Years ago when I could actually stay awake past midnight, my friend and I would make plans to go out every New Year’s Eve. Everyone else had plans, so we figured we should too. We’d go and it would be alright, but one year we decided to stay home, watch movies, and eat junk food, […]Continue readingFear Of Missing Out…on what, exactly?

Promises by all parties fail to go far enough to address the opioid crisis that has claimed at least 10,440 lives since 2016. Imagine party leaders making tour stops in places like Kapuskasing, Parry Sound, Goderich or Renfrew only to find the entire population of these communities have been wiped out. This would be the […]Continue readingAll parties falling short on promises to solve the opioid crisis

After Canadian sports show host Michael Landsberg shared his lived experience with depression and anxiety in 2009, he became a passionate mental health advocate. In 2016, he founded #SickNotWeak, a charity focused on reducing stigma and encouraging open conversations about mental health. Michael and the folks at #SickNotWeak are doing great things, and one thing […]Continue reading1 Simple Change Can Spark Hope

Does this sound familiar: by the time you’ve finished work, meals, and everything else on your to-do list, you wonder how to possibly squeeze in something to benefit your mental health? The good news is that even a bit of time every day can have a positive cumulative effect. It can be tempting to say […]Continue readingTake 5 minutes for your mental health

June 2018 was the beginning of the Summer from Hell and not because it was a particularly hot season.  By Catherine McMahon With our youngest of three turning 19, a pattern of drug and alcohol use (now legally sanctioned), spending sprees, and off-the-rails behaviour commenced. The emotional temperature in our home rose quickly with incidents […]Continue reading“‘Are you looking after yourself’…whaaatttt?”

Illustration by Harshita Jha: https://harshitajha1.wixsite.com/website   The word “empathy” comes up a lot when talking about mental health and supporting others, and Dr. Brené Brown has become a leading expert in this area. She emphasizes how empathy – putting ourselves in others’ shoes and appreciating their perspectives and feelings – drives connection and is key […]Continue readingConnection, responses, and empathy

“Oh no! I forgot to call that person back! I always forget everything. I’m never going to remember to call anyone.” Does this sound like you or someone you know? It’s a great example of overgeneralizing, a thinking distortion that involves drawing broad conclusions based on limited occurrences or experiences. It often takes the form […]Continue readingOvergeneralizing: How “always” and “never” can take over

Where the Refreshing Benefits of Nature Meet the Nurturing Words of a CYC Guest post by Kathryn Small, CYC (Child and Youth Care)   Hello!  And welcome to the Enchanted Forest- “The Most Magical Place on Earth!”  No, wait…  that’s Disney World…  Welcome to the Enchanted Forest- “Where Dreams Come True!”  Wait, that’s still Disney, […]Continue readingThe Enchanted Forest

Guest post from CMHA National Before we talk about how to improve your mental health, let’s make sure we agree on what we’re talking about. At the Canadian Mental Health Association, we notice that people use the terms “mental health” and “mental illness” interchangeably, but really, they mean different things. Mental illnesses are disturbances in […]Continue readingMove to improve your mental health