To say I was not fully prepared for post-secondary studies is an understatement. It was not a question of intelligence or academic ability. It had more to do with my mental health and lack of support. Yet against all odds, I was successful and graduated from university. How did I manage to complete my degree
Picture yourself on an airplane, rain pelting against the windows as you accelerate down the runway. Its gloomy, wet, and dark. With clouds masking the horizon, you begin to lift off, and as the plane stutters, you continue to climb through the storm. Suddenly, you emerge out of the darkness and into the daylight. Blue skies as far as the eye can see. It’s beautiful, calm and inviting.
Have you ever found yourself wondering if you need help for your mental health? I have. I was going through a bitter divorce. I couldn’t sleep or eat, and I couldn’t stop crying.
I was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1996. I struggled because I couldn’t find stable employment until four years ago. This is because as a schizophrenic, I was not seen for who I really am and what I can do. I feel that we are seen as incapable and as dangerous. But I am a wife and a mother, and I am now self-employed.
I’m hoping that by sharing some of my personal experiences (because I’m still learning new lessons myself daily), I can help someone else out there.
Several months ago, I had the opportunity to participate in Mental Health First Aid training for the first time. It was an eye-opening experience that really made me look inward and assess my outlook on mental health and what living with a mental illness entails.
Just as 2022 was lifting off, residents of Ottawa watched with curiosity and then growing dismay as a parade of large, honking transportation trucks moved into the city’s centre. The trucks were soon joined by a flock of smaller but no less noisy vehicles and before citizens could quite grasp what was happening, an occupation was unfolding in the heart of the city.
Winter blues are more common than you might think. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that people in northern climates usually experience during the fall and winter months, when there’s less sunlight.
