{"id":24724,"date":"2020-12-11T19:31:06","date_gmt":"2020-12-12T00:31:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/montreal.local\/youth-and-mental-health\/"},"modified":"2020-12-11T19:31:06","modified_gmt":"2020-12-12T00:31:06","slug":"youth-and-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acsmmontreal.qc.ca\/en\/youth-and-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Youth and Mental Health: In the Heat of the Action"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you\u00a0<\/span><\/span>ever\u00a0<\/span><\/span>noticed that\u00a0<\/span><\/span>when\u00a0<\/span><\/span>first responders<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0such as\u00a0<\/span><\/span>param<\/span><\/span>e<\/span><\/span>dics\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and firefighter<\/span><\/span>s,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>arrive at a scene\u00a0<\/span><\/span>in<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>respon<\/span><\/span>se<\/span><\/span>\u00a0to an emergency,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>they\u00a0<\/span><\/span>do not rush<\/span><\/span>\u00a0or\u00a0<\/span><\/span>race<\/span><\/span>\u00a0toward it\u00a0<\/span><\/span>at full tilt<\/span><\/span>?\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Yet, e<\/span><\/span>very\u00a0<\/span><\/span>minute\u00a0<\/span><\/span>counts when it comes to helping someone in distress<\/span><\/span>. T<\/span><\/span>hey\u00a0<\/span><\/span>remain\u00a0<\/span><\/span>calm and compos<\/span><\/span>ed<\/span><\/span>\u00a0for\u00a0<\/span><\/span>a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>number of<\/span><\/span>\u00a0reasons<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

First, they know that their\u00a0<\/span><\/span>attitude\u00a0<\/span><\/span>will have a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>big<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>impact\u00a0<\/span><\/span>on the general\u00a0<\/span><\/span>mood\u00a0<\/span><\/span>at the scene and how people behave<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>If they look disoriented and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>hasty<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0they may\u00a0<\/span><\/span>convey<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>a sense of panic and disorganized urgency to the injured and the witnesses<\/span><\/span>, which\u00a0<\/span><\/span>i<\/span><\/span>s not helpful<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>They also know that a few seconds saved\u00a0<\/span><\/span>is\u00a0<\/span><\/span>a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>meagre<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>gain\u00a0<\/span><\/span>compared with the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>advantage<\/span><\/span>\u00a0of arriving\u00a0<\/span><\/span>at\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the scene focused, organized, and confident. Finally, they are aware that if they rush to a scene, they are more\u00a0<\/span><\/span>likely to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>trip<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>which would ultimately\u00a0<\/span><\/span>slow<\/span><\/span>\u00a0them\u00a0<\/span><\/span>down or even\u00a0<\/span><\/span>cause injury<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When\u00a0<\/span><\/span>we are in the heat of the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>action,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>or under the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>effe<\/span><\/span>c<\/span><\/span>t<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>stress,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>we\u00a0<\/span><\/span>can<\/span><\/span>\u00a0forget important\u00a0<\/span><\/span>things<\/span><\/span>\u00a0we already\u00a0<\/span><\/span>know<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For some people<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>going\u00a0<\/span><\/span>back to school can generate\u00a0<\/span><\/span>stress\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>anxi<\/span><\/span>e<\/span><\/span>t<\/span><\/span>y<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>about\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the unknown,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>particularly<\/span><\/span>\u00a0in the current context<\/span><\/span>.\u202f<\/span><\/span>In recent weeks, s<\/span><\/span>chool workers,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>teachers, and parents noticed\u00a0<\/span><\/span>students\u2019<\/span><\/span>\u00a0excitement\u00a0<\/span><\/span>as they\u00a0<\/span><\/span>reunited with<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>their classmates, their school, and their\u00a0<\/span><\/span>routine,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>but also noted\u00a0<\/span><\/span>how students\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/span>familiar\u00a0<\/span><\/span>school environment<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>were\u00a0<\/span><\/span>transformed by\u00a0<\/span><\/span>COVID-19<\/span><\/span>\u00a0measures<\/span><\/span>, to say the least<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span>Once the excitement of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>going<\/span><\/span>\u00a0back to school has passed, how can these adults foster good mental health among students<\/span><\/span>?<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As a teacher, school worker, or youth worker<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>you<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>have a special relationship with young people and can have a big\u00a0<\/span><\/span>impact\u00a0<\/span><\/span>on their\u00a0<\/span><\/span>mental<\/span><\/span>\u00a0health<\/span><\/span>.