As a motivated and ambitious person, I was fully subscribed to the achiever mentality, perpetually running on the hamster wheel. I wanted the success, the accolades, the big career, and everything that I thought went with that level of achievement. What I didn’t know was that I was missing out on a lot of important things. Balance. Wellness. Spiritual growth. The journey of becoming a fully self-actualized human being.
What does mental health look like? I think that the answer probably depends. Mental health is not a one-size-fits-all concept. This question was top of mind for me when I recently spoke with community outreach workers of the Breaking the Ice (BTI) program at The 519, a city of Toronto agency dedicated to the health, happiness, and meaningful participation of 2SLGBTQ+ communities.
When the language of isolation, quarantine, and lockdown predominates, there isn’t much room for words like socialize, connect, or empathize. Yet even though the pandemic has made our workplaces more prone than ever to stress and anxiety, creating a culture that gives workers the confidence to ask for mental health support has always been a challenge.
In Canada, at least 1 in 3 adolescent students have reported being bullied and almost half of parents have reported having a child that is the victim of bullying. Yet, in most cases, bullying stops within 10 seconds when peers intervene, or do not support the bullying behaviour.
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
