Welcome to My New Mental Health Blog
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I LOVE to swim…
By Anita Manley I just returned from the pool! Since May, with the exception of vacation time, I’ve been swimming three days a week. I’m a life-long swimmer. I learned how to swim at a very young age, and later… Read more
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Be Respectful.
By Anita Manley It’s been a while since I’ve posted. I’ve been busy enjoying my summer, taking care of myself and visiting family out west. I’ll write more about this in future posts. I’ve been thinking of writing this post… Read more
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Be Kind.
By Anita Manley Last weekend, we were so honoured and privileged to be invited to our friends’ “Guest Cottage” near Renfrew, ON, along the Ottawa River. Not only were we invited, but we received red carpet treatment the entire time… Read more
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Feeling all the Feels…
By Anita Manley In May of 2021, I wrote a blog about emotions. I think it is important to revisit this important topic. I think it is fair to say that with everything going on in the world these past… Read more
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Things I wish I could tell my 25 year old self…
By Anita Manley I recently posted a throwback photo of myself on Facebook (see below). It really spoke to me and I started thinking, oh what I wish I’d known then. So, I decided to write a blog about it.… Read more
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Tips to Help With an Anxiety Attack…
from Youth Mental Health Canada Look around you: Find five (5) things you can see, Four (4) things you can touch, Three (3) things you can hear, Two (2) things you can smell, And one (1) thing you can taste.… Read more
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Taking Personal Responsibility.
By Anita Manley Several years ago, I was privileged to participate in a peer led group called WRAP® (Wellness Recovery Action Plan). The concepts that I learned from this group, set me up with a strong foundation for my ongoing… Read more
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Family Day 2022 in Ottawa, Canada
By Anita Manley A lot has happened in our sleepy town since the last time I posted in mid-January. Ottawa, our nation’s capital city, was invaded by what was dubiously named the “Freedom Convoy” and approximately 400 trucks took over… Read more
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Blue Monday 2022… “Let’s Dance”!
By Anita Manley Today is “Blue Monday”, the third Monday in January. It is called that, as it is thought to be the most depressing day of the year. Newsweek magazine says, “There are claims around this time of year… Read more
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Choosing HOPE for 2022…
By Anita Manley I’m not going to kid you, this last wave of the “super-spreader” omicron variant of COVID has really been difficult. I’ve been struggling. I’m sure that many others are too, as we welcome the New Year with… Read more
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Volunteering is like a gift to yourself!
By Anita Manley It is no surprise that volunteering has been the absolute best wellness tool that I have undertaken on my recovery journey. Since I started volunteering a mere 2 months after being discharged from the hospital back in… Read more
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Saying ‘NO’, in a nice way…
By Anita Manley As the holidays approach, many people become anxious about spending time with family. With COVID, there is the added stress of gathering with more people than you might feel comfortable with, or perhaps you are concerned about… Read more
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Be Proud for Trying Hard…
By Anita Manley I’ve really been taking note of how incredibly amazing my family members are lately. They have all been showing up everyday, despite obstacles and times when they were feeling very discouraged. My oldest daughter has been working… Read more
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Thankful for medication…
By Anita Manley Yes, that’s right everyone, if you don’t know this by now, I take medications to stay well! I know that there is a feeling out there by a rather large number of people, that taking medication for… Read more
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When you feel overwhelmed…
By Anita Manley A couple of weeks ago, in preparation for a big week of presentations and a meeting, I felt completely overwhelmed. After a meeting, I had a meltdown. “How was I going to get everything done in such… Read more
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Children, play and mental health…
By Anita Manley In follow-up to last week’s guest blog about perinatal mental health, I thought I’d provide some tips that I found on children’s mental health, involving play. This is from the Canadian Public Health Association (cpha.ca): 5 Key… Read more
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Perinatal Mental Health During COVID Times…
