Strong Minds

Hello everyone. This is an important announcement regarding are April 10th Let’s Talk event. Unfortunately, we will not be able to carrying it out as we had originally had planned. Where all of you will be able to join in on the Zoom meeting and participate in a back and forth we us and Jenny Lee Almeida. This is due to the limitation of our resources, specifically the limitations of Zoom. However, we will be posting the event on our social media platforms after it happens. As well as we still want you involved. Got a question about stress management? Drop it in the comments between now and Saturday at 7 and Strong Minds will ask Jenny Lee Almeida for you. We are very sorry and disappointed by this change but we are doing the best we can. Thank you.

Hello everyone. Hope you have had a nice holiday weekend. Strong Minds is very excited for this upcoming week. In less than a week now we have are big Let's Talk event with the amazing Jenny LeeAlmeida, on Saturday April 10th at 7pm. Final details will be coming out very shortly. For now, Strong Minds wanted to kick off this Monday with a little motivation.

Hello everyone. Hope your Wednesday morning is going well. Strong Minds has an extremely exciting announcement to make today. We can officially confirm that Ms. Jenny Lee Almeida mental health educator, speaker, podcast host, and worker at the Canadian Mental Health Association, will be the guest speaker for Strong Mind's Let's Talk event on Saturday April 10th at 7pm. More details coming soon.

Today we at Strong Minds want to bring up something very important, which is talking to your parents about mental health. Being able to talk about mental health is still very stigmatized in our society, but we want to ensure you that talking about mental health is not only not wrong in any way, but critically important to living the best life you can. Secondly, being able to speak up for yourself and asking for help is an essential skill. We know it can be hard and even scary, but asking for help is not weakness. It takes strength and courage to be able to admit that something is going on and you need help. We want to highlight two articles that tackle how to talk to your parents about mental health.
https://childmind.org/article/how-to-talk-to-your-parents-about-getting-help-if-you-think-you-need-it/
https://www.mhanational.org/time-talk-talking-your-parents.

How to Talk to Your Parents About Getting Help | Child Mind Institute Speaking up for yourself is the first step to feeling better. Making your parents aware that its time for you to be getting help with psychiatric issues.

As with our last post about Keeping Connected podcast, we at Strong Minds love music. Hannah, Jessica, and Salwa all use music as a way to cope with anxiety and stress. In one of our courses last semester, our professor showed us this video about the affects of music on your brain. We thought this was interesting and thought that you all might enjoy it. https://youtu.be/JaePDWoOY2M

This is Your Brain on Music Knowing Neurons[email protected]," rel="ugc" target="_blank">http://knowingneurons.com/[email protected], Twitter, Instagram, SoundCloud & GooglePlus - “This is Your Brain o...

We at Strong Minds are big fans of podcasts. With that, we felt it was very important to be awareness to the Canadian Mental Health Association's podcast Keep Connected. It is more important than ever before to keep and stay connected with one and other (of course in a safe way). This podcast is hosted by two amazing mental health educators, Jenny Lee Almeida and Ewelina Horochowik. Now that the good weather is here, take a walk outside and listen to this great podcast - which is Hannah's favorite way to listen podcasts.
https://windsoressex.cmha.ca/keep-connected-podcast/

Hello everyone. Hope you are having a terrific Tuesday. One exciting announcement. As mentioned our organization will be hosting a zoom event on Saturday April 10th at 7pm. We are in the process of confirming our guest speaker for the event. However, we can share what the event’s topics are going to be. First, we are going to discuss stress management. Both broadly (since we are all under an unusual amount of stress at this time) and more specifically regarding final projects and exams for school. Secondly, we will be talking about ways to stay busy during the summer. Of course, summer break is great and everyone loves free time. On the other hand, a ton of free time can be stressful and anxiety-inducing; Strong Minds wants to help decrease this so you can make the most out of your summer. Stay tuned for more updates on our event.

Hello everyone. We hope you have had a fantastic March Break. Hannah wanted to share this TED talk video with you guys.

