WELLINGTON COUNTY – The Waterloo and Wellington arm of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) hosted a webinar on Nov. 25 geared to men and conversations about mental health.
Jeff Stanlick, CMHA’s regional program director, posed questions to “No More Dead End Conversations” discussion participants, including Rodney Phillips, Matteo Schwartzentruber, and special guest Garrett McFadden, former captain of the Guelph Storm and founder of McFadden’s Movement.
The conversation started with the basics of how to recognize signs and symptoms of declining mental health.
Phillips, a social worker of 13 years with seven spent working for Here 24/7, said recognition involves a holistic approach, focusing on physical, emotional and mental changes.
“If you think of physical pain, like a scale of one to 10, you can do the same for ‘what are your stress levels or your emotional well being;’ how intense are these feelings that you’re having?” Phillips said.
Schwartzentruber transitioned into talking about his perspective as a father and social worker focused on youth at The Grove.
“I think when we talk about emotional health and mental health, understanding that for yourself is a process, developmentally … it’s not something that we are innately born with,” Schwartzentruber said.
It didn’t take long for the questions posed by Stanlick to shift to mental health on the ice and among athletes.
Screenshot from the live stream. Clockwise from top left: Jeff Stanlick, Rodney Phillips, Matteo Schwartzentruber and Garrett McFadden.
McFadden said he’s put himself in a more vulnerable space in front of others to show that despite being on the top of his game in the Ontario Hockey League, he too has dealt with tough times and gone through ups and downs.
“As more and more athletes are beginning to come out and talk about their vulnerabilities and really tell their true story, I think it just makes it a more comforting space,” McFadden said.
Asked about how to broach conversations with men about mental health, Phillips said it’s important to be validating and supportive for a conversation to open up and to allow for space and time as the conversation evolves.
Phillips said men may have a difficult time expressing emotions or getting support due to a “culture around being manly” and not having enough spaces to “be well together.”
“I think [that] can later on make life transitions really difficult or managing stress more challenging when you don’t have the tools or the language to actually talk about what you’re feeling,” Phillips said.
Schwartzentruber noted “everybody needs help at various times” and said it’s important to practice good mental health day-to-day and not only when a crisis arrives.
“When the stress goes up, whether it’s work or family stress, the stuff that [keeps] us well are also the first things that tend to go out the window,” he said.
Each of the men emphasized sleep, diet, exercise and time to commune with others as integral factors to maintaining good mental health.
How to help someone with their mental health can be as simple as allowing a conversation to happen—providing space for them to listen and be understood, Schwartzentruber said.
Having someone to go to – be it Here 24/7, a friend, family, spouse or counsellor – is integral, the speakers said.
Are you concerned about your own mental health? Call Here 24/7 anytime at 1-844-437-3247.
