A storytelling site by and for people with lived mental health experience. Helping to break down stigma by educating through stories and experiences.

We all have something to share from our experience with mental health, regardless of where we are in the journey, and this is what this blog is about.
This blog serves in 3 ways:
1) to facilitate those of you who have a mental health issue(s), or care about someone who has a mental health issue(s), to write about your experience for the purpose of telling part of your story and sharing your wisdom, by having it published on this site (click here for more info on Superhero guest blogging);
2) to give you the opportunity to read what myself and others have experienced and I hope with all my heart that will help you to feel less lonely and misunderstood and maybe even a little bit empowered; and
3) to educate others who are interested in putting themselves in the shoes of someone who has a mental health issue.

A FREE Psychological First Aid Guide from the Canadian Red Cross
The likelihood that a sudden crisis event might affect you or someone you know is higher than you think. That is why it’s critical that you take the steps to learn Psychological First Aid and prepare yourself to handle the extreme stress that a crisis event can cause.

The guide will teach you:
How to create your own self-care plan
The Look, Listen, Link, Live Cycle
How to provide Psychological First Aid to others
The Do No Harm Principles

This document outlines all of the provincial and regional mental health resources and contact information (addresses, phone/fax numbers, website addresses, email contacts) for Saskatchewan.

It gives the emergency or crisis information for the province and the contact information for the Saskatchewan Regional Health Authorities.

"As impactful as these times have been on each of us as adults, this pandemic has also deeply impacted our youth. Children and teens are spending less time with their peers, which can influence mood, behavior and mental health, as well as affect their development. Youth and adults alike—ourselves at Yoga Ed. included—are cycling through thoughts of “I’m fine, we’re fine” and “we are definitely not fine.” In this toolkit, you will find tangible, effective tools to nurture healthy communication and connection as we navigate this uncertain time.

This toolkit is designed as a resource for caregivers in order to:

Better understand your own mental health needs and the needs of the youth in your life,

Provide ideas for sustaining self-care practices, and

Learn practices to support connections between caregivers and youth."

You will need to enter your email address to download the kit.

Mental health is key to our well being. We can't be truly healthy without it. Build a healthy self-esteem, build positive support networks, get involved, build resilency, recognize your emotions and Spiritual well-being

1 in 5 Canadians Experience Mental Illness in Any Given Year. We All Know Someone.
And yet, one of the biggest issues in our health care system – and society at large – is that mental health is not taken as seriously, and treated as urgently, as physical health. But when you hear the stories, and see the impact mental illness has on the lives of so many around us, it's hard to stand idly by. Together, we can and must change the way mental health is treated not just in Canada, but around the world. We invite you all to join the movement. Watch the videos. Share the content. Donate now.

#MentalHealthIsHealth

Mental illnesses are just like any other illness: everyone deserves care, help and support. What are mental illnesses? Different Mental Illnesses

Sun West School Division has developed an optional course based on student interest in the area of mental wellness as an elective at the 30 level. Mental Wellness A30L will provide an extension of the skills and knowledge acquired in the Wellness 10 course, and will consist of both theory and applied learning using low- and high-level technologies.

Mental Wellness Basics introduces students to concepts related to mental health and wellness. Stigma associated with mental health can have serious and negative impacts on help-seeking behaviors, and many mental health conditions and symptoms can be significantly lessened through prevention. As such, the lessons in this course focus on:

Supporting students in identifying threats to mental health early, and taking measures to increase factors that protect mental health.
Introducing students to the experiences of others in order to develop awareness and empathy, reduce stigma, and provide facts on the prevalence and symptoms of mental health conditions.
Fostering a mental health mindset to help students develop feelings of self-efficacy and skills that promote and model advocacy for self and others.

This Course Covers
Self Awareness
Self Management
Relationship Skills
Social Awareness
Responsible Decision-Making

This is a strategy for checking on students' mental wellness in your classroom.

Student activities for Social and Emotional Learning and mental wellness. Each skill includes information, resources, materials needed and activities.

"Prairie South's online Wellness Room provides individuals with tools, activities, and resources to support them with their Mental Health. There are “toolboxes” for parents, kids, teens, and teachers with great videos, articles, and websites."

Mental Wellness supports for parents who want to learn more about supporting their children. This pager includes truths about mental health, most common brain health problems, symptoms of depression and suicide, help supports that include books, community supports and online resources.

A video of a 30 minute Yoga class that teaches the participants positions and strategies to help with anxiety relief.

