"Let's Talk. Again!"

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Speak louder than the words before you

and give them meaning no one else has found

The role we play is so important

we are the voices of the underground

and I would give the world to you

Say everything you've always wanted,

be not afraid of who you really are,

cause in the end we have each other,

and that's at least one thing worth living for,

and I would give the world to you

lyrics by Ian Axel ~ This is The New Year
 

The post previous to this was all about the reasons why we don't seek treatment for mental illness. My favourite guest author, my mom (!), did a great job of highlighting some common reasons why so many of us choose to remain silent. I can understand all of them. However, I made a different choice. I made the choice to talk about it.

 

First, I talked about it with my mom. Then, with my doctor. As I started to feel a bit more comfortable with my diagnosis, I started to talk to a few choice friends. That was 20 years ago. And, for the most part, I haven't stopped talking.

 

February 12 is Bell Canada's Let's Talk Day. It's a day dedicated to conversation about mental illness in Canada. The reason why this campaign resonates with me so, is because it's pretty simple - it's about talking.

 

As I have said many times before in this blog, when people talk about depression, it's usually in whispered tones. I want to change that. I want to eliminate stigma. The way to do that? Talk about it.

OK, so I have more practice at talking about depression. So maybe tomorrow I am not going to ask you to bare your soul. Maybe, I'll ask you to start small. Here are some super simple ways to help get the conversation started.

On Tuesday, February 12th, Bell will donate 5 cents for every:
* test message sent (by a Bell or Bell Alliant customer)
* long distance call (by a Bell or Bell Alliant customer)
* tweet using #BellLetsTalk
* facebook share of the Bell Let's Talk Image

So you see, starting the conversation is actually pretty easy! I think that mental health matters. Don't you? Let's not be silent, together.

KB xo

 

P.S. For more information about Bell's Lat's Talk Day visit their website: www.letstalk.bell.ca