To the editor,
Living in B.C., one can definitely witness a mental health crisis, especially now during COVID.
The pandemic has impacted people’s mental health and the situation itself has affected everyone in one form or another. Most of my co-workers as well as friends have suffered unemployment, lack of affordable housing and isolation and this has impacted mental health which is not talked about frequently.
I have volunteered for different organizations and community outreach and I personally have heard people suffering depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD and came to the conclusion that a large portion of the population is having moderate to severe mental health issues, however a lot of it is hidden as people don’t wish to talk about mental health openly. I had severe anxiety and depression due to the pandemic as well as how uncertain the future is.
A constructive solution I have discussed with family and co-workers is spending time outdoors. Local parks and spending time in a park or walking in the forest is therapeutic and calms down anxious feelings and thoughts. I personally feel companies and schools should have activities outdoors at local parks to improve people’s mental well-being. There should also be more open discussion of mental health as I feel presently schools and companies are lacking in mental health resources.
Brian Jones, Vancouver
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