Bell Let's Talk Day: Supporting Canada’s mental health
January 28th, 2021
Today is Bell Let's Talk Day, an initiative dedicated to raising awareness and combating stigma surrounding mental illness in Canada.
This year, with COVID-19 affecting every aspect of our lives, Canadians are feeling the impact of the pandemic on their mental health. Now more than ever, mental health matters and every action counts.
The following information can also be found at Bell Let's Talk: Ways To Help
Small actions from recognizing stressors, to being there for a loved one can help support mental health and strengthen our communities during this difficult time. Below you will find helpful information and tips developed by the Canadian Psychological Association about how you can help yourself, your friends, and your family cope with stress and look after their mental health.
Recognizing signs of stress
Stressors associated with a pandemic will affect people differently. We can be affected psychologically (e.g., feeling worried), as well as physically (e.g., sleeping poorly). Stressors that are beyond our personal control are especially difficult to cope with. Stress during an infectious disease outbreak can include:
- Fear and worry about your own health and the health of your loved ones
- Changes in sleep or eating patterns
- Difficulty sleeping or concentrating
- Worsening of chronic health problems
- Increased use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs
Remember that not everyone reacts to the same event in the same way and not everyone shows their distress in the same way.
Taking care of yourself
Taking care of yourself is important to helping you cope with stress. Simple ways to take care of yourself include:
- Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting, so take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media. When you do listen, choose credible sources of information.
- Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep, and avoid alcohol and drugs.
- Connect with others. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling and let those close to you, especially children, share their concerns and accept support.
- Maintain as normal a routine as possible, including engaging in activities you enjoy.
- Focus your energies on what you can control rather than worrying about what you can’t. You can come up with a new hobby, talk to a friend or exercise but you cannot control when a vaccine will become available or when we will go back to business as usual.
Taking care of others
It likely that more people will see impacts on their mental health and well being than will suffer serious physical affects of COVID-19. People who may respond more strongly to the stress of a crisis include:
- Older people and people with chronic diseases who are at higher risk for COVID-19
- Children and teens
- Frontline workers
- People who have mental health conditions including problems with substance use
- People who tend to worry – particularly about their health, or who have experienced a previous or recent traumatic event
- People who live alone or have few social supports
Children and teens may respond more strongly to the stress of the pandemic. There are many things you can do to support your child or teen:
- Give them the opportunity to talk about their concerns about the outbreak, tell them the truth, reassure them, and let them know they can count on you.
- Balance giving information with not giving so much it causes more distress. Check in with children to confirm what they understand and that they have accurate facts.
- Let them know it is ok if they feel upset or scared and talk to them about ways to cope with their feelings.
- Limit your family’s exposure to news coverage of the event, including social media.
- Try to keep up with regular routines to the extent possible. If schools are closed, create a schedule for learning activities and relaxing or fun activities; if organized activities are cancelled, try to engage in the activity (or an adaptation of the activity) at home.
Connect to help
If you or a loved one are struggling, help is available. There are many organizations that provide free or low-cost, virtual mental health supports for Canadians, including Wellness Together Canada, CMHA and Kids Help Phone .
According to the Canadian Psychological Association, signs and symptoms that might signal a psychological problem or disorder for which professional help might be beneficial include:
- Sleeping poorly, too much or too little
- Feeling anxious, depressed or having panic attacks
- Feeling angry, guilty, helpless, numb, or confused
- Not wanting to get out of bed
- Having difficulties concentrating
- Excessive eating
- Drinking more alcohol or taking more prescription drugs
- Having little patience
If you are experiencing these symptoms, consult your doctor or a regulated healthcare professional.
End stigma with these 5 simple ways
Developed in partnership with Dr. Heather Stuart, the Bell Canada Mental Health and Anti-stigma Research Chair at Queen’s University, here are 5 simple ways to help end the stigma that keeps too many who struggle with mental illness from seeking the help they need:
- Language matters: the words you use can make all the difference.
- Educate yourself: knowing the facts and myths about mental illness can be a great way to help end the stigma.
- Be kind: simple acts of kindness can help open up the conversation and let someone know you are there for them.
- Listen and ask: being a good listener and asking how you can help can be the first step in recovery.
- Talk about it: mental illness touches us all in some way directly or through a friend, family member or colleague. Most people with mental health issues can and do recover, just by talking about it.
If you are in crisis, please go to your local hospital, call 911 immediately or locate a Crisis Centre in your region.
Since 2010, Bell Let's Talk has committed over $113 million to mental health initiatives across Canada.
Dedicated to moving mental health forward in Canada, Bell Let’s Talk promotes awareness and action with a strategy built on 4 key pillars: Fighting the stigma, improving access to care, supporting world-class research and leading by example in workplace mental health.
On Bell Let's Talk Day, Bell will donate more towards mental health initiatives in Canada by contributing 5¢ for every applicable text, call, tweet or TikTok video using #BellLetsTalk, social media video view and use of our Facebook frame or Snapchat filter.