Shooting from the hip on Bell Let’s Talk day

A display featuring a Bell Let’s Talk toque.

Forget getting out of the starting block, I wasn’t even in the starting block waking up this morning when it came to writing my annual column for Bell Let’s Talk day.

Usually, I have column done ready to go live with pictures when Bell Let’s Talk day begins. After checking messages and taking care of some other work related tasks, I am getting down to work on a piece in earnest at 3 p.m. All of sudden, I am having trouble with my printer/scanner system, and I spend three hours dealing with that to delay things further.

As they say, better late than never.

As a result of those things, this is will be more kind of a “shoot from the hip” type piece.

On my own front, I have known I have battled with issues dealing with anxiety since 2012. I write about my experiences on the mental health front in hopes it will help others.

Since 2016, I’ve kept up with a tradition where I write a post regarding mental health on Bell Let’s Talk day.

There is still a stigma around mental health issues, and they are unfortunately still treated as the elephant in the room in too many circles.

On my own front, I am in a way better place than I was 10 years ago. I am in a way better spot than I was six years ago.

Abby Soyko heads down ice on a rush for the Pandas.

Actually in the current day, my day to day dealings on the mental health front are likely not that sexy or exciting. I am kind of in the place where I deal with the issues of the day as they come up.

Basically, it often comes from prioritizing what I believe needs to be done and just handling things one day at a time. If something expected comes up that is out of your control that you need to adjust to, you make adjustments.

My world since Thursday has been consumed with putting together hockey stories and columns that had deadlines that needed to be met. All of that work was fun, but I had to push back typing this column out.

I got to see a long time friend in Prince Albert product and University of Alberta Pandas Women’s Hockey Team right-winger in Abby Soyko on Saturday. Due to how the world has played dealing with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that gripped the world in earnest in March of 2020, I hadn’t seen her since crossing paths at a Raiders WHL hockey game in Prince Albert in late December 2019.

We had a great visit after the Pandas downed the host University of Saskatchewan Huskies 3-1 in a U Sports regular season contest at Merlis Belsher Place, and I put together a catch up feature story on her. That piece has been the most viewed post I’ve created on this blog for the last two years.

I also got to chat with Raiders all-time great Dan Hodgson for a story for the Prince Albert Daily Herald about him getting a licensed NHL hockey card. The chat with Hodgson was great, and it is always a highlight any time I can talk to members of the Raiders 1984-85 WHL and Memorial Cup championship team.

As I type this, I wonder what will await me when I tackle messages related to work on the non-hockey front I’ve checked minimally the last few days. I am hoping to get the remainder of the photos I took at the Pandas/Huskies hockey game edited and a small grouping of photos edited for another work-related project done.

I’ve been busy the last few days writing hockey stories and columns.

Those types of things provide what I would grade as standard anxiety for me, but I am confident I will get to them in due time.

One of the things I’m still bad with in day-to-day happenings is shutting out outside noise. If I have phones and social media lines turned off, it usually means I am focusing on work I feel I really need to get done but haven’t due to interruptions. Outside of that, I am likely working out.

As far as shooting from the hip goes, I didn’t really know what I was going to say for this column. A lot of years I have a focused theme as opposed to just going in random directions as I type.

I like today a lot, because I see it gives people freedom to come forward to share their own stories of challenges on the mental health front. I find that part to be extremely helpful and educational for me.

Having worked in the mainstream media, I know this isn’t a great day for a lot of people. In recent years, Bell Canada, which is the telecommunications company that run Bell Let’s Talk day, has had a habit of releasing employees in the months after the company’s mental health awareness and fundraising day.

Any time Bell Canada cuts jobs, the term “Bell Let’s Cut” is inevitably brought up.

I’ve had friends who have been axed by Bell Canada as part of the cuts that have come shortly after Bell Let’s Talk Day in recent years. I saw a post on Twitter from former TSN broadcaster Dan O’Toole asking people to not include him in anything regarding Bell Let’s Talk day due to that day being hard. Bell Canada runs TSN, and O’Toole was released following Bell Let’s Talk day in January of 2021.

Me stationed up in my work perch at the SaskTel Centre.

I met O’Toole along with Jay Onrait at a Saskatchewan Rush NLL home game in April of 2017. 

I had a long visit with them, and you wouldn’t have known we just met. They were outstanding with everyone they met that night.

I decided to keep writing posts on this day, because of the awareness it brings to mental health issues. I know this can be a painful time for friends that used to work for Bell Canada. 

Those cuts have caused people that used to support Bell Let’s Talk day to find other avenues to support charities that assist with mental health causes.

For me, it is fine if you choose to participate in some way on Bell Let’s Talk day, and if you chose not to participate, that is fine too. I am not going to judge anyone.

Since the earnest onset of the COVID-19 pandemic March of 2020, I found the overall toxicity and just plain meanness in the world to have been increased to the highest levels I’ve ever seen in my life. The Twitter social media platform is by far the worst when it comes to encountering people who are toxic.

I try to avoid that type of noise as much as possible, but it is only human to be dragged into it from time to time.

I just hope you are all trying your best to find your way. I am always open for talks about mental health, and I am willing to listen. I know that is not for everyone too.

A picture of myself after finishing a workout.

For myself, I just try to get a little better each day. I hope everyone out in the world can find positive ways to navigate their respective mental health journeys.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. My Bell Let’s Talk post from last year called “Riding hamster wheel is not always good for mental health – Excusing yourself even for a short time is good for soul” can be found by clicking right here. A piece from 2021 called “COVID-19 pandemic forces world to face mental health” can be found by clicking right here. A piece from 2020 called “A big mental health challenge is learning to take a break” can be found right here. A piece from 2019 called “Those facing mental health challenges can still be great in all parts of life” can be found right here. A piece from 2018 called “Being content can become a mental health challenge” can be round right here. A piece from 2017 called “Recognizing and respecting triggers is key for mental health” can be found right here. A piece from 2016 called “Feeling connected calms the mental health seas” can be found right here. A piece called “My Mental Health Story” can be found right here. Another post I like that I wrote in February of 2015 about my mental health journey call “Huskies hockey was good for me” can be found right here.

-------

If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.