Mental Wellness – Basics is a course that introduces adolescents to concepts related to mental health and wellness. Stigma associated with mental health can have serious and negative impacts on help-seeking behaviors, and many mental health conditions and symptoms can be significantly lessened through prevention. As such, this course will do the following:

Support students in identifying threats to mental health early, and taking measures to increase factors that protect mental health.
Attempt to reduce stigma by introducing students to the experiences of others in order to develop awareness and empathy, as well as by providing facts on the prevalence and symptoms of mental health conditions.
Foster a mental health mindset in students and help them develop feelings of self-efficacy by introducing knowledge and skills that promote and model advocacy for self and others.

This Course Covers
Self Awareness
Self Management
Relationship Skills
Social Awareness
Responsible Decision-Making

Learn about mental health and how to improve it to benefit you. Also get information on mental illness, its risk factors, symptoms, treatment and suicide prevention.

Never in the history of humanity have so many people been feeling intense anxiety related to COVID-19 and the world it will leave in its wake. The intent of this course is to give a deeper understanding of the anxiety reaction as it relates to various aspects of our current life, ranging from our consumption of news to the way we talk to children about this. Clear strategies are given for managing and, in fact, turning off the anxiety response at least for short periods. This course will offer a better understanding of how your brain reacts to crises, along with some powerful tools for managing it before it manages you.

Never in the history of humanity have so many people been feeling intense anxiety related to COVID-19 and the world it will leave in its wake. The intent of this course is to give you a deeper understanding of the anxiety reaction as it relates to various aspects of our current life, ranging from our consumption of news to the way we talk to our children about this. You will also be given clear strategies for managing and, in fact, turning off the anxiety response at least for short periods. You will leave this course with a better understanding of how your brain reacts to crises, along with some powerful tools for managing it before it manages you.

Struggling with anxiety? Tired of missing out? There are things you can do to stop anxiety and fear from controlling your life. MindShift™ is an app designed to help teens and young adults cope with anxiety. It can help you change how you think about anxiety. Rather than trying to avoid anxiety, you can make an important shift and face it.

MindShift™ will help you learn how to relax, develop more helpful ways of thinking, and identify active steps that will help you take charge of your anxiety. This app includes strategies to deal with everyday anxiety, as well as specific tools to tackle:

Making Sleep Count
Riding Out Intense Emotions
Test Anxiety
Perfectionism
Social Anxiety
Performance Anxiety
Worry
Panic
Conflict

Think of MindShift™ as your portable coach helping you face challenging situations and take charge of your life.

Mindbodygreen is a lifestyle media brand dedicated to helping people live their best life mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally and environmentally.

"Here you’ll find a 360-degree approach to wellness that weaves the mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, and environmental aspects of well-being together, because we believe that these pillars of health are all interconnected."

Topic areas include:
Mindfulness
Health (including mental health)
Parenting
Food
Movement
Beauty

- Make eating an event. If you feel like you want to eat, take the time to eat mindfully and with a focus on only the food you are eating. (Not watching T.V. or doing something else at the same time).
- Be mindful of how full you make your plate, by closely observing each scoop you put on.
- Once your plate is full to the desired amount take a moment to closely look at what is on your plate. Notice the colors, the textures, the shapes, and the aroma of the food.
- Next, take a moment to think about your body. Does your body feel hungry? Is your mouth salivating? Do you feel thirsty? Do you feel relaxed and ready to eat mindfully?
- While looking at your plate, take three deep slow breaths. Relax your body and prepare for eating.
- While eating, take your time in every bite. Chewing slowly, noticing the texture and taste in your mouth. Move the food around in your mouth and notice the different tastes on the different sides of your mouth.
- Chew each bite well, this aids in digestion as well as slowing eating down.
- Enjoy being in the present moment, and enjoy each bite you take. Think of peace, joy, contentment and happiness while you eat.
- Eat in silence if you are alone and think about the nourishment your food is providing.
- If with another, put on soft dining music, light candles and talk in soft tones. Talk about the food you are eating with one another. Talk about the flavor, color textures. Make everyday meals an event!
- There is no need to place your fork down between bites if it becomes a distraction. Do what feels comfortable to you. All you need to do is eat slowly, thinking about each bite and the taste.
- Eat until you feel the sensation of fulfillment and the feeling of hunger has passed.
- Notice your last few bites of food with as much intention as your first few bites.
- Upon finishing your meal, take a moment to notice that your plate may be empty or you may still have food upon it and that your hunger is satisfied either way and you have noticed this.
- Take a moment to feel gratitude that your hunger is satisfied and you have eaten a nutritious meal.
- Notice that you have been kind to yourself and feel proud of yourself for taking this opportunity to nourish your body.