Words of hope this Canadian Mental Health Week
“Every night before going to sleep, we must ask ourselves: what weakness did I overcome today? What virtue did I acquire?”
It’s hard to imagine life before the pandemic. But in an inexplicable way, I’m appreciative of what this time is giving me. A few weeks ago, my grandmother passed away. Funerals in the best of times can be deeply sad and trying. Holding a funeral during a pandemic is not something anyone should have to do. Yet, despite the challenges and sadness, my family and I had a chance to connect and reflect on meaningful memories and thoughts and by sharing stories and feelings we began the long healing process. The last few months and weeks have challenged me to focus on my well-being; taking into account constructive and empowering ways to challenge myself on what I most need to get through this time. Turns out, it’s pretty straightforward and accessible to almost all of us.
It seems as though the basics will do; moreover, time for me to unwind, engage in an activity I enjoy, taking a walk with my husband and meaningfully connecting with my family, friends or peers.
It’s Canadian Mental Health Week and it really couldn’t have come at a better time. The annual campaign, facilitated by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), invites Canadians to get real about how they’re feeling and think about how to stay strong. It just so happens that this year’s theme is about the importance of social connections on our mental health and it couldn’t be any more on point.
Over the past few weeks, 50% of Canadians have reported a worsening of their mental health (Angus Reid, 2020), and just over 45% of the population is feeling anxious (CMHA, 2020). Morneau Shepell reported that loneliness due to the COVID-19 pandemic is rated as a top of mind concern and in a separate poll by IPSOS, 54% of Canadians feel lonely as they’re having to isolate. And with 63% of respondents in a recent CMHA survey suggesting they’re feeling more negative than positive, we really need to think about how we’ll keep navigating our path forward together.
Loneliness, anxiety and mental health concerns have existed long before the pandemic and what we need to take from this time is a recharged sense of accountability to ourselves and each other.
Making time for you needs to be your top priority. Your to-do list is not going away – it’s vital to refill your tank otherwise the days and weeks will consume you.
If you don’t like something, change it. We’re confined to our homes but it doesn’t mean we can’t bring change into our lives to usher more breathing space, clarity and focus into our day. We deserve it.
Make that one call you’ve been meaning to make, or send that text you’ve been thinking about sending. Connecting with others makes us feel good because it’s important for us to take a minute and cherish that person on the other end. They won’t be here forever.
And finally, be real with how you’re feeling and let yourself be caught up in the emotions because if they’re not addressed, you can’t flourish. You just can’t.
It’s easy to hide behind technology, or put on a smile when we turn on our cameras and hold a video call. But I think this pandemic is equipping all of us with added emotional skills and resilience that will help us thrive for years to come. Everywhere I turn, the compassion and kindness I see and feel overwhelms me. Will we come out of the pandemic changed? Changed is the wrong word.
We’ll come out of this renewed.
Thank you, John, for reading this post and helping me polish it up. Words of gold!
