Category: Happiness

It’s Mental Health Week: Let’s #GetLoud Together

Today marks the beginning of CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association) Mental Health Week. Every year since 1951 CMHA has been celebrating Mental Health Week beginning the first Monday in May and focuses on raising awareness to end the stigma surrounding Mental Illness while promoting good Mental Health in all Canadians.

One very important message that CMHA focuses on in its yearly campaign is to help all Canadians understand that everyone of us has Mental Health but that not everyone of us have a Mental Illness. Mental Health is the umbrella that covers our emotional, psychological and social well-being which basically affects the way we think, the way we feel, the way we handle stress, the way we relate to others, the way we make choices and the way we act overall through different stages of our lives.

A Mental Illness on the other hand can result from an obtrusion in our emotional, psychological or social well-being which has sadly become all too familiar and commonplace in today’s society, affecting 1 in every 5 Canadians at some point in their lifetime. Many of the more commonly diagnosed mental illnesses can make an individual lose their sense of self, their sense of purpose, their sense of belonging, their ability to contribute to society, their ability to feel joy or their ability to be resilient; all of which I have lived with for five years now.

CMHA’s campaign slogan #GetLoud continues to educate Canadians year after year on the importance of good Mental Health by using several different tools to help us all get in front of many of the signs that may be overlooked in someone suffering from a Mental Illness whether it’s your loved one, your co-worker, a member of your community or a student in your classroom. The campaign is more than just about promoting happiness, it’s about learning how to live a well-balanced life, one that we all deserve. It’s also about learning how to reach out to others, learning how to become more self-aware, learning how to be more proactive in our self-care and it’s about learning how to become a stigma-free society.

So let’s all #GetLoud this week and make a promise to continue to #GetLoud the other 51 weeks of the year as well, for anyone and everyone who is struggling with a Mental Illness until we are all able to find our sense of self once again, our sense of purpose once again, our sense of belonging once again, our ability to contribute to society once again, our ability to feel joy once again and our ability to be resilient once again in a non-judgmental, non-discriminatory STIGMA free society.

***Go to http://www.cmha.ca and check out more information on how to #GetLoud***
*** References http://www.cmha.ca ***

A Reminder To Keep Fighting

So the other day I wrote a blog which I hope you have had a chance to read but if not I’ll forgive you. I spoke of how I got to meet someone the other night who I have admired from afar for a long time now; Michael Landsberg. He was so incredibly kind and he truly is one of the greatest advocates for Mental Illness in Canada. He was also so genuine and focused as we spoke in length about my illness and the battles I have endured for 5 years now trying to find some relief while searching for that “one” treatment that may finally help me. He also reminded me that I can never stop fighting till that day comes, no matter what. He then reiterated this to me again in an email the next day where he recalled much of our conversation we had. As I also mentioned in my blog, Michael does a daily VLOG on his charity’s Facebook page and yesterday while I watched it I immediately felt as though he was talking right to me through the camera’s eyes, directly into my heart. I am so grateful to have met such an incredible man. Please take a moment to watch his video for me and for the millions of others just like me who are battling this deadly disease, who have lost hope and who just need a little reminder to keep on fighting.

#endthestigmatogether #youareenough #bekind #itsoktonotbeok #depressionkills #anxietyisreal #treatmentresistantdepression #sicknotweak #dailylandsblog

My Evening With Michael Landsberg

Last night Rich and I attended a speaking engagement at a nearby Synagogue in Toronto where the guest of honour was Michael Landsberg. This was just one of many speaking engagements Michael does throughout the year all across Canada and from all walks of life, but it was the first time I was finally able to attend. As many of you reading this may already know, Michael is a Sportscaster and former Anchor for TSN’s “Off The Record” and current host of an early morning radio show called “First Up” but to me he is so much more than all that. To me, and to so many others, Michael has become one of the most notable voices throughout Canada in the Mental Health community.

Through Michael’s own struggles with Depression and Anxiety over the last 20 years he has managed to turn his natural ability for public speaking toward helping others find their own voices. He became one of the first keynote speakers for Bell Let’s Talk Day at its conception and while at one of his speaking engagements about 10 years ago Michael declared, “Obviously I am sick, but I sure as hell am not weak. I am sick, not weak.” And from those very real words his not-for-profit organization #sicknotweak.com was eventually born in 2016.

