Mental Health (Page 11)

Sometimes the news can feel overwhelming and like it is only getting worse. Traumatic events can be sudden and unexpected. It is common to feel helpless, confused, angry or worried. It’s hard to understand why these things happen, or what it means for the future. Sometimes we might feel nothing at all. While there is no standard way to feel or act, there are some ways that you can recognize the signs of extreme stress in yourself and those around you, how you can practice self-care and how you can help support others.
 

Today is World Mental Health Day, and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is calling for increased recognition to the mental health consequences of humanitarian crises. It is also advocating for increased action in addressing the critical gaps that exist in providing mental health supports and services.

When many of us think of first aid, we picture bandages and CPR - but first aid isn't just a life-saving and harm-reducing intervention for physical injuries. This is where psycholigcal first aid comes in, responding to mental health crisis, and helping to reduce the stigma around mental health. 

What do you think of when you hear 'first aid'? Cuts, blood, and bruises - any number of physical injuries may come to mind. Typically, first aid provides the skills to physically help save a life. However, first aid for the mind is just as important as first aid for the body. Learning psychological first aid skills for mental health crises could also save a life. This program is being introduced and offered by Canadian Red Cross training partners and online across Canada.

When events like the recent shooting in Toronto unfold, it can leave us feeling helpless, confused, angry, or afraid. Here are some tips for taking care of yourself and your loved ones during difficult times. 

Tragic events, like the bus accident which resulted in multiple deaths and injuries to the Humboldt Broncos hockey team can leave us feeling  helpless, confused, angry, or worried. It is difficult to understand why things like this happen, or what it means for the future. In times like this, it is important for people to connect with each other, and support one another. Here are some tips. 

On a stifling and humid afternoon in November, Julekha ‘Juli’ Akter sat on the floor of a small tent for families in the transit camp for vulnerable people arriving in Bangladesh after fleeing violence in Myanmar. The 18-year-old Bangladesh Red Crescent Society volunteer held the hand of an elderly woman, never breaking eye contact as the newcomer tearfully explained her journey.

When a disaster strikes, the Canadian Red Cross quickly mobilizes to meet people’s basic needs: shelter, food, clothing, registration and so on. But there’s another aspect of the Red Cross response that’s perhaps not as well-known, but is equally important to the people impacted by the disaster:  our work to support psychosocial wellbeing in times of crisis and through the long recovery phase after disasters.