For the second year in a row, the U of M is partnering with a new national campaign called Not Myself Today to raise awareness of mental health issues.

One aim of the campaign is to encourage people to pay more attention to their own mental health and well-being. Other goals are to positively change attitudes and behaviours towards those living with mental health difficulties or illnesses, and to influence positive changes in policies around mental health in the workplace — and for the U of M, it’s a university-wide concern. Over 1,100 mood badges, 500 stickers and other promotional items will be distributed to U of M students, faculty and staff in University Centre this week — Mental Health Week, which this year runs from May 5 to 9.

The annual campaign is part of an initiative by Partners for Mental Health, a national organization dedicated to transforming how Canadians think about and support mental health. Launched on April 2, the campaign continues until May 9 to coincide with Mental Health Week. It provides resources for the support of mentally healthy workplaces, and culminates in a special day when workplaces across Canada come together to hold special events to raise awareness about mental health in the workplace.

The website of Partners for Mental Health notes some disturbing statistics that should make us understand mental health in the workplace as a significant issue. Over the next 12 months, 7 million Canadians will experience a mental health problem. One in three workplace disability claims are related to mental illness, and each day, 500,000 people are absent from work due to mental health reasons.

The U of M has partnered with Partners for Mental Health for Not Myself Today as part of a larger commitment it has recently made to addressing issues of mental health in its student and employee populations.

>> See here for the UM Today story on these two great students who are changing the conversation about mental health!

Workplace wellness tips for improving mental health at work:

• Take short relaxation breaks. Take a few quiet minutes to try things that relax you, such as taking several deep breaths, closing your eyes, or thinking about a much-loved vacation spot or a person you love.
• Recognize that feeling stress at work isn’t a sign of weakness but a sign of the times – so take your mental wellness seriously and take your breaks!
• Watch what you eat. Go for foods that give you real energy such as fresh fruit and veggies, string cheese, and whole grains to get you through the late afternoon slump.
• Remember to stay hydrated. Adequate hydration (half your body weight in ounces of water per day) will decrease cravings and increase mental alertness!
• Manage your time. Prioritize tasks, write them down and enjoy the endorphin rush you get as you cross them off when they’re done. Don’t forget to reward yourself!
• Take time to listen to your body. Don’t ignore the rumbling of your tummy, your stiff neck, your shallow breaths, or the call of Mother Nature!
• Remind yourself to stand up and stretch at regular intervals by writing “STRETCH” on a Post-it note and sticking it on your computer monitor frame or putting it in your online calendar as a recurring reminder.
• Laughter is the best medicine: it reduces the level of stress hormones and triggers the release of endorphins (a.k.a. happy hormones)! Have something in your workplace that automatically makes you smile, like a funny picture or a goofy toy.
• De-clutter your work area and organize your workspace to reduce stress and make things easier to find.
• Feel stressed or angry? Go for a walk! You can work off the extra adrenaline you have and return to your desk feeling more relaxed.  Feel sleepy? Go for a walk! Exercise has been proven to boost energy levels.

Entitled Success through Wellness, the new strategy was approved by the President’s Executive Team on February 5, 2014. As one of the strategy’s recommendations, the campus mental health facilitator position has been created, expected to be filled in May 2014.

The University of Manitoba is committed to being part of the movement to change how we talk about, act towards and support mental health issues in Canada — believing it has a responsibility to our students, staff and faculty to support mental health and wellness on campus, and ultimately society, and to put forth real, attainable, concrete ways to provide that support.

President Barnard said, “Many of our students and staff face real challenges related to mental health, be it their own, or that of a friend, family member, colleague or student. It is vital for us an institution to understand and support the mental health of everyone within our University of Manitoba community.

“I am extremely proud of the work that is already underway and believe that the launch of the Success Through Wellness strategy is the starting point to a more caring, inclusive and successful future for our students and employees.”

The U of M has once again partnered with Not Myself Today to promote mental health across Canada. Not Myself Today buttons, posters and other materials will be distributed across campus, including during Mental Health Week and this year’s Campus Beautification Day.

The student group Active Minds kicks off Mental Health Awareness Week with its chalk campaign.

As part of the Mental Health Strategy launch, the Health and Wellness Program will be working with the Active Minds student group to present a chalk campaign outside University Centre, including the fill-in blank message, “I’m feeling ________” to encourage participation and awareness. Recently established, Active Minds is the U of M’s first student-run mental health advocacy, awareness and education group. It is the U of M chapter of the larger Active Minds organization.

Over the last five years, mental health on university campuses has been an increasingly important issue. Now, the U of M has created a mental health strategy that will lead to the implementation of many recommendations. The new approach reflects desire to be proactive rather than reactive with regards to mental health issues.

In February 2013, the University of Manitoba appointed Stephanie Loewen as Mental Health Consultant, on a year-long secondment from the provincial government.

During her year at the U of M Loewen worked with Student Support and Human Resources to create a mental health strategy for students and staff. The strategy or framework is based upon an assessment of our current approaches and practices to support positive mental health and an identification of areas in need of development and/or enhancement. Cross-campus consultations included student focus groups, staff and faculty surveys, and input from a broadly-constituted mental health strategy advisory committee. A draft strategy was submitted for approval in February, 2014.

The strategy, entitled Success through Wellness, was approved by the President’s Executive Team on February 5, 2014.

>> See here for the UM Today story on these two great students who help to run the student group Active Minds

Also: Check out the create your own mood badge activity!

U of M mental health consultant Stephanie Loewen is surprised by how many people see mental health in negative terms. Too often, it is thought of pejoratively when, in fact, all of us have mental and spiritual health — “whether it’s positive or negative, languishing or flourishing, or somewhere in between,” she says. “We need to take care of our own mental health and care for one another as a community.”

