Take the first step in seeking support for your mental health
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.
Lived Experience
A diagnosis does not stop me from following my dreams
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A diagnosis does not stop me from following my dreams
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.
A tale of two illnesses
Dr. Manon Charbonneau remembers the day vividly, though she’d rather forget it.
“So that’s it, then — cancer,” she recalls saying in disbelief with her eyes locked on the digital images of her mammogram. The radiologist confirmed the diagnosis, and in a moment her world was “completely dismantled.”
Lived Experience
How building a support system helps my mental health
Recovery taught me two hard truths: you’re not alone, and asking for help is okay. I’m rebuilding support deliberately.
How building a support system helps my mental health
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.
Spotlight on recovery
I reached Ian Morrison at his office at the Regina branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). A graduate of the Humber College comedy writing program, he teaches people how to harness their experiences — with mental illness and life in general — into stand-up comedy routines.
“It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do,” he said. “Just tell jokes, make people laugh.”
Top three things I learned from MHFA training
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.
Seven ways to cope with the winter blues
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.