\u202f<\/span><\/span>This\u00a0<\/span><\/span>requires\u00a0<\/span><\/span>first taking stock of our own\u00a0<\/span><\/span>mental<\/span><\/span>\u00a0h<\/span><\/span>e<\/span><\/span>alth<\/span><\/span>:\u00a0<\/span><\/span>how have the past few months of lockdown gone<\/span><\/span>\u00a0for you<\/span><\/span>?\u00a0<\/span><\/span>How do\u00a0<\/span><\/span>you\u00a0<\/span><\/span>feel about going to work\u00a0<\/span><\/span>at a<\/span><\/span>\u00a0school<\/span><\/span>?\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Nervous<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>worried<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>happy to have human\u00a0<\/span><\/span>contact\u00a0<\/span><\/span>again<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0but concerned about health measures<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0or fearful for\u00a0<\/span><\/span>y<\/span><\/span>our health<\/span><\/span>?\u00a0<\/span><\/span>All of<\/span><\/span>\u00a0the above<\/span><\/span>?<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n

Taking care of yourself and your\u00a0<\/span><\/span>mental<\/span><\/span>\u00a0health is an\u00a0<\/span><\/span>excellent\u00a0<\/span><\/span>way to<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>be in\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the right\u00a0<\/span><\/span>frame of mind<\/span><\/span>\u00a0to listen\u00a0<\/span><\/span>to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and be present for the students\u00a0<\/span><\/span>you\u00a0<\/span><\/span>support<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>By\u00a0<\/span><\/span>manag<\/span><\/span>ing<\/span><\/span>\u00a0your own\u00a0<\/span><\/span>stress\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>drawing on<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>resources as needed,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>you\u00a0<\/span><\/span>also set an example for\u00a0<\/span><\/span>health practi<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>es to adopt. Finally, by using the tools available to address\u00a0<\/span><\/span>young people\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><\/span>mental health,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>you<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>can\u00a0<\/span><\/span>actively promote it<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The<\/span><\/span>\u00a0mental<\/span><\/span>\u00a0h<\/span><\/span>e<\/span><\/span>alth of young people concerns\u00a0<\/span><\/span>everyone<\/span><\/span>, but we\u00a0<\/span><\/span>don\u2019t<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>necessarily\u00a0<\/span><\/span>all have the educational tools\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>knowledge to address it directly.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>This is why<\/span><\/span>, under these unusual circumstances, the Canadian Mental Health\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Association<\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span>Montr\u00e9al\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Branch is making available\u00a0<\/span><\/span>a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>free<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>mental health promotion tool for young people<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>It offers concrete materials for those who care about\u00a0<\/span><\/span>youth\u00a0<\/span><\/span>mental health and who are in contact with\u00a0<\/span><\/span>young people<\/span><\/span>, for\u00a0<\/span><\/span>example\u00a0<\/span><\/span>at school<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>More than just an activit<\/span><\/span>y<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>guide,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>it is our commitment to the community so that we can all\u00a0<\/span><\/span>do our part<\/span><\/span>\u00a0to contribute to the mental health of a generation, one young person at a time<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Image by Wokandapix<\/a> from Pixabay<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Have you\u00a0ever\u00a0noticed that\u00a0when\u00a0first responders,\u00a0such as\u00a0paramedics\u00a0and firefighters,\u00a0arrive at a scene\u00a0in\u00a0response\u00a0to an emergency,\u00a0they\u00a0do not rush\u00a0or\u00a0race\u00a0toward it\u00a0at full tilt?\u00a0Yet, every\u00a0minute\u00a0counts when it comes to helping someone in distress. They\u00a0remain\u00a0calm and composed\u00a0for\u00a0a\u00a0number of\u00a0reasons.\u00a0 First,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":20508,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1077],"class_list":["post-24724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nouvelles-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acsmmontreal.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acsmmontreal.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acsmmontreal.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acsmmontreal.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acsmmontreal.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24724"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/acsmmontreal.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24724\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acsmmontreal.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acsmmontreal.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acsmmontreal.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}