海角社区官网

In Trinidad (and as someone who loves Carnival), . For me, summer is Carnival season 鈥� a time to hang out on a warm summer night, laughing with friends in the backyard or sun-soaked trips around Ontario with the family. There is a certain forlornness for me as we get back to the grind of school, work and extracurricular activities.

The news cycle hasn鈥檛 helped. Canada is facing a rocky economic times and the prime minister has told us we鈥檙e going to have to tighten our belts as we deal with the ongoing U.S. tariffs.聽

We鈥檝e been tightening our belts for a while.

In the States, we hear about mass shootings, lack of empathy, silencing of the media, anti-intellectualism and anti-science rhetoric. I worry about their madness sweeping over our southern border. If I cast my eyes further, I see images of dead Palestinian children, famine in Sudan and war in Congo.

It鈥檚 overwhelming, but we go about our lives, pretending like everything is normal.

Some people are turning to . Who can blame them because therapy can be expensive and hard to access but we all need counselling these days.

That鈥檚 where people like Carole Sandy, a couples and family therapist and registered social worker, come in. 鈥淧eople can’t necessarily put their finger on it, but they’re feeling consumed by the up and down that’s happening in the world. A lot of people have been explaining to me just an uncomfortable feeling, just an unrest, right?鈥�

Last week, I wondered online what I could do to get out of my funk. Some people told me to spend time in nature. Sure, but it鈥檚 easier said than done. Our society prizes productivity over mindfulness. A walk in the park? OK, but listen to that personal finance podcast. Make good use of your time. We鈥檝e filled every spare moment with busyness, only processing the day鈥檚 events when we collapse into bed 鈥� then we can鈥檛 sleep.

So, what can we do?

鈥淕round ourselves in the things that we know to be true, the things that fill us up, and resting. Resting is important and not something to downplay or belittle,鈥� Sandy says. 鈥淭here are times and seasons to take care of ourselves.鈥�

If rest alone doesn鈥檛 help, we need to find professionals who can offer culturally responsive care. On Oct. 18 and 19, will host at the University of 海角社区官网Scarborough to help Black and racialized people connect with therapists and mental health clinicians, like Sandy. Attendees can pay what they can to receive 40 minutes with a licensed therapist.

Finding therapists and clinicians who understand the nuanced challenges that Black and racialized people face is important to creating safe spaces to heal. Research from CAMH found that racism is strongly linked with poorer mental health outcomes. Studies have shown that Black and racialized Canadians, who experience a high level of racism, to exhibit 鈥渟evere depressive symptoms.鈥�

Sandy and her colleagues created From Invisible to Visible Therapy as a response to people who asked her 鈥渨here are the Black therapists?鈥� Their first event happened in 2020, filling a gap for Black and racialized Torontonians. While next month鈥檚 event is open to all, says Sandy, 鈥淲e want to make sure that racialized and Black folks are able to access care and not feel like that is not available to them.鈥�

So, maybe instead of talking to ChatGPT for mental health support, take a trip to Scarborough and talk to some real therapists.