Hey everyone, some weather and air quality alerts in our area – stay safe!
Heat warnings
Hey everyone, with the current heat warnings in effect please take extra precautions to keep cool at this time.
Stay updated on heat warnings and current wildfire info (https://www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca/) and find out what measures are in place locally for cooling centres and heat response/resources, should you need them. Example from Kelowna here: https://www.kelowna.ca/our-community/news-events/news/cool-down-locations-available-public-temperatures-climb
Stay safe everyone!
National Indigenous Peoples Day JUNE 21
Hey everyone, it’s National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21 — learn more about National Indigenous Peoples Day here, find out about National Indigenous History Month (June) here, and share what’s going on in your community in the comments!
National Indigenous Peoples Day takes place on the summer solstice, June 21. It’s a special occasion to learn more about the rich and diverse cultures, voices, experiences and histories of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
Learning about Indigenous Peoples, places and experiences is a step forward each Canadian can take on the path to reconciliation.
https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/celebrate-canada/indigenous-peoples-day.html
Flooding…
Hey everyone, with the weather alerts notifying us all of heavy rainfall, and the notices of flooding risks in the Province, we wanted to highlight the importance of staying connected to local emergency resources.
The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre has been activated in response to localized flooding. Find out more here.
Get connected to your local emergency operations and keep up to date on emergency information! Stay safe and stay prepared.
CLBC Update for Individuals & Families…
…is now available! Click here.
Mental Health: Empathy vs. Sympathy
Hey everyone, we’re raising awareness about mental health this month and today we’re exploring how empathy is different than sympathy.
Check out this explanation (from Brené Brown).
Mental Health: Empathy & Compassion Fatigue
Hey everyone, we’re raising awareness about mental health this month. CMHA has featured empathy in their mental health week campaign this year – and empathy is very important in communication and in relationships!
However, and as CMHA highlights here in “Empathy and Compassion Fatigue” by Allison Dunning (Peer Support Canada), it’s important to know about and be aware of the “downfall” of empathy: compassion fatigue.
Compassion fatigue happens when we spend so much of our human energy trying to listen, understand and support others that we become exhausted ourselves. We can spend so much time thinking about other peoples’ experiences, needs and well-being, that we can forget to think about our own.
“Empathy and Compassion Fatigue” by Allison Dunning (Peer Support Canada)
Self-care and guarding against compassion fatigue are important parts of being in a caring profession. There are many resources available online as well as lots of posts on our website with information, resources, and strategies to help with compassion fatigue.
You can also check out suggestions to guard against compassion fatigue while still engaging in empathy in the original article on the CMHA website here, or their further suggested reading on strategies here.
Mental Health: Empathy & Practice
Hey everyone, we’re raising awareness about mental health this month and today we’re asking you to consider practicing empathy!
Did you know that empathy is like a skill? It’s something you can learn, and something you can get better with at with practice.
CMHA has featured empathy in their mental health week campaign this year – and you can check out 5 ways to incorporate and practice empathy in your life here! Why not pick one and give it a go?
Get connected!
Hey everyone, just a reminder as we head into the holiday weekend to check out the Family Support Institute’s Calendar for Connection – get connected with local events, or get connected online!
Mental health: Empathy & listening
Hey everyone, we’re raising awareness about mental health this month and today we’re asking you to consider how you listen!
Do you listen to others to understand, or do you listen to others to judge? Check out the difference here!
Listening is the communication skill that links up with EMPATHY – which is what CMHA has featured in their mental health week campaign this year. The great news is that they’ve also published an article with a checklist that goes through steps to effective listening! Check it out here and brush up on your listening skills.
