Over the eight years I’ve been publishing my blog, I’ve had only a handful of guest writers. I suppose it’s inherent to my A-type personality; I have a hard time giving up the controls, opting to simply do things myself rather than depend on others.
(And, to be honest, I really do think I can do a better job. See! I’m not a martyr, I’m a snob.)
However, today I’m shaking things up. Did you know that in any given week, at least 500,000 Canadians will miss work due to a mental health issue? And one in eight women will develop depression at some point in their lives? Mental illness indirectly affects all Canadians at some time through a family member, friend or colleague.
It happens, we know that. But four in ten Canadian women say that they are too embarrassed to admit to mental health issues, and they have never sought medical help. Adding to the frustration, more than one third (38 per cent) of Canadians agree that if a friend or family member had a mental health issue, they would not know how to support them.
And that needs to change.
To put a spotlight on mental illness, I’m handing over the reigns to my husband; he’ll be giving me a much-deserved break today from my busy schedule as a mom and business woman so that I can have a moment for my own mental health. Everyone, please meet Michael Almeida!
Hi everyone, I’m Michael, Lena’s husband. I know it was really difficult for her to let me guest write on her blog (she’ll probably edit my submission for grammar) but today she’ll be able to sit in the backyard with her e-reader while I try to keep up the writing standards on this blog!
Almost 10 years to the day I proposed to this beautiful girl. It was love at first sight for me and from the moment I met her I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. She was always so happy and so positive and so sweet. …