If it takes a village to raise children, then it takes a nation’s people to tackle its injustices. Not trending buzzwords?

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COVID-19 at its peak was tough on so many all over the world. So much worry in fact, that there was tons of talk on mental health. People, experts and layperson alike wondered about the pandemic’s impact on our mental well-being. My question now is; where did all the buzz and concern go? Are we a society full of two-minute trends and trending buzzwords?

Jonathan Arenburg

Jonathan is a mental health blogger, published author, and speaker. He has appeared in numerous newspapers and has been a guest on many podcasts.

More about Jonathan

If this is indeed the case, I have some real concerns around emulating the behaviours of social media’s algorithms. Firstly, if we are to tackle our most pressing social concerns like mental illness, how do we get anywhere if it falls off the radar faster than a supersonic jet?

I’m afraid we can’t. Even though a few of us, in comparison to the total population, still champion the cause, most are moved on to the next three-minute outrage. While I am proud of the work we are all doing as mental health advocates, is it enough?

How to advocate for those with mental illness

I think it’s time that we recognize the destructive power of mental illness. Not only is it damaging to the individual but its impact on all of us is too large to be a trending buzzword. Furthermore, we need to work on understanding how events around us shape the mental-health landscape.

So dark and dreary are the times we live in. I feel like there is no end to the media’s insistence on feeding us all things trauma-related. It’s unrelenting. As if that weren’t bad enough, some see nothing wrong with posting a video depicting a violent act; they are everywhere. Personally, I feel like gory images do little in the way of getting justice overall because it leaves many more damaged and suicidal.

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I think it’s fair to say that mental illness can spread like a virus, fed by exposure to every conceivable tragic story. But also, it worsens by our refusal as a society to ensure we or someone we know aren’t the next victim of the mental illness pandemic. We can accomplish wonderful things if we do so as a collective.

Having PTSD, myself, I go further into my shell with all this chaos. I do so simply because it feels inescapable to me. I’m sure many others feel the same. Sadly, while showing the darkest disparities of humanity on social media isn’t likely to go away, it tells me one thing: more help is needed.

Checkout our writers who bravely come out with their own stories: Our writers’ page

My friends, the outcry around mental illness needs to be more than a flash in the pan, The talk needs to be more than trending buzzwords, It needs to be a battle taken on by the majority, every day. We don’t only lose people to the virus; we also lose an untold amount because of the mental suffering brought on by it… Please be safe!

If you are struggling, please go here for help: Crisis Services Canada

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Checkout Our Mental Health Resources Page