GUEST BLOG by Nancy McLaren Kennedy BIO: Firstly, Nancy is my friend and colleague at The Royal. She is also a Peer Specialist/Mental Health Worker in Women’s Mental Health at the Royal. Nancy has a Master’s in Social Work and… Read more
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Mental Health in the Workplace
By Anita Manley In honour of Labour Day, I thought I’d quote some statistics. – Just 50% of Canadians would tell friends or co-workers that they have a family member with a mental illness, compared to 72% who would discuss… Read more
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Things my father taught me…
By Anita Manley In follow-up to last week’s blog about “Things my mother taught me…”, I’d be remiss if I did not list all the things my dad taught me. In January of 1995, when I was 4 months pregnant… Read more
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Things my mother taught me…
By Anita Manley In December 2013, at the age of 87, my mom passed away from cancer. I was 48 years old. I miss her dearly and often wish I could pick up the phone to share some exciting news.… Read more
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It’s the little things…
By Anita Manley Not too long ago, my friend and I were out on a walk and she mentioned to me that she always listens to John Tesh (www.tesh.com), and heard him say that “if you want to maintain a… Read more
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The Olympics and Mental Health
By Anita Manley Who’s watching the Olympics? What an absolute thrill to see so many Canadians winning medals– and I cannot help but mention that 99% of them are women! What incredible heroes– all of the competitors, not just those… Read more
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There is No Mental Health without Gut Health
Guest Blog by Tay Gendron Tay Gendron is a Holistic Nutritionist (CNP, NNCP) and yoga teacher who helps women fix their gut and balance their hormones so they can Break Up with their Anxiety for good. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tay.gendron/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/tayy.gendron Website:https://www.taygendron.com/… Read more
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A dose of hope…
By Anita Manley I’m tired and stressed out about many things, including taking the elevators in my building. I really dislike being “that person” who says “sorry, no, you cannot get on the elevator.” (Public Health rules state: “one person… Read more
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Who Knew?
By Anita Manley Recently, I had a dentist appointment. I love my dentist, Dr. Chris Granger, and my dental hygienist, Holly. On this visit, I learned some very interesting and important things about oral hygiene. Did you know that by… Read more
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Delusional Disorder
By Anita Manley This is a difficult topic for me to write about, as it is very personal and will reveal many details of my symptoms and beliefs when I was mentally unwell for about 10 years (a gradually worsening… Read more
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The road to happiness…
By Anita Manley Denmark was marked as second on the list of the world’s happiest countries in 2020 and has been in there for the past few years. Did you know that there is actually a Happiness Research Institute in… Read more
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This too shall pass…
By Anita Manley How many times have you been in a really dark place, feeling like the pain will never end? Unbearable pain, unacceptable anguish, intolerable emotions. I’ve been there too! Although, with both age and experience on my side,… Read more
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Naming Emotions
By Anita Manley Do you remember the last time you sobbed uncontrollably? How about when waiting for medical results and you felt incredibly anxious? Or the last time you laughed out loud? These are just a few examples of some… Read more
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“Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…”
By Anita Manley Hi folks, I’ve been absent for a few weeks now, trying to manage my anxiety around some important issues that are beyond my control. I don’t know about you, but I’m really not good at this. My… Read more
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Family and Friends: Building a Support Network
By Anita Manley ‘No man is an island‘ – John Donne It is very important to surround ourselves with family and friends (including our chosen families) during times of joy and distress. Studies have shown that if we have these… Read more
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Coping Strategies
By Anita Manley I think we all need a little extra help these days– strategizing on how to cope. Here are some very helpful tips from The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC): Strategies to help you cope: 1. Accept… Read more
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You are Enough!
