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Mental health: Listening & Relationships

Hey everyone, we’re raising awareness about mental health this month and today we’re asking you to consider the art of listening!

Do the people you listen to feel understood? Does the way you listen enhance and enrich your relationships?

Listening is the communication skill that links up with EMPATHY – which is what CMHA has featured in their mental health week campaign this year – and communication is at the heart of relationships. If you’re interested in developing quality relationships in your life, or want to enhance the quality of the relationships you have, check out the art of listening (and get some great pointers!) here.

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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.

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Everybody Belongs!

Hey everyone, the (previously postponed) Inclusion BC conference “Everybody Belongs!” is coming up in Surrey at the end of the month! You can get more information about the conference and register here.

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Emergency Preparedness Week: BUILD A KIT!

Hey everyone, as part of Emergency Preparedness Week we want to share some helpful resources to support everyone to build their emergency kit.

Check out this video that walks through the process of putting together a kit — and some special considerations, like medications and mobility.

Check out the lists on this page to make your own kit, or start off with a guide like this one. You can also find information online about where to get a kit. There’s also a great resource here about preparing a kit on a budget.

Don’t forget to consider having an emergency car kit if you drive or own a vehicle! You can check out information on emergency car kits here.

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Emergency Preparedness: Distress vs De-stress!

Hey everyone, we’ve been posting emergency planning information and resources for Emergency Preparedness Week, and we want to take time to talk stress.

Emergencies can be stressful to think about. Planning for emergencies might seem like a big chore, or it might seem like it’s an impossible job to be ready for anything, or it might make you feel scared or sad.

It’s important to know that having a plan is one of the best emergency response strategies you can have: it will help you stay calm if you’re ever faced with a real emergency. So, while emergency planning might seem like a challenge, it’s definitely worthwhile!

Here’s some videos to help lighten things up and simplify some key concepts (and a website to got with them!).

GRAB AND GO BAG:

EMERGENCY KIT:

GRAB AND GO BAG vs. EMERGENCY KIT (What’s the difference?)

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Emergency Preparedness Week: MAKE A PLAN!

Hey everyone, as part of Emergency Preparedness Week we want to focus in on supporting everyone to make an emergency plan that keeps you ready for anything!

Check out this video for a helpful walk-through of what to consider and what to do in case of some examples like 1) flooding while you’re not home, 2) a severe storm while you’re are home, and 3) a wildfire evacuation order.

Check out this page for access to 9 free online emergency preparedness guides you can use to plan for an emergency specific to your needs — from pets, to power outages, to pocket guides.

Finally, check out this page for some tips on how you can (and can’t) use technology when you’re planning what to do in case of an emergency, like these helpful hints:

  • Non-voice channels like text messaging, email or social media use less bandwidth than voice communications and may work even when phone service doesn’t.
  • Keeping phone conversation brief conserves your phone’s battery.
  • Waiting 10 seconds before redialing if you can’t complete a call helps reduce network congestion.
  • Cordless phones rely on electricity and will not work during a power outage.
  • Save your safe meeting location on your smartphone’s mapping application.
  • Conserve your smartphone’s battery by reducing the screen’s brightness, placing your phone in airplane mode, and closing apps you are not using.
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CMHA Mental Health Week

Hey everyone, we’re taking some time during our emergency preparedness week to talk about mental health.

It’s the Canadian Mental Health Association’s annual Mental Health Week this week — and here are some key strategies you can put to use right away!

  • Listen hard when someone wants to talk.
  • Don’t jump in or judge.
  • Before you weigh in, tune in. 

Start here with The Power of Empathy.