#sicknotweak.com has many objectives but it’s main one is loud and clear. Michael wants the world to understand that mental illness is a sickness, NOT a weakness and he can be seen spreading this message and many other inspirational ones on his daily VLOG which he does 364 days per year (he takes 1 day off per year). He does his VLOG most days from the comfort of his own home in Toronto and is sometimes in the company of special guests like his own son who also openly discusses his struggles with mental illness too (and now his new puppy Wrigley makes a daily appearance as well and will bring a smile to your face no matter what kind of a day you are having).

I first started following Michael’s story a few years ago and I now look forward to listening to his short yet informative and heartfelt VLOG’s every day along with his many insightful posts and tweets at #sicknotweak.com and @heylandsberg. I feel very much a part of his community and I have even had several of my own blogs posted to their Facebook page in the past couple of years.

Yesterday was one of those days that my depression and anxiety were too much to handle for me (unfortunately lately I’ve been experiencing a lot more bad days than good ones) but I have wanted to see Michael speak in person for quite some time now and I have wanted to meet him even more than ever before and so last night with some much needed encouragement (from my therapist) I was able to do so and it was everything I had hoped it would be and more.

Before he began speaking to the crowd my husband and I were fortunate enough to meet him personally. I shared with him a brief look into my journey and told him how much I appreciate the work he does for the mental health community. He gave me a hug (of course he asked me first!) and we took our seats. He spoke for a good hour and followed it up with a question period from the audience where strangers shared personal anecdotes and struggles proving that TOGETHER we can end the stigma surrounding mental illness.

During the hour that Michael spoke he was witty, charismatic and beyond sincere in his message. EVERY single word that he spoke resonated with both Rich and I, almost as though we were the only two people in the room. After he finished speaking, much of the audience crowded around him to speak to him on a more personal level, some about sports and some about mental illness (he was missing the Raptor’s game for this, but it’s ok cuz they lost!). He had said to me when we spoke earlier that evening to come talk to him again afterwards and he really meant it because when it came to our turn he excused himself from the rest of the crowd and walked away with us to a more private area to talk some more.

As crazy as it may sound, I feel like I made a new friend last night, someone who I could reach out to if I ever need a little extra support from someone who genuinely understands my daily struggle and who genuinely understands what depression really feels like because sometimes speaking to someone who genuinely understands your very confusing, isolating and often frightening emotions can truly make all the difference in someone else’s day, I know it did for me.

Please follow #sicknotweak on Facebook and @heylandsberg on Twitter.

Turning My Vision Into A Dream

About a year and a half ago I sat down one afternoon to do some writing which had become a pretty regular routine by then. I felt like writing some poetry that day but it wasn’t until after I finished writing when I realized what I had written was something more than just a poem. Instead I had created the first of MANY drafts of what was to become my vision for a children’s book chronicling a journey through the eyes of a young girl trying to understand what depression is when her mom suddenly becomes ill.

As a mom who had been suffering with depression and anxiety for several years already, I had pretty good insight and understanding into the deep impact my illness was having on my kids (and husband too). And even though they were 11, 14 & 15 years old at the time my illness began 5 years ago they were still just as confused and scared as if they were 3, 6 & 7 years old. And so on that day I took the first step toward fulfilling my dream which started by doing some further research.

Upon my further research I was sadly reminded that there are not enough resources or books available to help parents, caregivers, teachers or loved ones support and comfort young children through their emotions of being both confused and scared when someone they love is suffering with depression, an illness they cannot see.

And now after 18 long months, countless hours and way too many late nights working with the most incredible, passionate and patient illustrator my dream is one step closer to coming true as I place that vision in the hands of a publisher. I hope that one day very soon many children will read my words and feel a little less confused and a little less scared knowing that they are not alone.

Depression: The Bully Within

I mentioned recently that it’s been really difficult to write lately (Blog; Writer’s Block: AKA Depression, April 11, 2019) even though I have always found writing to be quite cathartic but with so many added stressors in my life right now I find it’s become too much of a hindrance for me.

