These hashtags have been splashed all over social media today, January 25th as Bell has once again taken mental health awareness to the next level. Through Bell Media’s various platforms on television and radio across Canada, mental illnesses have been brought to the forefront as people are doing whatever they can to help eliminate the long standing stigmas that are associated with people who suffer from these various illnesses.
What has become an annual event would likely never have even started if not for TSN personality Michael Landsberg’s interview with with former NHLer and Montreal Canadiens forward Stephane Richer.
Less than a year later in 2010 Bell Let’s Talk Day began and has since become ingrained in Canadian society. So much progress has been made in terms of mental health awareness since Michael Landsberg and Stephane Richer decided to open up about their own struggles with depression. Slowly but surely it became okay to express one’s feelings, or to ask for help, or to simply be ready to listen. The more that people talk about their own experiences, the better everyone else can understand what they are going through.
The hockey world quickly embraced #BellLetsTalk and helped spread the word, not just in Canada but in American markets as well. The hockey community might seem big but in reality it is quite small, especially compared to its professional league cousins such as the NFL, MLB and NBA. Perhaps the tragic deaths of former NHL players such as Derek Boogaard, Wade Belak, Rick Rypien and Steve Montador influenced their former colleagues to jump out and take action. Mental healthy is especially at the forefront of many players minds when it comes to post concussion symptoms and its long term effects on the brain.
For so long there has been a stigma that real men do not talk about their feelings. That real men tough it out. That thought process gets carried into the locker room where players can feel like they have to live up to a certain image. There is also the idea that professional players are well compensated, that they should not have any worries in the world, that there is no reason to feel depressed, or anxious. However, it is not for anyone to judge how a person feels. No one else can know or understand what goes on in someone else's brain, or whatever personal ordeals they might be going through at or away from the rink.
There have been some incredible stories that have been shared today by people all across Canada. I highly recommend taking the time to read some of the hockey world's experiences:
Almost everyone has been touched in some way shape or form by mental illness. It comes in many forms and it is not something that is easy to always understand. Asking for help, or asking for someone to listen can be the hardest thing to get the courage to do. While I have personally not suffered from a mental illness, there have been times that I have felt myself close to that line. Fortunately I have been able to pull myself out but I know that there have been countless times that I have kept my emotions bottled up inside of me. That I did not want to burden anyone with whatever I was going through and felt as though if I ignored it then eventually it would go away. Or I would sabotage myself by not taking risks, afraid of change, afraid of success. The status quo always seemed easier.
Today I find it easier to push myself to be strong. That likely has to do with being a Mother and responsible for two incredible beings. One of my greatest risks was submitting my entry to replace Eric Engels here at Hockeybuzz. I knew that if I never took that chance I never would. I hate attention, I am an introvert. But I love sports, I love hockey. The Canadiens were my first love. Putting myself and my name out there was one of the scariest things that I have ever done but I wanted to set an example for my son (second one had not been born yet). The immediate support that I received from my family, friends, the Hockeybuzz community and strangers was absolutely incredible and made me a stronger person with a greater sense of self-confidence.
My eldest son is almost six years old and for a time it was thought that he was on the Autism Spectrum with what is known as Asperger’s Syndrome or High Functioning Autism. It can be difficult to accept that your child is not typical, however you love all of the little things that make your child unique. After further testing the doctors felt that while there were some tendencies, they felt that it would be a false diagnosis as he could grow out of certain behaviors and that long-term he would benefit more without it. In some ways, not having an official diagnosis is harder as it gets difficult to explain to others why he might react differently than others, especially when it comes to organized sports.
I love watching him play hockey, soccer, swim and ski. I love that he loves hockey. Watching him play pre-novice hockey is amongst my greatest joys and it is because how happy it makes him feel. However, he is especially sensitive. He cannot handle losing, be it at hockey or chutes and ladders. He does not have a physical tantrum, he shuts down. If he is not successful at something right away he gets incredibly frustrated and shuts down again. Some coaches are more sensitive but others are tougher and I see how they get frustrated with him. I constantly ask myself should we be saying something to the coaches? Should we be asking them to approach him differently? However, without that diagnosis I feel that perhaps he should learn the hard way like everyone else. If he is not labeled as different, why make him out to be? There is still a possibility that he could be diagnosed with ADD or ADHD as he gets older...
Mental illness can affect us in so many ways be it directly or indirectly. While #BellLetsTalk is an incredible initiative, we need to be talking everyday. We need to be listening everyday. I am not the greatest at talking, but I am always ready to listen...
Join the Discussion:
»