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Restless (By Dan Harbridge)

April 29, 2021 By Daniel Harbridge Leave a Comment

Sitting still but itching to move.

Squirming but wishing I could sit still.

Legs bouncing, drawing eyes, causing irritation.

I pace back and forth at the bus stop like a night watchman. I can’t stand silent like the others.

I lean forward placing all the weight on one foot while spinning my ankle. It goes on for hours. One day I’ll drill my big toe through to the basement.

My mind longs to be here but jumps from there to there and there and back again. I’ll think about the moment from before later and fail to be present then as well.

I feel RESTLESS.

I ride my bike, typically as hard as I can for as long as I can. I get home drained. The restless energy inside is gone… for a while. It’ll come back but for now, it’s a relief.

Showers are calming. There’s nowhere else to be and there’s a freedom in that. I give into the sound of the water and I forget about being anywhere but here.

In the morning, I meditate. At first, I’m barraged with thoughts but focusing on breathing robs the voices of their volume and slowly the noise departs.

Sometimes the restlessness is too much to handle. I want to jump out of my skin. I try to remember the habits that help me manage – cycling, meditation, even the showers… and I look forward to the windows of calm they bring, however brief they may be.

I try to remember that this sometimes relentless internal energy can drive me to complete tasks that bring me pride…

… even if I’m squirming in my seat the whole time I’m doing so.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dan Harbridge has been the Digital Communications Specialist with CMHA Kelowna since January 2020. He is a mental health advocate who has lived experience with mental illness. He is also an advocate for equity in professional sports.

ADHD: Getting the Right Mental Health Diagnosis

April 9, 2021 By Kyla J Lane Leave a Comment

I have ADHD.

I was diagnosed last week.

It’s something I started exploring a while ago after learning about how attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often presents in women (hint: it’s not bouncing off the walls like we’re told) & matching myself to those symptoms.

I’ve been seeing a therapist who is helping me to understand it & work through 29 years of feeling like a failure & like I couldn’t meet the simplest of expectations & realizing that there was a reason besides not trying hard enough.

I’ve had a lot of built-up frustration & anger with myself because of this and it’s incredibly relieving to know there’s a reason behind it all & I don’t have to continue suffering and working against a brain that isn’t meant to do things like “normal” brains.

I want to share this with you today because women are 3 times less likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than men. Our symptoms often present differently, so we’re told we have anxiety, depression, are lazy, have emotion disorders, etc.

This is what happened when I went to a new family doctor to ask for help.

I was completely brushed off & told I didn’t have ADHD because I “did well in school” so it must be my anxiety causing all of my symptoms.

I was given anti-anxiety medication & told the most common side effect was diarrhea.

I wasn’t told I would slide into depression.

I wasn’t told I would wake up drenched in sweat and shaking.

I wasn’t told my anxiety would skyrocket.

I wasn’t told I would stop caring about my work, which means the world to me.

I wasn’t told about the dizziness & tiredness.

I wasn’t told I would feel like a zombie, & the people around me would notice I wasn’t myself.

I wasn’t told I wouldn’t be able to get out of bed.

I went to my doctor to ask for help & I was dismissed & put on medication that was severely dangerous to my mental health with no warning.

I hate the thought of others going through it.

Thankfully, I have the resources & ability to advocate for myself but I know others aren’t so fortunate.

We need to normalize advocating for ourselves.

Find the people who are willing to listen to you and help you—I promise they’re out there.

I hope you’ll advocate for yourself.

You deserve it ❤

? ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kyla J. Lane is the founder and president of her Soul Shot, which shows women how powerful they can be through sport by providing inspiration, resources, and opportunities for women to live their soul’s truth through sport.

? ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults (CMHA BC): https://cmha.bc.ca/documents/attention-deficithyperactivity-disorder-in-adults-2/
Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance (CADDRA): https://www.caddra.ca/
Centre for ADHD Awareness, Canada (CADDAC): https://caddac.ca/understanding-adhd/getting-started/adult/

Move for your Mood

March 18, 2021 By Jessica Samuels Leave a Comment

Move to improve your mental health

Before we talk about how to improve your mental health, let’s make sure we agree on what we’re talking about. At the Canadian Mental Health Association, we notice that people use the terms “mental health” and “mental illness” interchangeably, but really, they mean different things.

Mental illnesses are disturbances in thoughts, feelings, and perceptions that are severe enough to affect day-to-day functioning.[i]Some examples are anxiety disorders or major depression, and by age 40, about half of people in Canada will have or have had a mental illness.

Mental health, however, is a state of well-being, and we all have it. Some signs of good mental health are enjoying life, having a sense of purpose, and being able to manage life’s highs and lows.

One in five people in Canada will experience a mental health problem or illness in any given year.[ii] But five in five of us have mental health that needs to be protected and promoted.

The good news is, there are things we can all do to promote and protect our mental health, and they can be as simple as putting one foot in front of the other.

Move to feel well

You don’t need to run to get a runner’s high. Any aerobic activity, such as powerwalking to the grocery store, climbing a toboggan hill or doing jumping jacks in your basement pumps up endorphins and floods your brain with feel-good chemicals.

If you’re feeling tense or trapped by your always-on monkey brain, movement can be a form of meditation, too. Ever notice how you’ve forgotten the stresses of your day after a long walk?

People who exercise report feeling less stressed or nervous, and regular heart-pumping movement can reduce tension, fatigue and anger, and improve your mood, your self-esteem and your body image. For even greater benefits, get moving outdoors! Recent studies have found people report a higher level of vitality, enthusiasm and pleasure after they have walked outside.

Move to manage illness

In people with a diagnosed mental illness, such as depression, regular physical activity can even help treat your symptoms.[iii] In the short term, vigorous exercise that really gets your heart pumping can boost your mood after just 10 or 15 minutes.

And, if you get moving regularly, this trains your brain over time to help regulate your mood and can even relieve depression.

Ride the ups and downs of life

Remember: even if you don’t have a mental illness, that doesn’t mean you’ll feel great all the time. You might experience stress, a difficult life event, or burnout. Just like anyone can catch a cold or flu, everyone experiences the ups and downs of life.

So, there’s not just the one in five of us who have mental illnesses, and “the rest of us” who don’t. There is no rest of us. There is just us—all five in five. And regular physical activity can help all of us feel better, mentally and physically.

Are you looking for mental health services or supports in your own community? Visit www.cmha.ca to find your local CMHA. If you are thinking of suicide, please visit www.crisisservicescanada.ca or call 1-833-456-4566; in QC, call 1-866-APPELLE.

[i] Quick Facts: Mental Illness & Addiction in Canada. Mood Disorders Society of Canada

[ii] https://cmha.ca/fast-facts-about-mental-illness

[iii] https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/exercise-is-an-all-natural-treatment-to-fight-depression

This article was written for ParticipACTION’s Move for your Mood campaign and originally appeared on the CMHA National website

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