That hindrance I speak of is the bully that lives inside my head and his name is “Depression”. A bully by definition is someone who “seeks to harm, intimidate or coerce” another human being who they perceive as vulnerable. The behaviour is usually habitual and identified by a social or physical imbalance of power. For anyone who has ever experienced the cruel devastation of bullying whether it be physically, verbally or cyberly knows how easily it can leave an individual with a lifetime of scars; both physical and emotional ones.

My bully has managed to do all of those things to me which I have mentioned above and has left me with too many scars to count. Because my bully lives inside my head it knows every single emotion there is to know about me. It knows all my aspirations and dreams and it most certainly knows all of my fears and insecurities which he has used to demean me, devalue me, humiliate me and shame me time and time again.

His dominance of power over me is really taking its toll right now, more than ever. He makes me doubt everything I do more than ever. He makes me question everything I say more than ever. He tells me I’m not good enough or worthy enough more than ever and he tells me how much of a burden I am to the world more than ever.

Oftentimes when a child is being bullied others may tell them to stand up to him (or her) which may seem even more scary than the bully itself. Standing up to a bully does not necessarily mean that you need to get physical toward them (I beat myself up enough as it is) but standing up to the bully in more practical ways can help rebuild their self-esteem and self-worth. I am desperately trying to stand up to my bully but lately it just seems like a losing battle because he lives inside of me and never leaves my side.

I keep trying though and I keep writing even if it’s on a much smaller scale lately. I try desperately to ignore the bully because we all know that bullies are looking for a negative reaction from its victim. I try with some confidence to tell the bully to stop, hoping that I can intimidate him and he will leave me alone. I try to avoid certain places or situations where I know I will feel most vulnerable around my bully and I continue to talk about him even though it’s too painful sometimes. But I also know that my courage in doing so is helping many others understand that they are not to blame for their bully’s actions and that finding the strength to talk about their bullies is the most powerful and freeing tool of all.

Today Is World Semicolon Day ;

Today is World Semicolon Day. It seems like just about everyday of the week you open up your Social Media platforms we are being inundated with people celebrating some kind of a day. Many of these days are super silly or fun and many of them just give us the perfect excuse to honour someone we love like our pets or family members.

Today on World Semicolon Day I am celebrating a community, a community that I now belong to and a community that many others do too. And in its honour I am continuing to do what I have been doing now for several years which is sharing my story with you and reminding anyone who is suffering with a mental illness, along with all those who support you that we are not alone.

Most of you have probably never heard of World Semicolon Day or Project Semicolon but over the last few years it has been a very significant part of my world. For those who have been following my journey over the last couple of years through my blog may recall that I have talked about Project Semicolon before. This organization was founded about 6 years ago by Amy Bleuel who wanted to honour her late father for whom she lost to suicide. Since her foundation began, the semicolon (;) has become known worldwide as a symbol to many people who struggle with depression, addiction, self-harm and suicidal ideations “to believe that this is not the end but a new beginning.”

Sadly, two years ago Amy lost her own battle with Mental Illness too but her foundation continues to bring hope and inspiration to many others through awareness and suicide prevention using the semicolon (a punctuation mark ; indicating a pause in a sentence, not an ending) symbol. Hundreds of thousands of bodies have become permanently inked with this symbol as a daily reminder that their story isn’t over yet (;) and many others have done so in memory of a loved one who they have lost to a mental illness.

Three years ago this coming July as Rich and I were casually strolling through Kensington Market and enjoying a hot #summerofrich day we passed by a tattoo parlour. I had been thinking for some time about getting a tattoo (for the first time in my life) in honour of my mental illness (and Project Semicolon) and had been holding onto a photo in my phone representing what it symbolized to me and its significance that my story isn’t over quite yet either.

I went for it. I got the tattoo and although it’s tiny and only visible on a hot summer day when I am wearing a tank top or bathing suit, it’s truly meaningful to me which is what I believe a tattoo should be. It’s a “Chai” which I added a dot on top of in order to make a semicolon symbol as well. Chai is a Hebrew word that when translated to English simply means “Life” but also possesses a numerical significance in the Jewish religion as well. It represents the number “18” which has become a longstanding Jewish tradition of gifting, contributing or donating in increments of $18 and is considered a Mitzvah (a good deed in English) meaning “a gift of life”.

