GET LOUD - MENTAL HEALTH WEEK! FOR ALL!

Thanks to organizations such as the Canadian Mental Health Organization, we are fortunate enough to be able to celebrate the unique differences that ultimately bring our communities and society overall together. This is why I love what I do. I celebrate who I am and my past experiences versus grieve on them, as that does not serve me purpose and does not serve toward my purpose. SO LETS #GET LOUD 

CMHA introduced Mental Health Week (MHW) in 1951 to raise awareness of mental illness in Canada. Today, MHW offers practical ways to maintain and improve mental health and support recovery from mental illness and addictions.

Getting loud means speaking up to stop the discrimination and the stigma that often go hand in hand with mental illness. It means using your voice to raise awareness and build support. For someone at work. For someone at home. For yourself.

This year, we’re not just getting loud. We’re also wearing GREEN in support of positive mental health.

Join us. Tell everyone to #GETLOUD during May 2-8.

GET LOUD to maintain positive mental health. GET LOUD to get it back.

Because the louder we all get, the bigger difference we will make. And there’s a lot of difference to be made...

#GetLoud 

My name is Colleen Rennie, I am 24 years old, I'm a #suicide#survivor but more importantly I'm me with an individual story to tell. Diagnosed in 2009 with a LD, depression and one year later anxiety. For years I messed around with my self, I didn't take myself seriously not did the people around me. No ones fault, we were all incredibly unaware. Unaware of what drugs, drinking, living a life that didn't feel like mine and succumbing to other people's pain like I didn't have my own.
I put my pain on the back burner and worked for others to get better, which led to my own demise. I couldn't see the light, I couldn't see the good fight🌘 then I made the choice to better myself thanks to lyrical inspiration and I quit drinking. You've got to find what you love. I love sharing my experience knowing on the other end there is at least 1 reader saying "I get it. Thank you. I needed to see or hear that." I'm not Ghandi but I'm also not afraid of who I am or what I've become. I have a new reality and there's #NOshame. I'm#SickNotWeak. I smile all the time, you never know what's beneath that smile as I admittedly fight in my head every day. But I'm here. I'm not stopping, I have purpose and so do you! #GETLOUD #CMHA #MENTALHEALTH#WARRIOR #LifeOfDorothy #mystory #weredoingit #happybirthdayEWR

Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Mental Health Week

JUSTIN TRUDEAU·MONDAY, MAY 2, 2016

Toronto, Ontario

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on Mental Health Week:

“This week is Mental Health Week, an occasion for all Canadians to have a candid discussion about mental health and wellness and help put an end to the stigma around mental illness once and for all.

“In Canada and around the world, many suffer in silence with an illness that is invisible to others. One in five Canadians will struggle with mental illness at some point in their lives. Too often, they hesitate to seek the help and support they need out of fear of discrimination or shame.

“We all have a responsibility to raise our awareness about mental health. We must actively encourage honest and open conversations – in our homes, our workplaces, and our communities – about what mental health is and what we can do to increase our collective well-being. We must listen to our loved-ones, our colleagues, our friends, look out for signs and offer them support and advice in times of need. It can be a challenge for all of us to cope with the fast pace of life, daily stresses, and obligations. We all need to stand strong together.

“This week, we also thank those who have publicly shared their personal struggles with mental health – including my own mother, Margaret. They are true examples of courage, bravery, and resilience. Their stories help us all become more understanding, more compassionate, and more empathetic.

“Let us use our voices this week to help change the way society views mental health issues and those living with them. Now is the time to GET LOUD for mental health.”

Now it's YOUR TURN! These experiences only make us stronger, wiser and more aware. I understand there are pressures and there are labels, but thats what we are trying to diminish because if you take off the lens of other and look through your own, you'll likely come to notice that this life is one worth living for. No one is you and you are your power! 

Love, 

Dorothy