Silver and Gold Magazine Spring 2019 | Page 9

MIND MATTERS THEATRE BURLINGTON PRESENTS: – By KimberleeAnna Taplay D uring the first week of May, Canadians mark Mental Health Awareness Week, which has become synonymous with the Canadian Mental Health Association’s (CMHA) popular “Get Loud for Mental Health” campaign. Canadians have taken up the call, getting loud in their communities, on social media, and in the halls of power. From fundraising walks to special events designed to raise awareness of various causes within the mental health arena, Mental Health Awareness Week activities encourage, enlighten, and educate the public about mental health issues and about the importance of open and honest dialogue surrounding everyday challenges and struggles. There are situations that are unique to those in the Boomer crowd (Adults 45-65) as they find themselves dealing with not only their own unique sets of circumstances, but also the medical issues of declining parents, struggles faced by adult children, plus cultivating and maintaining active roles in the lives of their grandchildren. It’s a fact that 1 in 5 (or 20% of ) Canadians experience a mental illness in any given year. Many who are not diagnosed with a mental illness will experience difficulty with their mental health. What exactly is mental health? In general, it’s a state of being: Your self-esteem, your level of stress, how you feel about yourself and other people. Good mental health is key to your overall health, and it’s important to remember that your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Sadness, loneliness, and anxiety can all affect how successfully – or unsuccessfully – we manage to navigate our work, public, and private lives. CMHA encourages people to visit www.mentalhealthweek.ca for some great ideas and tips on how you can become involved and Get Loud when it comes to Mental Health Awareness Week this May. As author Lori Deschene gently reminds us: “You don’t have to be positive all the time. It’s perfectly okay to feel sad, angry, annoyed, frustrated, scared and anxious. Having feelings doesn’t make you a negative person. It makes you human.” Celebrate you, every chance you get, my friends.• KimberleeAnna (KAT) Taplay is mom to two fabulous young women, nana to one, a ‘biker chick’, and creator of Project Dragonfly. You can reach her at [email protected] by John Patrick, Directed by James Luckett, Produced by Chuck Learn April 12-13, 19-20, 26-27*, 2019 Curtain 8:00 PM *Note: Added Performance: Saturday April 27 Matinee (2:00 PM Curtain) A successful actress wants to hide away in a remote hamlet to write her memoirs. She can handle her persistent agent but nosy, quirky neighbours are something else, they arrive unannounced. Ensuing situations have us laughing till tears come. All at the Drama Centre, Central Park, 2311 New Street, Burlington. Tickets at 905-639-7700 or theatreburlington.on.ca NEW Addition NOW OPEN 1&2 Bedroom Suites, Care Unit & Memory Care Around the clock professional care•Nursing care & meds administration•Daily light & weekly full housekeeping•Personal & room laundry •Home style meals & snacks•Activities coordinator •Games & crafts•Internet & telephone•Planned outings •In-house physiotherapy•Fireplace lounge •Sunroom lounge & more Full Service Retirement Home 905.648.8399•325 Fiddler’s Green Road www.highgateresidence.com Silver & Gold Magazine ~ SPRING 2019 9