In the House with Patty Hajdu: In a pandemic, suicide prevention means maintaining connections

2020 has been a difficult year for all of us. The pandemic has changed our way of life and for so many, disrupted our routines and normal patterns. And of course, life carries on. Some people have faced the death of loved ones, marital breakdown and job loss, and that's on top of the change in parenting while working at home or having to work in new and more stressful ways.

And on top of all those changes, we have been asked to stay physically apart from our friends and larger communities, making it even harder to cope with all this change.

Thursday, September 10th was World Suicide Prevention Day. In a pandemic, where physically distancing in the community is so vital to our health and safety, suicide prevention means maintaining connections in new ways.

If you've been struggling, or even just feel a bit lost, give yourself some leeway. We are going through a global disease outbreak that we haven't seen in over 100 years. It's okay to feel sad. It's okay to feel not okay. And it's definitely okay to reach out for help.

If you're reading this and thinking, "I'm actually feeling pretty good right now," then great - you are the perfect person to check in on the people in your life. Maybe it's a friend, your neighbours, your parents, or siblings. Send a text, give them a call, or book a video chat. Just reaching out to ask how they're really doing can make a big difference and help people share their grief or worry.

Early on, I knew that mental health supports would be essential in getting us through this pandemic. That's why our government launched wellnesstogether.ca. This web portal gives you free tools to check take care of yourself no matter where you live. Check it out and tell your people. It includes a self-assessment and ways to get personal, one-on-one support from professionals, completely free.

We will get through this time together. But we do need to take care of each other, every step of the way. If you need any help whatsoever with any Government of Canada resources, reach out to my office. We will be there for you.

Patty Hajdu is the Member of Parliament for Thunder Bay-Superior North and Canada's federal Minister of Health. Wellness Together Canada can be found at ca.portal.gs and is a confidential platform developed by Health Canada with partners such as KidsHelpPhone and Homewood Health.