My favourite week
It’s Canadian Mental Health Week and no matter how you’re celebrating, congratulations on putting the focus on thinking about how you can elevate your well-being.
“Mental health is more than just being happy all the time. It’s about being comfortable with who we are, living with purpose, managing what comes our way with confidence and clarity, and about using support practices that make sense just for us. ”
We all have mental health and stand to boost our ability to flourish because we deserve to live our happiest and finest life. When we feel our best, we’re empowered to bring ourselves to our work, home and community. A greater sense of optimism, hope and purpose is just the beginning towards great successes for ourselves. And more – our outlooks undeniably influence others too.
Yet for many Canadians (1 in 5 to be exact), the reality is that they face a mental health challenge. The hopeful news, however, is that our society is more supportive and more accommodating than ever before. The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) along with other leading organizations like Guarding Minds at Work produce easy to reference training material, resources and information we can explore and consider.
My certificate is ready for a frame. Best course ever.
What’s great about these two organizations is that their aim is to help Canadians help themselves and others both in personal settings and the office. I recently completed the Mental Health First Aid training program (offered by the MHCC) and I’m glad I did because it gave me the courage to step up and look for ways I can be a trusted ear to someone else. If someone is choking, do we wait for an ambulance to arrive before offering some help? No. We don’t. If someone we know is clearly withdrawn, quiet or just not themselves, be brave and open to really hearing them.
Let’s keep flourishing
In honour of Canadian Mental Health Week, I challenge us all to think about how we can elevate our capacity to flourish.
More simply, how can we create more well-being for ourselves and others? Let’s start with recognizing that our mental health is just like our physical health. It requires daily focus and ongoing, proactive promotion.
I certainly don’t have all the answers but here are a few ways that work for me.
I’ve come to learn that my well-being is personal and unique to me. Sure I look to people I trust and admire for guidance, but my well-being is supported by intentional actions that make sense for me. A quick walk by the lake or arranging some flowers is just what I need when I want to gain clarity and focus. I stack myself up against no one but myself. And that’s powerful.
The $4.2B wellness industry has a lot to offer but I’ve realized that I can feel good by taking into account daily practices that are free. Things like:
Taking stock on what I’m grateful for
Starting the day with a simple to do list (and even if I accomplish one major task that’s a win for me)
Giving back to the community – I just wrapped up my 19thyear of advocating for youth mental health, raising $7,000 in under a month
Leveraging my strengths in my work
Spending time with my family and friends
Being kinder in the way I speak or think to myself
I’ve become comfortable and more confident in knowing I don’t have all the answers. It’s ok to ask questions, take a pause to think deeper, or talk something out with someone over a tea. Doing all of this has helped me remove unnecessary weight off my shoulders and mind. In both my personal life and at work.
What’s more, I’m fortunate to have a leader who is easy to connect with, who encourages creative thinking and learning and who enables ripe opportunities. Because of her, I’m more willing to share an idea, learn from a mistake with optimism, and understand how my contributions help advance our work and more, feel like a valued member of the team. Genius! Creating this type of work environment takes commitment from the both of us and with it comes great mental health in the workplace.
We all experience days where our mental health requires some extra care. Our brain is like any other muscle – it requires deliberate attention, compassionate self-care, rest, and love. Recognizing this is the first step towards optimal well-being – and this week, let’s take the opportunity to learn from each other because we’re all in this together. If you think about it, mental health week is every week really.
Let’s keep making it great.
“Having established that positive emotions can be very useful, it is critical to pause and draw attention to the fact that people often do not know they have such power within them. You have the power within you to figure out what inspires you, what makes you laugh, or what gives you hope, and to cultivate those emotions…This can help you optimize your life by setting up moments of genuine positivity for yourself.” - Dr. Martin Seligman