By Anita Manley Happy International Women’s Day– March 8, 2021 You are enough! Right now, in this moment. You do not need to wait for a partner, a job, a promotion, a wage increase, a child, a pet, a house,… Read more
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Finances
By Anita Manley Finances– it’s an issue that causes a lot of stress and anxiety for many people. Especially when there never seems as though there is enough money to go around. During this pandemic, many people are sadly stretched… Read more
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Resiliency
By Anita Manley How do you become resilient? Certainly, resiliency is an attribute many people aspire to have, especially during all the struggles with COVID. Dr. Raj Bhatla, Psychiatrist in Chief & Chief of Staff at The Royal, tells us… Read more
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Managing Stress and Anxiety During COVID-19
Guest Blog by The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre “It’s OK to feel stressed and anxious, especially right now. While many of us are finding solace in another NETFLIX marathon, there are lots of other safe activities we can do… Read more
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Redefining Success
By Anita Manley If you’d asked me a week ago if I thought I was successful, I would have laughed out loud. Of course I’m not successful: I don’t have a career, a salary, a title. (My career was derailed… Read more
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HOPE
GUEST BLOG by Glenda O’Hara Glenda is a friend, a peer and fellow volunteer in the Women’s Mental Health program at The Royal. She facilitates a WRAP group for women, where HOPE is a key concept. Glenda is also the… Read more
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Moving Forward After a Loss
By Anita Manley Sadly, many of us have experienced loss in our lifetime. Perhaps it was the breakup of a romantic relationship, moving away and losing a friendship, the death of a parent, a spouse or the tragic and untimely… Read more
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How asking for help changed my life and how you can too
GUEST BLOG By Laura Kidd I’ve experienced the most amount of love, kindness, abundance, and miraculous events — when I learned to ask for help and open up to receive. Asking for help isn’t easy. But admitting that we can’t… Read more
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The Many Benefits of Volunteering
By Anita Manley For me, volunteering is a family value. My Mom volunteered several hours a week at our church and at a home for the disabled, while I was in high school. She was committed to volunteering and helping… Read more
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Reflections on 2020…
By Anita Manley 2020 started out with extreme hope and optimism for me. A year ago, I received a surprise phone call, just before midnight on New Year’s Eve, from my estranged daughter Nicola. Oh, how delighted I was to… Read more
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Always have a Plan B!
By Anita Manley I’m not sure if it’s due to my background in sales or just the way I was raised, but I have learned to ALWAYS have a back-up plan and not to be too disappointed if Plan A… Read more
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Dealing with BIG emotions!
By Anita Manley Everyone has been there–had BIG feelings of anger, sadness, frustration, or even joy! It is how we deal with these feelings that really matters. Today’s blog outlines some coping techniques. Move it out: As Silken Laumann, Olympic… Read more
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Doctor’s Orders!
By Anita Manley I’m sure many of you are spending several hours a day, or more, attached to your computer screen; attending Zoom meetings, responding to emails, etc. It is so important, now during this pandemic–more than ever–to keep active… Read more
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Coping techniques during tough times
This week I came across a great Youtube video featuring Dr. Laurie Santos, a Professor at Yale University. You can watch the complete video here. I strongly urge you to watch the complete video, but I will summarize here. Dr.… Read more
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I’ve got to be ME!
By Anita Manley “Never let anyone else define who you are.” That is what my loyal friend and Lead of Women’s Mental Health at The Royal said to me, on a walk not that long ago. Recently, I was asked… Read more
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Comparison is the thief of JOY
By Anita Manley I have noticed a commonality among friends, family and acquaintances. Those who compare themselves to others are less joyful, or even miserable as a result. In fact, comparing ourselves to others is something we all tend to… Read more
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Saying “Yes” more often!
By Anita Manley Just as important as having the ability to say “no”, is the ability to say “yes” more often– to things that feel good and right. These two responses in life are like the ancient chinese philosophy of… Read more
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FeaturedLearning to say “NO”
By Anita Manley Setting boundaries and sticking to them is a very important part of mental wellness and recovery. Many of us have been raised to follow orders–do whatever Mom and Dad tell you to do, listen to the boss,… Read more
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Mighty M0use for Mental Health 