Mental Health Week is coming – and your contribution counts!

Mental Health Week is coming – and your contribution counts!

Mental Health Week is just around the corner (May 7-13). And I’m happy to say that mental health is on everyone’s radar a bit more these days, as awareness efforts like this special week are paying off.

But we still have a bit of a hill to climb in terms raising awareness, removing stigmas, and taking actions. And while there are several major initiatives taking place to advance mental health concerns in Canada, it’s important not to overlook individual contributions. Every little bit counts, and we all have a role to play. So, my question to for mental health week is a simple one: what can you do in your personal or professional life to advance the cause of mental health?

Here’s a suggestion: pick a single message or a single action and bring it to life. There are many ways to do this, and none of them require a large time commitment. It can mean being attentive to the health of others and reaching out, acknowledging your own ‘humanness’ and vulnerability, helping improve systems, or telling others when you do things to recharge your own mental health.

Here are some examples I’ve heard in my work over the years – see if these give you an idea of what your contribution might be:

• A teacher reaching out to another teacher who seems to be burning out saying “I’ve been seeing how you’re doing these days – it may be similar to what I’ve been through – let me know if you want to chat”
• A senior leader empathizing with a peer on their challenges and stress levels, normalizing the benefits of using resources, and sharing a psychologist’s name (in this case it was mine)
• A parent acknowledging to their teenage daughter that she is quite right – they (the parent) tend to take things more to the extreme than they need to on a certain situation
• A team leader going the extra mile and working with existing structures in an innovative way to modify a team member’s duty enough that they prefer to stay at work in a tough health situation as opposed to going off work
• An adult sharing with a child what they did over the weekend, for example walking with a friend, exercising, eating healthy foods, spending time in nature, and labeling this as ‘taking care of their mental health.’

Not only we need to have mental health on our radar; we’re ready for the next level – even more conversations, more actions. Your leadership is needed, and now is a great time given Mental Health week. So, what’s your contribution? Give it some thought and watch how small actions can make big differences in people’s lives.