The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Vernon & District Branch kicked off its annual Mental Health Week (May 6 -12) celebrations with a new campaign – Celebrate Everyday Victories – encouraging youth and young adults throughout British Columbia to pause and acknowledge their small daily wins and celebrate their journey towards positive mental wellness.
During Mental Health Week British Columbians are encouraged to #GetLoud on social media about their daily accomplishments in order to inspire and encourage other youth and young adults in their recovery using the hashtag #CelebrateEverydayVictories.
When we are experiencing depression or anxiety, getting through a typical day can be a struggle and sometimes the smallest of tasks, like doing laundry or making a healthy meal, can feel hard to conquer. However, overcoming and celebrating these challenges is an important step towards feeling better because the cumulative power of small steps taken right now can lead to big changes in the future.
“Recovery from depression or anxiety is a process and the #CelebrateEverydayVictories campaign is all about feeling pride and accomplishment in your progress towards regaining your mental health,” said Julia Payson, Executive Director, CMHA Vernon. “If we focus too much on the bigger goals from the offset, it’s easy to start feeling like we’ll never get there. That’s why these seemingly mundane daily achievements are so powerful and important. They motivate us to keep going and each win brings us closer to our eventual goal.”
Celebrating these small steps is powerful because it reinforces a sense of achievement and activates the reward center of our brains, releasing dopamine. Dopamine then energizes us with feel-good emotions and creates a feeling of being rewarded which in turn motivates us and spurs us on to achieve even more.
For youth requiring support and encouragement to regain their mental health CMHA offers BounceBack® – a free skill-building program which has proven effective for adults experiencing mild-to-moderate depression and/or anxiety since 2008. BounceBack® was extended and adapted for youth and young adults aged 15+ in 2017. Based on the principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), BounceBack® is designed to help manage feelings of low mood and to build resiliency. The program is available across British Columbia, with or without telephone coaching, and can be accessed straight away – no waitlists!
“About one in seven young people in BC will experience a mental illness at some point. We want youth and young adults experiencing anxiety and depression to know that help is available,” said Payson. “With the right tools and practice, they can bounce back and reclaim their mental health”.
Join the conversation and share your everyday victory on social media using #CelebrateEverydayVictories and go to www.bouncebackbc.ca for more information on how BounceBack® can help.