May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a crucial time for ending stigma and normalizing conversations around mental health.

1 in every 5 Canadians suffers from diagnosed mental health challenges. By age 90, 70% of Canadians will have experienced a mental health illness. The psychological strain and impacts of the pandemic have led over 50% of Canadians to experience mental health distress over the past two years. Although these stats show many people are impacted by mental health struggles daily, mental health truly affects everyone. Like our physical health, we all experience mental health every day, and we experience it on a continuum.

Often, our larger public conversations focus on the extremes of mental health. We pay attention when someone is experiencing high levels of distress or a formally diagnosed mental health challenge. Unfortunately, this feeds the cycle of stigmatization surrounding mental health.

It’s not that we shouldn’t take these challenges seriously—mental health is a serious matter, and YOU matter. No one should ever feel like they have to suffer alone with their mental health struggles.

However, when we only talk about the tough times, we paint a very limited picture that lacks the actual nuance and complexity of the full scope of mental health. We turn people into caricatures based on their challenges. This leads to people feeling ashamed and embarrassed to share their reality and ask for help.

We need to expand mental health conversations to capture the entire continuum. We need to talk about the times our mental health is excellent and allows us to thrive. We accept that good physical health doesn’t just happen; similarly, we must advocate for activities, supports, and practices that support good mental health.

We also need to talk more about when our mental health is under strain. So often, we ignore periods of increased stress, anxiety, negative self-talk, or low mood, telling ourselves it’s not a big deal. But these are signs we need to start paying attention.

Recognizing the early signs of declining mental health can prevent more severe distress and disorders by tending to our needs. Just like a cut can get infected if we ignore it, it can also heal quickly if we care for it immediately.

In 2022, I completed my training as a Certified Integrative Mental Health Coach and as a Psychological Health & Safety Advisor. I pursued this training because I know the importance of professional support covering the full scope of mental health care.

Mental health cannot be compartmentalized. It is a part of us, impacting our work, family, friends, hobbies, and rest. Mental health is woven into everything we do.

The full spectrum of mental health must continue to be part of our ongoing personal development, professional development, and community development.

Join The Conversation

Now, I’d love to hear from you.

How do you integrate mental health care into your daily life?

Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below, and let’s keep the conversation going.