Day 23 (of 2026/27) Fridays are for: Option 5 – Reflections – World Mental Health Day…
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At a time when Canada has decided to shutter access to MAID for invisible health issues…
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/07/canada-assisted-dying-mental-illness
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It’s good to remember that just because you can’t see the pain
Doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
Normalize empathy.
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The sports world saw this
With Stephen A Smith
Apologizing for his first take on
Lane Johnson retiring
Saying it was about the team
But unpacking there is still a mindset about
People being soft
When they prioritize mental health.
In a sport with soooo many brain issues.
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Suck it up.
Be tough.
Pain is weakness leaving the body.
It’s just in your mind.
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It’s your mind.
your brain.
Your pain center.
The hub of the nervous center
For physical mental and emotional pains.
The aches are real
The headaches may be invisible to many
But many can see those subtle signs…
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There is a difference between appearing strong…
…. And being strong
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Why do we sometimes demand people prove they’re suffering before we’re willing to believe them?
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And then we need to remember that behaviour is not always the whole story.
In education, we are often very good at noticing what a student isn’t doing.
Not handing in work.
Not paying attention.
Not showing up.
Not meeting expectations.
But how often do we stop to wonder what might be getting in the way?
We can measure attendance.
We can count assignments.
We can assess achievement.
But the data doesn’t always tell us what it feels like to be that child.
And before we decide a student doesn’t care about learning, perhaps we should make sure we’ve shown them that we care about them.
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Empathy needs to be more than a hashtag.
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World Mental Health Day is an opportunity to raise awareness, but awareness isn’t the same as action. We can share a graphic, wear a ribbon, post a quote and still dismiss someone when their pain inconveniences us.
- Believe someone when they tell you they’re struggling, even if you don’t fully understand why.
- Ask a second question when “I’m fine” doesn’t seem to tell the whole story.
- Resist the urge to compare someone’s pain with your own.
- Make asking for help a sign of self-awareness, not a character flaw.
- Remember that empathy doesn’t require you to have the answer. Sometimes it requires you to stay and listen.
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Then my always favourite graphic: if we treated every issue the way we tend to treat mental health…
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