The start of Mental Illness Awareness Week was on Oct. 5.
In today’s world, posts on awareness days appear to have gained more popularity on social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, particularly as technology is always evolving. This change works in favour of society.
From Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Day to World Environment Day, these special days remind us of the real issues happening in the world, which tend to be forgotten.
One of the greatest things about the tool of social media is that it can be used to our advantage to create awareness. This is especially evident for days like World Mental Health Day, held annually on Oct.10.
World Mental Health Day, which is signified by a green ribbon, was created to remove the stigma about mental health and fight for better access to care worldwide.
It is also recognized in more than 100 countries and promoted by global organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO).
For instance, on platforms such as Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and others, both individuals and institutions have the power to post a message with the snap of a finger.
Hashtags such as #WorldMentalHealthDay or #YouAreNotAlone can increase engagement with the cause and help create a sense of community between users of social media apps. And something as small as a short 60-second reel can create a human connection to the cause.
In terms of support during this month, Humber Polytechnic has offered support within the college and outside of it, too.
It has an ongoing partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association Toronto (CMHATO), which provides free walk-in and evening mental health support to everyone on campus.
CMHA support is available Monday to Friday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at North and Lakeshore campuses. It allows for timely access to care outside of their regular business hours.
In addition to this partnership, the college has also collaborated with Togetherall, a service that provides students with free, 24/7 online mental health and wellbeing support.
It is completely confidential and monitored by licensed mental health professionals to ensure safety for all students.
According to a World Mental Health Day Statement by Unifor, Canada's largest private sector union, having a bigger workload is one of, if not the largest, stressors within the workplace.
"Increased demands, without opportunities for control, result in physical, psychological and emotional fatigue, and increase stress and strain," the union said. "Emotionally fatigued individuals also have a diminished sense of personal accomplishment and an increased sense of inadequacy."
The union also said this is one of the main reasons employees have negative attitudes about their jobs and/or employers.
And although Mental Health Illness Awareness Week ended, the conversation should continue no matter what. We should continue to use the tool of social media to continuously educate ourselves and others.
Allowing the platform to be used as a space for learning and supporting others' needs when it comes to mental health is important, and the conversation becomes a destigmatized topic of conversation.
