Mental Health Awareness Week May 1-7

Jessie Wyllie, CFMWS Health Promotion — One in five Canadians experience a mental illness, but five in five of us have mental health #MyStory

Mental Health Awareness Week is all about promoting behaviours and attitudes that foster well-being, support good mental health, and create a culture of understanding and acceptance here at Maritime Forces Pacific (MARPAC).

Over the past year, the Mental and Social Wellness Working group within the MARPAC Health and Wellness Strategy has worked hard on the installation of six beautiful wellness benches. These benches have been placed in various locations around both Naden and Dockyard (see map for specific locations). The purpose of these benches is to reduce stress by providing outdoor space for individuals to enjoy a wellness break and to foster social connection and inclusion.

This year, the theme for Mental Health Week is all about ‘My Story’. While we recognize that one in five Canadians experience a mental illness or mental health issue, every single one of us has mental health and has their own story. Finding ways to take care of our mental health is so important and is unique to each of us. Get some inspiration and ideas on ways you can ‘live in the green’ from some of the various members within our CAF community!

Are you living in the green?

Capt(N) Sebastien Richard

“Personally, I use sports as a stress relief to stay in the green, as well as long walks with my dog or going for a bike ride; keeping up with each of those seems to work best for me.”

LCol (Padre) Catherine Askew

“To stay in the green, I do traditional Cree bead work. It’s how I regained part of my identity and culture as we move away from the history of residential schools.”

A/SLt Lia MacDonald

“I go for runs, play board games, and practice mindful muscle relaxation techniques to help me stay in the green.”

Steve Faust

“The goal as a peer advisor is to empower people to discover their own route to mental health. How this looks for me is being involved with different communities for social interactions, as well as getting outside and exercising while being surrounded by trees and nature.”

S1 Menitza Haugen

“To stay in the green while on deployments, I exercise, read books, take part in social activities like bingo and trivia, and crotchet.”

Alyssa Jesson

“As a military spouse, it is really important for me to focus on my mental health. To stay in the green, I am very cognisant of my support network – both friends and family, and I prioritize my physical health through workouts and healthy nutrition.”