. This time of year is your “excuse” to do so.
Now, having lived through almost a calendar year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for mental health services are up. Give yourself a break. As Kid Cudi penned in a 2016 open letter on his poor mental health “My anxiety and depression have ruled my life for as long as I can remember... Idk what peace feels like." Strive for peace.
Ask yourself how I can better communicate to others how I am. Be it in person or through social media, strive to be clear, consistent and concise in expressing yourself. Anxiety and lack of self-confidence tend to take a hold of voices and silence them. It’s time to speak, it’s time to shout.
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