May 7, 2024 – Defense News

This year Mental Health Week has the topicAppeasement through compassionthat encourages Canadians to reflect on how compassion connects us to one another, as it is an intrinsic feeling of our humanity and our sanity.

Over the course of their lives, many Canadians will experience mental health issues. Each of us faces different circumstances, stressors and triggers that can impact our mental health and make our daily lives difficult. As a result, we use different coping strategies when times are tough. If your mental health journey is different from the people you know, it is normal. Practice mindfulness: Stop, pay attention to your mind and body, and pay attention to the things that give you an increased sense of ease, joy, and support—as well as the things that bother you.

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Close up of two people holding hands while one of them lies in a hospital bed.

Once the point is addressed, it becomes easier for us to help those around us. As for our healers in the Canadian Armed Forces Health Service,Appeasement through compassion is an essential part of the health care we provide to Canadian Armed Forces personnel; however, maintaining this delicate balance is not easy. Caring for and empathizing with patients can bring overwhelming pressures. This is what we callCompassion fatigue. Warning signs include: hypersensitivity and feelings of helplessness when hearing about the suffering of others, impaired stress tolerance, relationship conflicts, sleep and concentration problems, self-isolation and withdrawal, and substance use. It is important for anyone experiencing compassion fatigue to recognize the problem and find coping ways to ease the stress, such as recognizing the signs and addressing them immediately, setting protective boundaries, and establishing a support system.

Your mental health will be constantly evolving for the rest of your life, so if you prioritize self-care and compassion for yourself and others, you’ll be able to maintain a manageable level of ups and downs. If you continue to struggle, we’re here for you.

For more information about mental health resources and programs within the CAF, visit Armed Forces Psychiatric Services Canadian (only (accessible on the National Defence Network) or on the Canadian Armed Forces Mental Health Services website.

THANKS. Thanks. Meegwetch.

Major General Scott Malcolm
Surgeon General of the Canadian Armed Forces