Since 2011, #BellLetsTalk has been used and promoted over 1 billion times to raise awareness and reduce the stigma around mental health. Every last Wednesday of January, you may have noticed your social media platforms filled with messages of support for those who struggle with their mental health.

Being in an active addiction can be lonely and isolating. Many people feel shame and guilt about their addiction, and do not feel comfortable or safe to reach out for help. By creating professional and personal support in a holistic way, it is possible for those who struggle with addictions to feel safe enough to be unapologetically honest and open about what they need and how they feel.

Every year on November 20th, Canada celebrates the rights of children on what is called National Child Day. Canada chose this day to celebrate as it aligns with when the United Nations adopted the United Nations Convention on the Right of the Child (UNRC) on November 20, 1989, as well as when the United Nations General Assembly put into place the Declaration of the Rights of the Child.

When discussing bullying, our minds often jump to Pink Shirt Day and “zero-tolerance policies” that have continued to develop over the last few decades. Bullying is often labelled as negative behaviour, encompassing “malicious” or “mean” characteristics.

Although the experience of the pandemic increased rates of mental health significantly, it also made mental health a household word. It slowly became socially acceptable to talk about stress, mental health, zoom fatigue and impairments of functioning because it seemed that no one was immune and there was both a sense of shared suffering and perhaps even the development of both compassion for self as well as others.

Did you flinch when you read the title of this blog post? I often get the sense from others that the emotional expression of professionals in the workplace is taboo. This intrigues me. When I ask around, the most common thoughts about this is that there are limitations to staff emotions in the workplace. Wherever, whenever and however emotions are expressed, we have ideas about levels of appropriateness. Pairing labels of ‘limiting’ and ‘appropriateness’ with emotions raises further questions for me.

 When ‘mental illness’ is mentioned there are many reactions in society as to what this means. Invariably the conversation that ensues, if at all, can be often characterized as awkward, unsure, confusing and many other words that place mental illness in a category that continues to be not well understood.

September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day. This year’s theme is ‘Creating Hope Through Action’. To empower people to take action to prevent suicide, our Crisis Counselling Team at Eastside Community Mental Health Services has written the following blog post on how to help someone at risk of suicide. If you or someone you care about needs help, call 403-299-9699.