Over the next year, the newly hired consultant will help the university to create a cohesive mental health strategy that will lead to the implementation of many recommendations. It’s all part a bold move on the part of the university to change the way we talk about, behave in regards to and support mental health issues. The mental health movement is calling for change across the nation; other university such as Mt. Alison and UBC have already implemented such strategies in recognition of the increasing significance of mental health and well-being.

What would “a well campus” look like? It’s one of the questions the consultant aims to map out over the next year. U of M’s new strategy will be based upon an assessment of current approaches and practices to support positive mental health and an identification of areas in need of development or enhancement.

Loewen, who will be conducting the assessment and focus groups and then making mental health strategy recommendations, is on a year-long secondment from the Manitoba government.

Notes Loewen, some ideas for recommendation to have arisen from her research and from student consultations include concerns about the university’s sense of community and community space and quiet spaces on campus. Also urgent are education and awareness of workshops and services that exist, and other ideas include the possibilities for alumni student mentors and a mental health ombudsperson. She will also be working with higher level university officials in order to bring mental health considerations to the level of strategy, infrastructure and policy.

“Mental health has always been an area of passion for me,” she says, “in part because of the connection I feel due to family with mental health issues and working with people who have very compromised mental health — as well as my experiences with my own mental health.”

Despite an employment history in counselling, as outreach manager of the Manitoba Schizophrenia Society and four years as provincial youth suicide prevention coordinator, Loewen has had her own mental health difficulties. In fact, she says, it has become common for almost everyone to have either first-hand or other close experience with someone else who has experienced mental health issues, even if they themselves haven’t.

After experiencing a serious depression during her post-secondary education, Loewen was forced to discontinue her studies for a time. Her second bout with mental illness came after the birth of her child, when she went through a severe post-partum depression and started a search that compelled her to seek help outside of her region — because services were not available in her own. She wound up in a “crisis stabilization unit” in Winnipeg; not ideal, she says, given that it meant she was released without follow-up in her region after her stay.

That’s changed since, though, thanks in part to Loewen. Her experience resulted in her telling her story and pursuing advocacy work with the Manitoba Regional Health Authority and the Province of Manitoba for in order to convince them of the need to establish a crisis stabilization unit in her area. One opened in Steinbach last year thanks largely to her advocacy work.

“[Experiencing a mental health crisis] alters the way you see the world,” Loewen says. “You see people through a different lens.”

‘[Experiencing a mental health crisis] alters the way you see the world,” Loewen says. “You see people through a different lens.’

Consultation takes place from April to September 2013, analysis and recommendations will be forwarded in fall 2013 and a final strategy will be recommended in January 2014. Cross-campus consultations will include student focus groups (these have already begun) and staff and faculty focus groups and interviews. A webpage on the U of M site will be another avenue for students, staff, and faculty to share their confidential feedback, experiences, and ideas to help inform the development of the strategy.

This article first appeared in the May 2, 2013 edition of The Bulletin.

***

Q & A with Stephanie Loewen

How is mental health —flourishing or languishing — displayed in a workplace or community?

Stephanie Loewen: Positive, good or “flourishing” mental health displays itself in so many ways in the workplace and in the learning context. Staff members that are flourishing are more productive, efficient, innovative, resourceful and work better with their colleagues and clients.

Employers reap the benefits of promoting a mentally health workforce in many ways, but tangibly, there are fewer costs related to disability claims for mental illness, and they have greater success at hiring and retaining staff.

A mentally healthy workplace is one where all employees enjoy work-life balance, clearly understand their roles and have the opportunity to contribute to decisions about how work gets done.

And what about students? Students who are flourishing in their mental health are often active in community life and building community.  They have better learning outcomes and skill development, which has been shown to lead to higher retention rates and student success.

Any person who is flourishing in their mental health is also less likely to engage in problematic substance use, more likely to be physically healthy, less likely to engage in criminal or anti-social behaviour and are more likely to outlive their less-mentally well (also known as “languishing”) counterparts.

Can you say anything about the workplace side of the strategy? I think it is important to make note of the fact that for the workplace mental health side of the strategy, we are working very closely with Learning and Development Services, and the Outstanding Workplace Initiative to ensure the strategy complements and supports the ongoing work taking place under the OWI. [As mentioned in the article, surveys and focus groups are also part of the consultation process.]

Is there anything else we as a community should take into consideration with regard to mental health? A staff member or student with a mental illness can be flourishing in their mental health. It is a common misunderstanding that persons with the lived experience of mental illness are also unwell or don’t take good enough care of themselves, or are weak somehow. In my experience, some of the most flourishing people that I’ve met have been those with mental illness. I think this is due to the fact that they are more aware of and sensitive to their own needs. They are often more educated about the key elements of recovery — and these are the building blocks of mental wellness.

Can you name some of those building blocks of mental wellness? Healthy connections and relationships; taking breaks away from stressful situations and practicing being in the moment or being mindful, exercising and body movement, reaching out for help and being there to support others, practicing generosity and trying new things.

***

Canadian Mental Health Week takes place from May 6 to 12. Check out free, healthy living activities for students, staff and faculty in University Centre’s fireplace lounge and campo area, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. every day during this week.   Hosted by U of M’s health and wellness education Julie Civka in collaboration with Student Life, Active Living, UMSU and the CMHA, the week will include events for staff, students and faculty such as pet therapy dogs, active living activities, live classical music and a mental health speaker. There will also be healthy snacks available and many chances to win great prizes.

Also coming up is the “Not Myself Today” campaign starting May 9 (Partners for Mental Health) and culminates in the Not Myself Today @ Work Day on June 6.