The first completely anonymous story. An incredibly impactful mental health journey and a story with no name attached but the most significant messages. Sharing how you struggle does not always have to have your identity attached as your mental illness does not define you, however sharing your story and experience is important and it helps you heal and others to find comfort in their struggles; no matter the way you choose to do it, it has a bigger impact than you can ever imagine. This episode is important in so many ways; the significance of sharing your story, talking about how you are struggling to friends, family, therapist, journal whatever way works best for you it helps you find the support you may not know you needed and security in how you are feeling. The importance of living Just for Today. Just for Today, I will be happy. This alcoholics anonymous slogan runs deep and has the greatest significance in this episode and in life; live every day for the day it is because every day is a new day, different from yesterday and not a determinate of tomorrow. Life moves far faster than we can ever keep up with and whether you struggle with your mental health or not, living in the moment and enjoying each day for the day it is, can be incredibly challenging but is vital in living a better, happier life. So start thinking “Just for Today”, live each day for you, live each day only for the day at hand, do what makes you happiest and feel the best for that day only, and simply remind yourself that the only thing you have control over is today, as yesterday is in the past and you can’t predict the future.

In this episode Goose shares his mental health journey, through years of addiction and mental illness he finds the strength to explain all that he has been through and how the difficult times have allowed him to look at life under a significantly brighter lens. Goose shares the importance to check in on those around you as you can never know how much someone is struggling, to share how you feel with people, to always try to find hope and never give up, and his recovery process through addiction and suicide ideation and what has made him the amazingly confident and encouraging person he is today. I'm so proud of Goose. For the strength he has had through all he has been through and how incredibly positive and strong he continues to embody everyday. It takes a lot of courage and strength to get through a journey like this and share how hard you have struggled, so thank you Goose. I am so very proud of your strength and forever lucky to have met you, and have such a positive, encouraging light in mine and everyones life.

Trigger Warning: Addiction, Suicide, Drugs and Mental Health struggles are described in this episode. Reminder: the opinions and experience expressed here is that of the individual and not that of the entire recovery community or the solution discussed. This is for entertainment and educational purposes only, in order to provide people with options and a sense of comfort in different roads to recovery for different types of addiction and mental health issues.

One of life's biggest challenges is being honest with yourself especially when you are struggling. Almost three months ago Dana and I recorded this episode but between editing and when it was recorded so much had changed in both of our lives that it felt more genuine to record again and give everyone a more updated conversation. Sometimes it takes a setback to see where you should be going and what you need to do to get there, especially when it comes to mental health. Today Dana Ferguson joins us on The Honest Hour to share her experience with her mental health, her journey with food and eating and how she is conquering it all with the most incredibly positive outlook on life. Dana teaches me so much; having a more positive attitude, turning the difficult times into life lessons, having a better relationship with eating, the different ways to think about food and most importantly, to always be confident in yourself and whatever you are doing. Dana embodies never letting life bring you down and the definition of being real with yourself always, I have learned so much from her and I am very excited for you to as well. 

Resources to learn more about Eating Disorders:

https://nedic.ca/

https://ontario.cmha.ca/documents/understanding-and-finding-help-for-eating-disorders/

https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/where-do-i-start-0

Dana's Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/danaaferguson/

We all have personal goals we want to work on, and in this episode Sophia tells us where to start with it all. From her own experience struggling with mental health Sophia shares the importance of focusing on your health and how to take time for yourself. We chat about all things nutrition,  intuitive eating, what got Sophia out of her marketing job and into health and wellness, how yoga and journalling can be the best addition to your life and the crazy world of social media. Sophia is truly incredible in all ways and embodies positivity and love from the inside out. I love her and you will love her even more after this episode. If you want to begin journalling, focus on getting more movement like yoga or workouts, want to learn more about nutrition, mindfulness and overall health, check out the link below to all of Sophia's incredible resources.

