Personal Stories Archives - Partners for Mental Health Canada

Diverse office team collaborating around a table with clasped hands, symbolizing shared workplace health and safety responsibility for mental wellness.

Workplace Health and Safety Policy: What It Must Include and Why It Matters for Mental Wellness

A workplace health and safety policy is a written commitment that defines how your organization protects every person who walks through the door, and under current Canadian regulations, any employer with more than five employees must establish one in consultation with workers. This isn’t just a compliance exercise. Done right, it’s the foundation that makes your workplace safe physically, psychologically, and emotionally.
The regulations updated through June 2026 clarify what must be included: clear statements of employer and worker responsibilities, procedures for identifying and controlling hazards, and processes for …

Adult jogging in a green park at sunrise, conveying calm focus and mental health benefits of exercise

August 18, 2026August 18, 2026Care and Support Pathways Personal Stories Resource Library

What Are the Effects of Fitness on Mental Health (and How Does Exercise Help)?

Physical fitness is the body’s ability to perform daily activities with energy and alertness, and when it comes to mental health, regular exercise acts as a powerful intervention that reduces symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress while improving mood, cognitive function, and overall emotional resilience.
If you’re struggling with your mental health or supporting someone who is, understanding how movement shapes your mind can be life-changing. The connection isn’t abstract or wishful thinking. Decades of research confirm that exercise triggers …

Clinicians in a bright clinic discussing mental health training materials with one person pointing to a workbook while others listen in a supportive setting.

Updated on August 12, 2026June 27, 2026Care and Support Pathways Personal Stories Resource Library

These Training Programs Are Transforming How Professionals Support Mental Health

Training for mental health professionals equips clinicians, counselors, and support workers with evidence-based skills to better serve clients facing increasingly complex mental health challenges. These programs range from brief workshops on specific therapeutic modalities to comprehensive certificate courses in trauma-informed care, typically requiring anywhere from a few hours to several months of study. The goal is straightforward: deepen clinical expertise, stay current with emerging research, and ultimately improve client outcomes across diverse populations.
The landscape has shifted considerably. Mental health professionals in…

Diverse adults jogging and walking together on a sunny spring evening along a riverside park path, exchanging a high-five, with trees, water, and a soft city skyline in the background.

Updated on June 10, 2026June 2, 2026Care and Support Pathways Personal Stories Resource Library

Mental Health Awareness Week Canada 2026: How Movement and Fitness Transform Your Mental Wellness

Every May, Canadians pause to acknowledge a truth many of us carry quietly: mental health challenges touch nearly every family, workplace, and community across the country. Mental Health Awareness Week offers more than recognition. It creates space for honest conversations that too often remain unspoken.
This year’s campaign brings fresh momentum to an ongoing movement. Partners for Mental Health Canada continues building bridges between individual wellness and collective action, reminding us that healing happens not in isolation but through connection. The week serves as both mirror and window, reflecting our shared struggles…

THCa vape pen and cartridge on a wooden table next to a steaming mug and open journal, with a softly blurred Canadian city skyline and trees visible through a window.

Updated on June 7, 2026December 16, 2025I’m Here to Support Personal Stories Resource Library

THCa Vaping and Your Mental Health: What Canadians Need to Know

Understand that Strong THCP vape products are becoming increasingly popular across Canada, yet their impact on mental health remains complex and deeply personal. Recognize that while some Canadians report temporary relief from anxiety or stress through vaping these products, scientific evidence on long-term mental health effects is still emerging, and what helps one person may harm another.
Speak with your healthcare provider before using THCa for mental health concerns, especially if you have a history of depression, anxiety, psychosis, or are …

Updated on December 15, 2020November 30, 2020Personal Stories

Alcoholism and Mental Illness

My mother had a family history of mental illness and my brother, Eric, died from mental illness. Half a year after his death, Aunt Nancy died too. She and my brother died the same way: they were both found in a garage after overdosing on alcohol. Although aunty Nancy was a heavy drinker, she was never diagnosed with mental illness.
Aunt Allen committed suicide by driving off a pier at an insane speed. She had suffered through a mental illness. In the 1950s, my aunt Mary was inflicted with maniac depression, which later took her life.
Thirty-two years ago, I began struggling with alcoholism and bipolar disorder. I have been …

Updated on December 15, 2020November 28, 2020Personal Stories

How I Transitioned from Cutting to Changing My Campus for Good

I began cutting myself when I was in grade five. I continued to cut myself everyday until I went to college. Many days, I would self-harm several times. I felt ugly and completely worthless.
Too often, I would find myself with a hammer or something sharp to scratch, cut or bash my hands. I refused to stop until I was in intense pain, had blacked out, or there was a lot of bleeding.
I used drugs to numb my crazy thoughts. My thoughts encouraged me to self-harm. I took Ritalin, mushrooms, cocaine, ecstasy, crystal methamphetamine, antidepressants, weed, painkillers- anything I could find.
One day, while I was in grade 12…

Updated on December 15, 2020November 25, 2020Personal Stories

Mental Illness: Where Can You Find Help?

When we are physically sick, we wait at most a couple of days before consulting a doctor. Most times, we go to the doctor immediately we are worried that something is seriously wrong. We research the symptoms, tell family and friends, and get it checked out.
However, when most people feel emotionally imbalanced, act differently or have scary thoughts, they do not ask for help. Months later, despite noticing that it is getting worse, they still do not go and seek medical help.
Instead, excuses are made. They think it will disappear by itself, or that it is in their head. Some blame their personality, stress, or their age. Most…