Nov 22, 2017 | Selfcare practices and resiliency
It might sound far fetched but listening can help save a life. So much pain people are living in can be relieved if people only felt heard. If someone you know is struggling, take the time to listen. Get comfortable sitting in the silence. Hold space for their pain so...
Nov 21, 2017 | Mental health resources
Shane Koyczan is a spoken-word poet whose personal grit and grin composition part broken dreams, part redemption, part symphony, pairs hurt with hope. His poem "To This Day" went viral reaching millions, and his TED talk "To this day...For the bullied and the...
Nov 20, 2017 | Mental health and parenting
Nov 17, 2017 | Mental health resources
Ever have those days, weeks, or months where life itself doesn't seem to fit anymore? I'm neither here nor there. Waiting for some grounding but it's just not happening? Trying to move forward but every day feels like a step back? Yah. I get that. Our lives are kind...
Nov 15, 2017 | Selfcare practices and resiliency
After my first husband died by suicide I had a hard time getting to sleep at night. I'm naturally a night owl, but those nights of insomnia weren't by choice. I went on a trip with some family to Barbados, and night after night I would sit on the open verandah of our...
Nov 14, 2017 | Sobriety, addictions, mental health
It's National Addictions Awareness Week in Canada. One of the things we talk about in suicide awareness is to pay attention when someone is misusing drugs and/or alcohol. This can often be signs that a person is in pain, and may be having thoughts of suicide. But what...
Nov 13, 2017 | Mental health resources
This Monday morning we're shaking the dust. Having a hard time getting started after the weekend? Shake the dust. Feeling down, in despair, unaware, under-cared for? Shake the dust. For the overachiever and the underdog, we're going to shake the dust this morning....
Nov 12, 2017 | Mental health resources
A gentle reminder that everything has its season. There is a time for everything. The following is an excerpt from Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8. If you'd prefer to hear this set to a tune keep scrolling to listen to The Byrds "Turn, Turn, Turn." A Time for Everything...
Nov 11, 2017 | Selfcare practices and resiliency
Do yourself a favour; savour. You've made it through the week. It's time to take a breath. Or perhaps your busy time is just ramping up with a long list of weekend to-do's and family obligations. But you can't give from an empty cup, as they say. So fill 'er up!...
Nov 11, 2017 | Mental health resources
It's Remembrance Day. In the morning I will be running a workshop at Camp Widow called "When The Darkness Closes In." 11:00am will come during that workshop. We will pause for a moment of silence. I will read In Flanders Fields by John McCrae. And I will read it to a...
Nov 10, 2017 | Mental health resources
It's Foraging Friday: the day we dig for meaning in the garden, in our hearts, in the stars, in the car...basically wherever we might find it. The good news is that can be just about anywhere. ...that feast is made up of goodness that spent a lot of time growing in...
Nov 9, 2017 | ASIST suicide intervention workshop
It's Talk To Me Thursday and I'm ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) training in downtown Toronto today. I'd love to hear from you. Have you been ASIST-trained? Tweet me about your experience. Are you thinking of taking the ASIST workshop? What's...