Ride Don’t Hide

Living with grief definitely affects my mental health and it’s made me realize that despite the “norm”, everyone at some point suffers from a mental health issue. It’s pretty easy to think about our physical health and take steps to keep in shape – like exercising, watching what we eat, or even wearing sunscreen to protect our skin. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), safeguarding our mental health is just as important.

Many of us don’t consciously make an effort to stay mentally healthy. Mental health isn’t just about mental illness, its about feeling good about who you are, having balance in your life and in your thinking, and responding constructively to life’s highs and lows. Everyone should practice good mental health.

Because my grief is linked to mental health, I jumped at the chance to volunteer for the Ride Don’t Hide movement to support and raise awareness about why mental health is so important.

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My family and I teamed up to be route marshals for an important segment of the 60km route of the event. This “hair-pin” turn off the No. 2 Road Bridge in Richmond was a tricky one because the cyclists needed to come off the bridge and immediately turn onto a small bike path that led them to a residential area just across from the Vancouver International Airport. Of the 1200 cyclists that registered for the event, half of them (around 600) passed our post.

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As the crew for the No. 2 Road Bridge and Dover Park, we cheered riders on and directed riders to keep to the route… I even had to help someone fix their bike chain! All in all, waking up early to volunteer for a couple hours on a Sunday morning was really rewarding – the sunny weather definitely made the day much more enjoyable!

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The Ride Don’t Hide movement began on 1 August 2010, as Vancouver teacher and newspaper columnist Michael Schratter cycled 40,000 km, crossing six continents and 33 countries. In addition to raising funds for CMHA, Michael’s mission was to circumnavigate the world, sharing stories with people in different countries, to bring awareness to the stigma surrounding mental illness.

Here are some interesting stats about mental health in Canada:

  • 1 in 10 Canadians will suffer from a mental illness in their lifetime.
  • 1 in 7 Canadian women experience depression in their lifetime.
  • 1 in 8 Canadians experience a mood disorder like depression in their lifetime.
  • About 1.2 million Canadian children and youth experience a mental illness, but less than 20% receive help.

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