Hello May!
May is Mental Health Month in Canada
As noted on this website linked below:
May is mental health month! What does that mean?
May is designated as Mental Health Awareness month in Canada, a time for fostering understanding, promoting resilience, and raising awareness about the importance of mental well-being for all Canadians. this social movement is meant to increase awareness and improve understanding of mental illness, reduce the stigma around mental health, and increase access to necessary help for those who need it.
May is Mental Health Month: – Mind Health Connect
As you know, I am a firm believer in raising awareness about mental health, and I am very vocal. Having a mental health issue, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), doesn’t make me weak. Surviving any problems with mental health takes a lot of determination and courage, and while it isn’t possible to be strong every day, I pick myself back up and continue forward when I can. I am determined to LIVE, not just have a life.
I have come a long way, especially this past year. While I have lost some mobility, as I can’t get out every day like I could before, my mental clarity is still getting stronger. Physically, my knees are bad, and all the Doctors I’ve seen said that due to other issues I have, my body isn’t strong enough for the recovery I need for knee replacement surgery. So, that is out, and I am learning to adjust to it. I will, in time… I am calmer now, less reactive to things around me. I don’t get so emotional over things.
I can watch the mess going on in the US and recognize all the toxicity and shake my head over it all. I see so many similarities in the patterns of behaviour in those people there, as I did in the bullies I have after me. The outright lies that all toxic people tell blow my mind! I am very grateful I live in Canada!
I focus on things that help me feel good. I still have my 15 minutes of mindfulness every morning, as it is a habit now that I have, and it starts my day off right. I look at pictures of Nature here online, put there by others when I can’t get out for myself. I’ve shared some of it on my blog, as Newfoundland & Labrador has some of the most amazing scenery! I do LOVE where I live!
Newfoundland & Labrador offer a lot of help for people suffering mental health issues. St. John’s just opened a new Mental Health and Addictions Centre (MHAC) that replaced the Waterford Hospital. I haven’t been there yet, but I hear they offer exceptional services.
The 811 HealthLine provides mental health and addictions support with a range of concerns related to stress, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, grief and loss, parenting, suicide, and substance abuse and dependence.
I use the services on this website also quite a bit! They offer various online programs, some I have done, and others I am still looking into doing. It is all online, so very helpful for someone like me who can’t get out all the time.
https://nl.bridgethegapp.ca/adult/online-programs/
Bridge the gapp is a new way to connect with guidance and support for mental health and addictions in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The best thing about it is its accessibility. From a computer, tablet or a phone in your pocket, you can instantly access content that can provide advice, inspiration, assurance, or direction for finding additional supports when you need it the most.
No matter where you live, I am sure you will find helpful services, similar to the above, that could help you with mental health. You deserve to feel good, and if that takes using various mental health services to do so, do it. Never feel bad for looking after your mind.
On that note, I am off for some retail therapy! I have some things to pick up, but I am also looking for some new clothes. I have lost so much weight over the past couple of years, and most of my clothes don’t fit anymore! I ain’t complaining.. 🙂
While the weather has been terrible here in NL this week (we had more snow yesterday, though it didn’t stay), it is supposed to warm up this weekend. Hubby and I plan on going for a walk tomorrow around Bowring Park. I posted a link below in case you want to check out the scenery there! I am looking forward to the warmer weather!
I wish you all a fabulous weekend!