You can make a difference
Be a part of the solution and join our council, The Hallway Group, which advises the MHCC on its work and priorities. You can make a difference in the lives of people living with mental illnesses or mental health issues.
How to support a loved one with chronic illness
Many face a lack of understanding from family and friends. “You don’t look sick” is something they are getting used to hearing. Or people tell them, “I feel tired at the end of the day, too.” For Sarah, it’s a lot worse than feeling tired – more like being hit by a freight train – but it’s too exhausting to keep educating people about her condition. It’s disheartening to have to keep fighting to be seen, believed, and understood. Like many others living with chronic illness, Sarah ends up feeling like she has to stay silent to make people feel comfortable.
5 Tips for Starting a Conversation with Your Friend About Mental Health
It can be challenging to talk about mental health with friends and loved ones, as there is often a fear of being judged or misunderstood. In this post, I will share five tips for starting a conversation with your friend about their mental health.
Take care of your mental health during summer break
Who doesn’t love summer? Longer sunny days, outdoor activities, cottaging and camping, sports, social events, and relaxing and enjoying life. And for students, no homework. What could be better?
How to write a brilliant blog post in 10 steps
Choose a topic: Before you start writing, choose a topic that interests you. Research popular topics and see what other bloggers write about. Hint: health, wellness and mental health are popular topics.
Navigating Parenthood with a Mental Illness
As a parent, it’s common to experience stress, anxiety, and feeling overwhelmed at times. But these challenges can get amplified for parents also managing a mental illness. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder before the birth of my children. I walked into parenthood knowing it would be just a little different than the experiences of some of my peers.
Peer support changed my life
There are a variety of forms that peer support can take – informal or formal, group-based, or one-on-one, in-person or virtual – but if you are interested in taking the first steps the internet is the place to start. Remember that you are not alone, and you, too, will find your people. You just have to look for them.
My diagnosis: What I didn’t expect was grief
I had admitted something was off. I received the referral, got the appointment, and did the screening questionnaires and interviews, which led to a diagnosis. I finally had a reason for why my mood yo-yoed up and down over the years. I had an explanation for the high episodes and deep depressions that cycled almost like clockwork. I had a name to apply to what I had been experiencing since my teens – Bipolar Type 2. It also meant I could receive proper treatment and medication so I would no longer have to live that way. Such relief!
No more doom and gloom: How we’re using photography to inspire hope
If you’ve ever seen a news article about mental health and mental illness, you can probably still picture the stock photo that went along with it. You don’t even need a link from me to refresh your memory. Someone is sitting alone in the dark. Maybe with their head in their hands. Maybe peering out a window at the rain. You know the photo.