Free and affordable Mental Health Resources š§
It took me weeks to get all the who, what, when, where, why & how of my retreat, and I finally made it into an Instagram Highlight section:
I feel pretty good about it, consider I poured my heart and soul into it, spending an average of 2-3 hours writing each piece, staying true to myself, and conjuring up the energy to put the retreat out there after a 4 month mental health hiatus.
Just as when I started to feel accomplished and full of drive, I saw a post from my business coach talking about the recent success of another client of his, how this person is now making 1 social media post a day, writing 1 blog/newsletter article a day, and making 5 cold sales calls a day.
Wow! I thought to myself, I was only able to do max 3 social media, blog, and newsletter post a WEEK, and even that felt like my max, given where I am mentally and where I came from. Then I also thought about a dear of mine, how sheās been really struggling lately with depression, and how I too, was once in that darkness, unable to do even the basics like showering and eating. Comparison is the thief of joy, despite knowing this, I still thought the thoughts and felt the feels of āIām not doing enough.ā
Then I remembered what my therapist said to me, that I can say, in these situations, to myself:
āI hear you and itās a normal to have a thought like that given what I experienced. I also hear that youāre doing all the right things. Healthy doesnāt mean no sad, anxious, or negative thoughts. It means weāre human and we have those thoughts, but weāre not our thoughts.ā
There are always people with more X than us, whether itās energy, social media followers, email subscribers, clients or money. So many Youtubers and influencers, like Lilly Singh, have chased that ānext levelā of achievement, the 100k followers, the 1 million, then 2 or 5 millionā¦ and itās endless.
10 years ago I prided myself in being an A-type perfectionist and overachiever, now Iām just tired most of the time. Is it aging? Is it growth and knowing myself better? Is it being washed out of the hockey-stick growth capitalism of tech startups? Itās probably all of the above plus more.
So after catching myself thinking those thoughts, I reminded myself that Iām human and Iāve come so far. Iām living in Tulum right now, for 3 months (like what?! How lucky am I!) and Iāve lived a great life despite the dark clouds that have come and gone.
Speaking of which, here are some of the free or nearly free mental health resources that Iāve compiled over the years that have helped me during difficult times:
Available worldwide:
š Sol Mindfulness (previously known as Yoni Circle)
Online womenās circles, support/heal through storytelling, artistic visuals, inspiring connections. Download it here.
šæ Balance
Meditation app; my favourites are Sleep, Anxiety, and Wake Up, all 10 min. Fav voice is Ofosu.
š£ BetterHelp
Find therapists, online therapy sessions, text/chat with therapist, really informative webinars. If youāre experiencing a deep, dark, depressive episode, I find this to be really helpful since youāre paying weekly/monthly and can leverage the texting therapists, video calls, and group sessions as an intensive help during a short period of time. Almost no wait time to get matched with a therapist, and you can always change therapists if you donāt like the fit.
š§š»āāļø Downdog
Yoga, HIIT, Barre, pre-natal yoga, meditation etc. Simply pick a duration (eg. 10 min), yoga style (eg. Yin), and start. My fav voice is Carina and fav music is Piano and strings.
šļøāāļø Heather Robertson
30 min free workout videos on Youtube; can start with once a week and build up from there. I love that she doesnāt talk during the workout, plus sheās got great music, so just follow along! Recipes and more on https://heatherrobertson.com/
šŗ The Fitness Marshall
Youtube dance workouts (3-5 min long), super fun, awesome energy, a great laugh at times. They also sell workout outfits at https://thefitnessmarshall.org/
š Blogilates
Youtube workout videos where Cassie talks you through it with encouragement. She also offers monthly workout plans, food prep recipes, pretty outfits, and stories of her personal journeys as an entrepreneur and human-being.
š§āš» ChatGPT
I used this as a therapist replacement when I waited for or couldnāt afford one. You can tell it your situation, and ask it things like:
What are some things I can do?
List 5-10 things youād recommend someone in this situation
What are some resources you have that I can do today; or things I can do in minutes, hours, days, weeks, etc.
Help me write a script on how I can respond to [xyz] as setting my boundaries
How do I de-escalate this situation/conversation, give me some tips and talking points
I just had an argument with [xyz], Iām feeling [xyz], your role is a [therapist, friend, etc.], tell me [what you want it to help you with]
The above are quite basic and obviously itās not a substitute for professional or medical advice. You can Youtube or Google āChatGPT promptsā to help you get more out of using ChatGPT in every aspect of your life.
Available in Ontario Canada
Ontario Structured Psychotherapy (OSP) program
The one I did was the CAB, Clinician Assisted Bibliotherapy program for GAD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder. (Somewhere along the application process, there is another program specifically for depression that you have the option to choose.) I did the GAD program for about 6-8 weeks and had a counsellor call me weekly with 30 min phone calls, alongside the workbook they mailed to me. I found this to be really helpful, and it was free.
Check out the Canadian Mental Health Association - York Region South Simcoe (CMHA-YSS) for more resources offered.
Enterprising Careers program
It helps women figure out what kind of careers/jobs they want, especially if they havenāt been in the Canadian workforce for a while due to sick leave, maternity leave, caretaker responsibilities, immigration and more. It makes you look inward, draw from past successes, get confident in your skills, and feel supported in the journey.
I organized these nature walks at Jefferson Forest with my classmates from this program. It was so nice to meet in person from an online Zoom classroom!
Making Changes program
It enables women to develop basic skills necessary to move forward and become clearer and stronger decision makers on life circumstances that negatively impact their lives. Through this active learning program women discover more about themselves and their abilities, develop confidence and use their strengths and skills in becoming the person they would like to be.
Propeller Experience program
Offered by https://wearetellent.com/, it is a fully funded, four-week virtual coaching program and collective that helps you discover what it is you truly want from your career (and life). They offer weekly webinars, coworking sessions online, networking calls, and a community on Mighty Networks.
Available in Quebec Canada
Vent over tea
Free and confidential active listening service, both online and IRL in Montreal Canada. I used this when I was on a waitlist to get a therapist/psychologist. All of their listeners are trained and many are therapist-to-beās, social workers and other mental health professionals.
AMI Quebec
A non-profit organization that helps families manage the effects of mental illness through support, education, guidance, and advocacy. Free programs, workshops, webinars, resources.
Montreal Therapy Centre
Iāve tried about 3-5 therapists from here, and theyāve all been great! They have therapists that speak almost every language in the world and their sessions are covered by insurance.
Available in the US
Woebot app
Instant-chat with an AI robot that teaches CBT (Cognitive Behaviourial Therapy), it helps you develop skills to challenge your thinking and build healthy habits.
Of course there are so many more resources out there, but these are the ones Iāve tried personally and really liked. If you have something to add, please email them to me at anna@thehealingjourneyretreats.com and Iāll update this post.
I hope youāve found this helpful, and please share it with someone who can benefit from it!
Lastly, It's been a while since we've had a Meet-up Circle, I'll be hosting one this coming Monday, March 4th at 6pm EST online, we will have some of the 5 retreat participants attending as well as prospects who are considering āŗļø
If you want to meet them, have a healing hour for yourself, and connect in each other's lovely company:
Remember: healing is a journey, and youāre not alone š
