Jays Journal supports Bell Let’s Talk Initiative

For many of our Canadian brethren, Wednesday January 28th is a special day. Today is Bell Let’s Talk Day, a day when we unite via social media to drive awareness to Mental Health Awareness and reduce the stigma around this debilitating disorder. We here at Jays Journal are going to do our part and we want you to do the same.

In its fifth year, the Bell Let’s Talk Campaign was designed around the simple thought that in order to help understand and treat mental health issues, we had to start a conversation about it. According to their 2015 initiative, the campaign is focusing on five key areas:

• Language matters – pay attention to the words you use about mental illness
• Educate yourself – learn, know and talk more, understand the signs
• Be kind – small acts of kindness say a lot
• Listen and ask – sometimes it’s best to just listen
• Talk about it – start a dialogue, break the silence

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, mental illness will indirectly affect almost all Canadians, either through a family member, friend, or business associate. Additionally, 20% of all Canadians will experience some sort of mental illness at one point or another during their life, including 8% who will experience major depression during that span.

By supporting the Bell Let’s Talk Campaign, you not only become an advocate for the support of those struggling with mental illnesses, but you are also helping to support organizations that provide a helping hand to those in need.

To support the initiative, all you need to do is actively tweet throughout the day, using the hashtag #BellLetsTalk. For every tweet that gets this hashtag, Bell will donate 5 cents to the cause. Last year, that was 109,451,718 tweets or $5,472,585.90 raised for mental health awareness.

As Blue Jays fans, we have wrought the despair of mental illness, as former Blue Jays Mike Flanagan and Ryan Freel were both lost to suicide after long battles with depression.

However, don’t support this cause because of your fanhood. Support it for the friends, family members, and co-workers you see every day that may be suffering in silence. By tweeting #BelllLetsTalk, you are supporting the organizations that can help them get the assistance they need to make life better.

What do you say Jays Journal readers? Are we going to get our #BellLetsTalk support tweets on?