This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Evan Bray: Today we see mental health phone lines and peer groups set up for agriculture and farmers. How has this evolution happened?
Dr. Kimberly Bitz: I think what’s changed is that we’re willing now to have these conversations. It takes a few vulnerable individuals to open up that conversation and to say, ‘You know what, let’s talk about this.’
I was presenting at Bushwakker on Thursday evening and I had a gentleman approach me. He was a war veteran, and he said, ‘When I finished my service, we never would have had a conversation about mental health. And now here we are sitting in a pub with 50 people talking about mental health and everybody in the room is nodding and agreeing and openly sharing their experiences.’
That’s the biggest thing that’s changed. We’re willing to have these conversations and understand how important they are. We just need to keep this dialog going and continue to support one another.
When you’re in a public forum like that, what is the foundation of your message?
Bitz: For me, it’s to reach out. So whether you’re reaching out to a friend when you recognize that maybe something’s up with them, but they haven’t fully opened up to say that they’re having an issue, you’ve noticed maybe that they’re not quite themselves, being okay with asking them, ‘Hey, I’ve noticed that you’re not quite yourself today. Is there something you want to talk about?’
And reach out to that friend as well if you’re the one that’s not doing well and you need support. It’s really about connecting with people and being open enough to create that community conversation.
Is it safe to say that it doesn’t matter if it’s a police officer, a farmer, or someone who works in retail? Really, it’s all the same. You might have different stressors in your workplace depending on what you do, but the strategies are very similar.
Bitz: Absolutely, we’re all only human. It’s not a character flaw. We all have a heart and we’re all affected by mental health.
The strategies that we use are going to be the same for everyone. So whether that’s reaching out and creating connection, taking a time out, or using different apps — there are so many different mindfulness apps and meditation apps — or learning cognitive behavioural therapy so you learn those mental health strategies to help reframe your negative thinking.
Everyone can recover in the same way and use those tools.
What are some good practices to help people prevent getting in the spot where they’re feeling overwhelmed?
Bitz: I think the biggest thing is to start before you’re not feeling great. So I liken it to dental care. We take care of our teeth so that we don’t get to the point where we need to go have a filling.
So before you get to a point where you’re so down you can’t help yourself, start to think about what the things are that keep you feeling good and make sure that you’re doing those on a daily basis.
So practice that self-care, and then develop a toolkit so that you can dive into that when you aren’t feeling well. So that might look like making sure you have an idea about how to reframe negative thoughts.
Are there some common signs or symptoms we should be aware of, whether it’s in ourselves or friends, family, or co-workers?
Bitz: If you notice a coworker isn’t practising self-care to the same level; for example they used to be sharp dressers, they used to be really tidy, and they’re coming in, they don’t quite look the same. Maybe they aren’t practising that self-care.
Maybe the quality of their work isn’t as good. Maybe they’ve stopped joining the group at lunch to socialize with others, and they’re sort of secluding themselves in their office, taking extra sick days.
A lot of those things can be red flags. You want to keep an eye out for those.
Where can people go if they want more information?
Bitz: Absolutely. So the Canadian Mental Health Association has a lot of really great resources. The Mental Health Commission of Canada has some really great resources. And the CIPSRT website also has some really great mental health resources.
