Monday, December 14, 2020

The Echo . . .

The vaccines to come may keep us physically safer, but they will do very little for our mental health. The good news is that Canadians have a better understanding of mental health and its place in our well-being now more than ever

By Quentin Steen, Representative

When I first learned that COVID 19 wasn’t a virus that North America was going to be immune to, it became the topic of almost every conversation. As the weeks went by and the reports continued to pour in of its movement, those conversations only intensified.

While many were caught up with the economic and health-related repercussions that would follow, I was directed by another series of thoughts. It wasn’t that I didn’t share the same concerns. I did and still do.

But what was more of a problem to me, as it is today, is the toll the pandemic will take on our mental health for years to come. The vaccines to come may keep us physically safer, but they will do very little for our mental health.

Being a mental health first aid instructor for CLAC, and lifetime member of the “Mental Health-Related Issues club,” my concerns are shared.

One of the current news shows I find very informative and well-sourced is Date Line. One evening early in February 2020, the episode was looking at the pandemic’s effects from every angle. But its focus was on the compounding effects that the pandemic would have on our mental health.

The name given to this new reality by experts was the echo. Fitting name.

This was, and remains, the impetus behind writing these Mental Health Moments.

The echo caught many Canadians off guard, but since then, we’ve rallied. We’ve stepped up our efforts, and many organizations have answered the call to produce resources to help those struggling.

The good news is that Canadians have a better understanding of mental health and its place in our well-being now more than ever. I’m proud that many of you have been proactive in getting appropriate help for you and your loved ones.

My advice is to keep it up if you’ve started. And if you haven’t, get going! One step at a time!

Echo or not, it’s essential to stay in the moment, remaining in the here and now, directing your energies toward dealing with what’s in front of you instead of being sucked away by past things or what the future might hold.

During COVID-19’s current second wave, this becomes even important. We’ll look at how to stay in the here and now in next month’s Mental Health Moment.

Quentin Steen is a certified mental health first aid instructor for the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

Get your BRAIN right and your MIND will follow!

3 Mental Health Resources to Help You During the Pandemic

Stronger Minds features videos and quick reads from mental health experts, activities to help you gain resilience, and ask-an-expert videos in response to questions.
WellCan offers free well-being resources to help Canadians develop coping strategies and build resilience to help deal with uncertainty, mental health, and substance abuse concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wellness Together Canada: Mental Health and Substance Use Support provides free online resources, tools, apps, and connections to trained volunteers and qualified mental health professionals.

The Echo . . .

3 Mental Health Resources to Help You During the Pandemic

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