Along with its meaning of life it also carries many symbolic principles too, including kindness, thoughtfulness and selflessness which are three of the greatest characteristics a person could hold during their time on this earth. So you see my tattoo has a lot of meaning behind it and a permanent reminder of my daily struggle to continue living and how important it is to continue sharing my story with you.

*Stay tuned for the upcoming #summerofrich (it will be somewhat of an abridged one) because I have been designing another tattoo for sometime now and you never know where our journey may take us next*. And lastly, who thinks Rich and I should get matching ones?

What Do You Have To Be Depressed About?

To many outsiders maybe my life looks great, I mean look at all my blessings. But you see, depression doesn’t care about all my blessings and when an outsider tries to “help” me by pointing out all the reasons why I shouldn’t be depressed it only makes me feel worse and causes me to feel more guilt and even more like a burden.

J.K Rowling who is most well known as the author of the Harry Potter series, who many may not know had also suffered with depression for many years was once quoted as saying “It’s so difficult to describe depression to someone who’s never been there, because it’s not sadness.” This is possibly the biggest reason why depression can be so confusing to so many outsiders because she’s so right, depression is a lot more than just feeling sad; it’s a blackness, it’s feeling insignificant, it’s exhaustion, it’s loneliness and it’s a feeling of hopelessness all rolled into one.

To imply to a person who is suffering with depression that they have so much to be thankful for, that they are so lucky, that they should just look on the bright side or that they have such a great life may be seen by the outsider as a good intention but in reality it is actually deeply discouraging to someone battling with depression. As I said above these phrases are just creating more feelings of being a burden and more feelings of guilt.

It may also make someone suffering with depression feel like they are not being heard and that their feelings are not being validated. These thoughts from an outsider implies that the individual who is suffering have no feelings of gratitude or that they are too self-absorbed to be grateful when in reality they are just too damn exhausted trying to fight with their emotions.

Depression is not just one simple feeling of sadness but is instead a complex combination of neurological, environmental and social components leaving someone suffering with depression feeling even more misunderstood when they hear these well intentioned phrases while putting an even bigger target on the disease itself by perpetuating the stigma further and dismissing the severity of the illness.

I can’t keep apologizing for who I am or who I have become anymore. I can’t continue to feel ashamed of my mental illness anymore and I can’t live with the guilt associated with the outsiders looking in who think that someone else may “have it much worse” than me. It won’t change the fact that I am who I am or that I have what I have and with or without guilt I am just trying to do what’s best for me. And yes I am beyond grateful, thankful and lucky for all the love and support that surrounds me everyday.

What Will It Matter

In the wake of Hollywood’s latest scandal I have found myself engrossed in all its details and not only because of how disappointed I am in “Aunt Becky” but mostly because I see the damage it’s caused from a mental health perspective.

I’ve already been through the process of applying to University programs with two of my kids and in less than a year from now I will be doing it again for a third time so I know what it’s like. The process is stressful on everyone involved but sometimes as parents we make the process far more burdensome than it needs to be. Sometimes we may think we are doing what’s right for our kids but deep down it may just be our way of trying to fill our own void, doing more harm than good to them in the process. I mean heck, they are still kids when they begin the process in the first place so why wouldn’t we try and bias them. And let us not forget that only a few months prior to the start of University, while trying to make these life altering adult decisions regarding the rest of their lives, they were sitting in a high school classroom needing to raise their fricken hand to ask permission to go to the bathroom.

So I know that it’s hard as parents to want to do whatever we can for our kids if we think it will be in the best interest for their future but what’s most important to remember is that we need to listen to our children more than ever and stop pressuring them to be something we want them to be or what may look best to “The Joneses”. We quickly forget that all kids are different and that all kids have different needs as well.

