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NEELIN VIEWS: Get a handle on mental health

The Brandon Sun - 10/16/2019

By Beatrice Gatien

When was the last time you practised mindfulness, or prioritized self-care? Have you ever stayed home from school or work because you didn’t feel well mentally or emotionally? Mental Illness Awareness Week was from Oct. 6-13 this year, along with World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10, which opened the door for conversation around the world.

This time of year is perfect for some discussion about mental health because believe it or not, the transition to autumn can impact your emotional well-being, and not just because it’s back-to-school season. The sudden lack of natural light can affect our levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter known as “the happy chemical,” which can mess with our internal clocks and moods.

If you’ve experienced this, you aren’t the only one. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, by age 40, about 50 per cent of the population will have or have had a mental illness, and in any given year one in five Canadians will experience a mental health problem.

With that in mind, try your best to check in with your loved ones a little extra this season, including yourself. Knowing where you are at is key to staying afloat amid stressful times, and indulging in some self-care is necessary. Some suggestions would include going for a walk, reading for fun, and making time to do things you enjoy.

In the grand scheme of things, the provincial government is making some changes with how we handle mental illness and related issues, slowly creeping away from the stigma that we’ve held for so many years. We have a massive problem involving addiction and mental illness in youth at the moment, which is fuelling most of these new strategies and ideas.

On Oct. 7, the province announced that over the next three years, they will put $2.94 million toward mental health and addiction services for youth. A large portion of that budget will go toward implementing more mental health activities in elementary schools, such as learning positive coping strategies, and journaling. Another chunk is going to the NorWest Youth Hub, which has multiple locations and services in Winnipeg, to increase counselling, Indigenous cultural supports, primary health care and more. Of course there is always room to improve, but it’s a great place to start.

In terms of where we land in comparison to other places, it’s quite astonishing. The World Health Organization recommends that countries dedicate 12 per cent of their health-care spending to mental health needs, but in the Virgo Report released in 2018, Canada has been consistently averaging at around the seven per cent mark, with Manitoba landing at five per cent. Now it looks like that might change, with new goals of integration, community-based solutions, prevention, promotion, and more. If we can truly commit to improving our population’s health, who knows what our future could look like.

In order to shed light on this topic at Neelin, our student council organized optional activities for every day of the week, starting with a pay-it-forward system inspired by local cafe and bakery Chez Angela. Students could pay for a coffee or a cookie and leave a note dedicating it to someone, like a student who just aced a test. The week didn’t stop there, either! Monday started with positive sticky notes, recreational paper shredding on Tuesday, a Zumba class led by Ms. Braden, a free tea party on Thursday, and finally a group discussion about wellness with one of our teachers, Mr. Flannery, on Friday.

Students also looked out for each other more than usual and opened up about stresses that they usually kept private, which will hopefully continue throughout the year. None of the activities we did were expensive in the slightest, and they did exactly what we needed them to do: bring people together. If you want to reach out to someone, even if it’s a total stranger, just leave them a little note. It will make their day, trust me.

Our understanding of mental health and what we can do about it is constantly evolving, which can get pretty overwhelming. What matters most is staying healthy and happy, so this month, please look out for your people.

»?Beatrice Gatien is a Grade 12 student at École secondaire Neelin High School.