{"id":1002,"date":"2019-01-30T09:00:06","date_gmt":"2019-01-30T17:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onlineacademiccommunity.uvic.ca\/wellness\/?p=1002"},"modified":"2019-01-28T14:57:23","modified_gmt":"2019-01-28T22:57:23","slug":"lets-talk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onlineacademiccommunity.uvic.ca\/wellness\/2019\/01\/30\/lets-talk\/","title":{"rendered":"Let’s Talk"},"content":{"rendered":"

January 30th<\/sup> marks the annual Bell Let\u2019s Talk Day. On January 30th<\/sup> Canadian Telecommunications Company Bell will donate 5 cents to mental health initiatives for every text sent by Bell customers, for every mobile and long distance call made by Bell customers, for every time anyone views the Bell Let\u2019s Talk Day video (on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Snapchat), tweets with #BellLetsTalk, uses the Bell Let\u2019s Talk Day Facebook frame or uses the Bell Let\u2019s Talk Day Snapchat filter. All of these funds go towards grants in the range of $5,000 to $25,000 that improve access to mental health care services in Canada. In 2018 the Victoria based groups who received grants were Megaphone & Hope in Shadows, which promotes mental health among the homeless, and Need2, a suicide prevention and education initiative.<\/p>\n

    But social media is not the only aspect of Bell Let\u2019s Talk Day. We can also take action to make a difference with our peers and in our communities. A university can be a stressful place for both students and staff. It\u2019s important to take care of yourself and also look out for your friends and colleagues. A good way you can help is to be a good listener and ask your friends how they are feeling if they seem not quite themselves. You should avoid expressions that minimize how a person might be feeling, such as \u201cyou\u2019ll get over it\u201d or \u201cjust relax.\u201d Bell Let\u2019s talk day also aims to reduce the stigma around seeking help for and discussing mental health issues and the language we use is a big component of that.<\/p>\n

    For our own part, UVic\u2019s EFAP provider Morneau Shepell offers a number of resources that can help you to make your workplace a more mentally healthy place. These include:<\/p>\n