Links for Sophia's Instagram, TikTok, Journal Prompts, Youtube and More:

https://msha.ke/sophiaannamato/

Today we're sitting in the park with two of my best friends, Cameron and Margot to talk about how we're feeling about the new lockdown restrictions, end of year burn out, graduating university, our university experience and so much more. Most importantly, I hope our conversation provides some comfort in familiar struggles and reminds you of how easy it can be to check in on your friends and reach out when you need it. Having conversations about how you're feeling and opening up about your struggles can be very difficult, but talking to someone you trust makes everything easier. Check on the homies, they need you, but always remember to check in with yourself because you need you the most. Life is difficult right now, but I hope this can be your reminder to focus on the present and think about the future as it comes. No matter how hard times may feel, it will pass and something brighter will follow. 

This week we are joined by the incredibly knowledgable and admirable Army, as he shares how his passion for mental health allowed him to get involved and make a change. Army joins us on The Honest Hour to share his experience moving to Canada alone as an international student in grade 10, the work he has done with peer support at McGill to change policies and implement better support for students, and now expanding this passion by co-founding Peer Support Network Canada. The incredible work Army does with mental health does not stop here, as a second year medical student at UBC, he continues to amplify this passion by implementing change in the mental health community at a national level by working on policies for Bell Lets Talk and Mental Health Canada. This episode motivates me to get more involved in mental health initiatives and make a change at more impactful levels, and I hope it encourages you to do the same. :)

How to get involved: 

https://cmha.ca/get-involved

https://childhealth.ca/volunteer/

https://kidshelpphone.ca/get-involved/participate/volunteer/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAhP2BBhDdARIsAJEzXlGXr-BVgArU8K15yU4Qf3n7tuCPlt_ylbA4QfFVro79naMYQqsRHCgaAiQwEALw_wcB

https://www.crisistextline.ca/volunteer

https://www.nami.org/get-involved

Currently in society the stigmas that surround men's mental health are prevalent and common. The gender gap among individuals with mental health issues continue to persist as a result of the stigma, lack of research, conversations, and awareness on the issue. Today on The Honest Hour, Jonathan Watkin and Raza Malik join me to open up the discussion on men's mental health and its prevalence in our society today. As two males coming from different areas of work, Jonathan and Raza share their experience with mental health in the workplace, in their everyday lives and interactions, as well as ways in which they check in on their friends and show their support. 

Helpful Resources: 

Learn More: https://toronto.cmha.ca/mens-mental-health/

Jack.org : Jack.org has A LOT of incredible resources for men's mental health 

- HeadsUpGuys (@headsupguys) : A depression resource that provides males with information and practical tips to manage and prevent depression in men.

- tethr (www.tethr.men): An online peer-to-peer support community connecting men for honest and open conversations about life.

Living with Chronic Depression, Anxiety and a Panic Disorder. Lucas Paletta joins us on The Honest Hour this week to share his experience living with mental illness. It takes incredible amounts of courage and strength to be open about your struggles, and on this episode Lucas shows us exactly what that looks like. Not only does this episode allow you to hear Lucas's impactful story, but it also allows you to see mental health from the perspective of a male. Men's mental health is a topic that is not nearly touched on enough and continues to experience a strong stigma surrounding it. Lucas allows us to expand our knowledge and awareness on men's mental health and work towards further opening the conversation.

Trigger Warning: **This episode includes conversations on suicide, suicide ideation and depression, some people may find disturbing and/or triggering. Please be advised**

Lucas's Chapel Speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h4OEij_Ed8

Resources to help: 

Canada Suicide Prevention Service: 1.833.456.4566 or send a text to 45645

https://thedepressionproject.com/

https://www.suicideinfo.ca/

https://ontario.cmha.ca/documents/understanding-and-finding-help-for-depression/

How much do kids really know about Mental Health? I have always talked about Mental Health with my younger cousins, but never took the time to think about how much they may actually understand. On this episode we are able to see Mental Health from a completely different perspective, that being the perspective of a fifth grader, who not too much surprise doesn't know much on the topic. Jack is 10 years old and joins me on The Honest Hour to share what he thinks Mental Health means, the negative and positive impacts and how he understands the topic. 

Big periods of transition can definitely lead to big impacts on your mental health. Jolene and Sophie are two first year university students who came to share their experiences from high school to university and now navigating the pressures of first year during a pandemic. This weeks episode we talk transitional periods, the pressures of school and obtaining certain grades, anxieties about the future and the difficulties they found going into first year university online.