April 02, 2012

Not Myself Today

Maybe you were feeling anxious, or stressed, or even depressed. 
Paying attention to those feelings is part of dealing with your mental health. The more you look after it, the healthier your life will be.

Now, imagine living with those same feelings amplified many times and not just for one day but many days.  That's what 1 in 5 Canadians will have to deal with this year.  Worse is that those living with mental illness often live with the shame, discrimination and lack of treatment and support that goes with it. 

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Today, Partners for Mental Health is launching their Not Myself Today campaign across Canada.  The campaign which will run from April 2 to 30 will culminate with Not Myself Today Day, commemorated with numerous special events.

To bring greater awareness to mental health and mental illness and to help transform Canada's mental health system, take the pledge at NOTMYSELFTODAY.COM
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For authentic accounts of individuals dealing with mental health issues, I'll post several lists of titles with a variety of characters, both main and secondary, dealing with issues of depression, trauma, self-abuse, grief, and suicide.  Here's just one of the best:

Virginia Wolf
by Kyo Maclear
Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 5-10
2012

Virginia, awakens feeling "wolfish": dark, unhappy and reclusive. Her sister, Vanessa, is surprised by the extent of Virginia's doldrums, and unsuccessfully tries to cheer her up. Only when she makes the effort to ask Virginia what she needs is Vanessa successful in using her artistry to engage Virginia and brighten her mood.

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