Everyone's mental health is important. It needs to be cared for in order to make sure you stay healthy overall. Learn about your mental health, how to improve or maintain it, and the benefits of making it a priority. There is no health without mental health.
Mental health is the state of your psychological and emotional well-being. It is a necessary resource for living a healthy life and a main factor in overall health. It does not mean the same thing as mental illness. However, poor mental health can lead to mental and physical illness.
Good mental health allows you to feel, think and act in ways that help you enjoy life and cope with its challenges. When your life is in balance, you can experience better mental health. When your life is out of balance, or out of control, you may experience poor mental health. This may lead to making poor or harmful decisions. Know that help is available, but you need to know where to turn.
Indigenous Peoples have a strong connection to the land. Traditional teachings reinforce the importance of maintaining that connection to the land, the culture, and all living things, in order to achieve a balance of mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health. The health of the land and the food it provides is paramount to the health of its people.
The government of Canada created a new portal during COVID-19 for citizens to find help and regain balance in their lives. Wellness Together Canada is a free online portal with access to resources, tools, apps and connections to trained volunteers and qualified mental health professionals.
Hope for Wellness Helpline: Indigenous peoples can call 1-855-242-3310 for immediate mental health counselling and crisis intervention across Canada (available in some Indigenous languages). Live web chat is also available.
If you are in crisis, call the Mental Health Crisis Line of Grey Bruce at 1-877-470-5200. This line is staffed by trained volunteers, and is available to help serve people in distress or crisis. Staff are available to speak with you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year.
Keystone Child, Youth and Family Services is the Children’s Mental Health Agency for Grey and Bruce Counties. They provide services for children and youth up to 18 years and their families. Families or individuals can self refer. Call Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Visit Keystone’s website for more information or call 519 371-4773 or 1-800-567-2384
CMHA Grey Bruce offers an array of support programs and services for mental health, addictions, and housing support. CMHA also offers a free drop-in clinic where they can make referrals, provide resources and/or mental health support. Clinics are ran in Owen Sound, Hanover, Meaford, Southampton and Kincardine – check out CMHA’s Drop-In Clinic (cmha.ca) for more information or call 519 371-3642
Anyone in our area can call 211 Ontario for information and referrals for community, government, social and health services, including mental health services. This service is free. A Live web chat is also available across the province
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