"I had the pleasure of having Dr. Denardo as my psychology professor for two semesters. I learned so much from her, and not just strictly psychology. She has a unique perspective on life that is a breath of fresh air. There are many positive things I could go on saying about her. I think the most important though is that she truly cares about her work and her students. Her passion is truly inspirational. I watched this TED talk of her a few years ago and was truly blown away. I thought the topic of it is fitting given that we are heading in final projects and exams soon and the pressure is starting. Hope you enjoy". https://youtu.be/czXG8odb7pY

Thriving Under Pressure | Andrea Dinardo | TEDxUniversityofWindsor Dr. Andrea Dinardo discusses how to THRIVE under pressure using 3 stress resilience tools: challenge, control and commitment. By focusing on what is right, b...

Strong Minds last couple of worksheets have been about identifying avoidance and acknowledging death. Today’s post is going to be about a certain coping strategy, COLOURING. We know what you might be thinking, ‘colouring is for little kids, not teenagers.’ However, in the last couple of years the sales of adult colouring books have increased dramatically. Read this article on how colouring can reduce anxiety and, thereby, improve mental health. When feeling stressed or anxious, you might want to give colouring a try. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/3-reasons-adult-coloring-can-actually-relax-brain/.

3 Reasons Adult Coloring Can Actually Relax Your Brain Not just for children anymore

Even though this article is about a month old, Strong Minds believes that it is still highly relevant and that good news for teens and mental health needs to be shared. https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/60275/ontario-increases-mental-health-funding-for-postsecondary-students-1

Ontario Newsroom | Salle de presse de l'Ontario

Unfortunately, over the past year there has been a tremendous amount of loss. When loss happens people go through a process of mourning. However, what is mourning anyway? For each individual mourning in different, although this worksheet provides a general definition and steps to properly mourn. Like yesterday’s post highlighted, avoiding is not a good strategy. To be able to move on you need to properly process grief. Attached is a worksheet that hopefully, will help you with that.

We all get anxiety, and we all do whatever we can to avoid it. However, avoiding only results in temporary relief and does not address the problem. This worksheet labels these avoidance techniques as safety behaviours. Take a look and identify your safety behaviour. Remember identifying that there is a problem is the first step in solving it.

Very interesting talk regarding growing teen mental health concerns, worth having a listen or a read. https://lnkd.in/es_8JY9

Professionals See Uptick In Teen Mental Health Issues Aggravated By Pandemic NPR's Michel Martin discusses teen menthal health amid the pandemic with NPR's Anya Kamenetz, clincal psychologist and columnist Andrea Bonior, and high school counselor Melisa Hannon.

The lovely Jessica Carson has provided a list of Mental Health out-patient services available for teenagers in the Windsor-Essex area, and whether they are covered by the government.

Maryvale Adolescents and Family Services
Location: 3640 Wells Street
Services: They provide counselling, evaluation, and referrals for children and teens dealing with mental health problems
If they are covered: Depends
Website: https://www.maryvale.ca

Regional Children’s Centre
Location: 3901 Connaught Avenue
Services: Provides outpatient mental health services to children and teens
If they are covered: Certain services will have a charge
Website: https://www.hdgh.org/regionalchildrenscentre

The Windsor Essex Community Health Centre
Location: 1585 Ouellette Avenue
Services: They have community therapy and teach teens how to control their feelings and deal with mental health issues
If they are covered: Yes
Website: https://wechc.org/location/teen-health/

Hotel Dieu Grace Healthcare
Location: 744 Ouellette
Services: Crisis and Mental Wellness Centre that supports people aged 16 and up
If they are covered: Fully covered services
Website: https://www.hdgh.org/mentalhealthoutpatientwellness

The Canadian Mental Health Association
Location: 1400 Windsor Avenue
Services: Assist people who are dealing with mental illness or problems, as well as providing crisis management services
If they are covered: Yes
Website: https://windsoressex.cmha.ca/about-cmha/

Hello everyone and anyone. Welcome to Strong Minds. A non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, educating, supporting, discussing, and helping teens across Windsor Essex County with their mental health. Our organization is run by Hannah Janisse, Salwa Sajid, and Jessica Carson. We are very excited about the upcoming Zoom event we have planned and hope you will join us. More details will be available shortly. For now stay, chill, and we hope we can provide you with new information and education on mental health.