Maybe if I had had more support and encouragement during this process back when I was in high school I wouldn’t have surrendered to the pressure from my parents or society and maybe I would have chosen a much different path, one that was better suited to my needs and wants. And even though it’s been over 25 years it has been a huge part of my pain and suffering over the last 5 years, something I never want my kids to feel because the pressures that teenagers and young adults face today are insurmountable compared to all other generations before them and it is taking a toll on their mental health like never before.

I never want my kids to feel like they were pressured to choose a career path they didn’t want or become someone their not. I want them to feel like they have the confidence and control over their own destination because of the support and encouragement they were given. And trust me when I say they have needed lots of it along the way thus far. You see, sadly at the end of the day, it’s the kids who wind up suffering the most, not the parents (unless your Aunt Becky). “Aunt Becky” didn’t listen to her kid’s needs or their desires and just saw the prestige and admiration from the Hollywood elite (or The Joneses in layman’s terms), or maybe she put her own needs first and felt the need to sit on the sidelines while bragging to the world (which seemed to be often) and forgetting how little it will matter in the end or who’s lives it may destroy.

Will it matter in the end that your kid got an early acceptance to the program they wanted or will it matter in the end if they don’t get into that dream school they wanted or will it matter in the end if they took a different path altogether? No, none of that will matter in the end. All that will matter in the end is that their successes, their failures and their future happiness always be supported and encouraged by you because all that will truly matter in the end is that they feel happy, healthy and empowered in spite of it all.

Self-Love

Lets call a spade a spade. Valentine’s Day is nothing more than a commercialized holiday that is celebrated among couples. A day set aside each February to show your significant other just how much they truly mean to you by showering them with presents and cards. The concept itself seems pretty harmless in many ways but of course that’s only true for those of us “lucky” enough to be part of a couple.

For many people Valentine’s Day is merely a sharp reminder that they are lonely, that they have failed at a relationship or that maybe they feel that they are undeserving of having a healthy, happy loving relationship at all.

It isn’t this way for everyone of course, in fact many people choose to be alone while others have the confidence to be in a healthy, happy and loving relationship with themselves. Self-love can be very powerful and can help set the standards for how we want to be treated in all our relationships both with ourselves and others. People who truly love themselves first (and not in a narcissistic President Trump kinda way) will in turn benefit from the happiest, most valuable relationship of all.

Of course this is not me. This is the most opposite of me that you can get. I shame myself daily, I put myself down daily and I berate myself daily almost to the point that “figuratively speaking” I have left many bruises and scars on my body and in my heart.

If you were to ask me to name all the things that I love, my list could be endless, I mean the top three of course are a no brainer; my amazing husband, my 3 beautiful kids and my adorable puppy (well she’s not a puppy anymore but whatevs) but even after the top three I could still go on and on naming more and more things that I love but you can be rest assured that upon conclusion of my list I will not have named one very important love; myself, no matter how many times a day I try to crush my inner voice and tell it to stop shaming me, to stop putting me down and to stop berating me.

Trust me it’s something I work on daily trying to shut those damn voices up any way I can and I just want to let all those struggling today to shut down that same inner voice, whether you’re feeling lonely right now or you’re “lucky” enough to be in a loving relationship it’s so important to celebrate today by being kind and loving to yourself first; and I will even bet you that you won’t want to return that gift you gave yourself either!

Justin Bieber Is Receiving Treatment For Depression

Depression doesn’t discriminate no matter your age, race or social status. So many look up to the Biebs, especially the youngest and most vulnerable generations, wanting to emulate him and wishing to be rich and famous like him. But so many of us forget that he is a human being first. That just because he may be rich and famous it doesn’t make him immune to this dreadful disease. Achieving the success he did from a young and vulnerable age kept him from living a regular childhood and forced him to wear a mask to hide his pain and suffering for so long in order to keep up an image that made so many fans envious of. I hope those same young and vulnerable fans can now see their idol for who he really is now, a strong and courageous young man who can finally take off his mask, reach out for the help he needs and deserves, giving his young and vulnerable fans the opportunity to see him as a different kind of idol, the kind of idol who is cool enough to say it’s okay to not be okay and that asking for help is the bravest thing someone can do no matter your age, your race or even how rich and famous you may be. https://people.com/…/justin-bieber-receiving-treatment-dep…/