World Mental Health Day by Daniel To

by Daniel To

I am not always well.

I typically feel great physically and generally feel well mentally – but that’s not always the case. Especially as a parent with young kids, working in the school system, I often get hit with both physical illness and, at the very least, mental fatigue, by the time the calendar hits mid-September.

The thing is – I don’t want to feel this way. As a person working in Education, Mental Health and sometimes with medical professionals – I recognize when I’m not well, but I try so hard to hold on and:

Look like I’m physically well at work and at home,
Be as efficient at answering all of my emails, texts and calls as quick as I always am,
Be available and there for everyone – family, friends, colleagues,
Have deeply personal and thoughtful conversations and relationships….

But sometimes…I feel I just can’t. Sometimes I just want to sit, somewhere, all alone, in the dark – and rest. And breathe. Collect my thoughts. To just survive.

Friends, this is me – and during this week where World Mental Health Day is being recognized on October 10 – I want you to remember that it IS ok if struggling in life is also you.

Like physical wellness, our mental health (wellness) does fluctuate, and this is normal. Recognizing this in ourselves, and in those around us, is critical to making sure that we take the steps to remain healthy overall. That may mean something different for each of us – but knowing what triggers our physical and mental distress, understanding what we can do to minimize these triggers and finding ways to rebuild our physical and mental resilience are key to helping us remain healthy overall.

There is nothing wrong with recognizing that you are physically sick or that your mental health is not what it should be. There are quite a few district and community resources that are low barrier and there to help you rebuild, and maintain, the necessary resilience to be a healthy and whole individual. Here are a few that you may find helpful:

We have produced short videos – aimed at K-12 Students but useful for anyone about: Dealing with loneliness, Stress and Anxiety, Navigating Life Changes, Digital Stress, Healthy and Unhealthy Stress, Health and Wellness, Healthy Relationships, and Body Image. There are teacher and parent guides for these videos – but over time I have found them useful even for adults. They are found at surreyschools.ca/mentalhealth
Surrey Schools Employee and Family Wellness Support Found here. If you need to chat with someone or need support for you or your family – go to this link to find out more information
There are many family resources available at Kelty Mental Health if you want to find community resources.
There are also quite a few supports for physical and/or mental health issues, collated by the Province of BC. This list can be found here

When we feel physically sick – we do our best to take the right medications and take the right measures to get better: chicken soup, Tylenol, sleep, rest, a hug…all of this helps us physically. Likewise, when feeling mentally unwell – it is important to take the rights steps to feel healthy. If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out to our Human Resources Department or to my department. We are here for you.

Daniel To
District Principal
Teacher
Father
Partner
Friend
Colleague
Person.