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Alone, you can only do so much

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Together We Are Unsinkable

Alone, you can only do so much

Together we are Unsinkable

Together we’re Unsinkable

Unsinkable is a not-for-profit organization founded by Silken Laumann. We care about mental, physical, social, and spiritual health. We share stories, amplify voices, and offer a community of support, resources, and programs built with your wellbeing in mind. Together, we are unsinkable.

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What makes me Unsinkable? With everything I have b

What makes me Unsinkable? With everything I have been through and even at my lowest point in life I never give up on my self. I keep fighting, pushing and finding the strength to carry on, to be the best me I can be and helping others do the same along the way. - @thisissophelia @goneagainstthegrain_ 💛

Thank you Sophelia for sharing your Unsinkable story with us! You can read the full story by visiting the link in our bio 💛

#mentalhealthstories #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthadvocate

One of the big things I talk to guys about is refr

One of the big things I talk to guys about is reframing the binary of weak/brave or vulnerable/courageous or soft/strong. I usually talk about taking social risks and taking emotional risks in order to action the results they’re hoping for. For example, becoming vulnerable is not just about being strong, brave, and courageous— we need skill sets that support those things. Usually those skillsets involve trying something new or taking some sort of risk which produces discomfort and that discomfort reinforces the pattern of avoidance.

So I usually help people build in more risk taking into their lives so they can see that it’s not so scary and uncomfortable. Specifically, this may look like texting a friend and asking them to talk about something personal or putting themselves out there by saying yes to go to a party.

The last thing I’d say is that in addition to discomfort, we often don’t know what to say. So having scripts is one way we can build the skill of asking for help (which I usually call self-advocacy).

- Jake Ernst, Clinical Director at @straightuphealth.ca 💛

A nice grounding meditation focusing on gratitude

A nice grounding meditation focusing on gratitude to uplift.

Take a few moments this week for yourself. Be mindful and present and supportive.

Sending everyone lots of light and love. Thank you @pammyfitzg @pamela.fitzness

#meditation #peace #health #mentalhealth #menatalhealthawareness #meditate #selfcare #selflove #weareunsinkable

Now say it again 💛💛💛

Now say it again 💛💛💛

Did you know that 15 of the Hope, Healing and Harm

Did you know that 15 of the Hope, Healing and Harmony candles have a hidden charm inside of them? If you find a charm in your candle, The Tenors will send you an exclusive signed merchandise item! Partial proceeds go to support @unsinkableyouth 💛

The candles are sustainably made, cruelty-free, made with the highest quality ingredients, and each candle comes with a seed paper bookmark to plant in your empty candle jar afterwards! Visit @tenorsmusic to shop for a cause

We are so grateful for this partnership with @tenorsmusic and @retreatcandleco that allows us to create Youth Mental Health support programs!

Really what we’re trying to do over time is to m

Really what we’re trying to do over time is to make friends with anxiety. So when you put it in the way that anxiety is our pal, it’s there to keep us safe, but right now it’s seeing tigers and dragons and things that actually don’t exist… The physical part is really, really important because most of the stressors we face in our modern world aren’t physical. Kids aren’t going to die from going to school, but they feel like they will. Helping them understand that the system – and the feelings that go along with it – is to protect us from physical harm helps to make sense of it for them.

- Creating Calm Team 💛

Today is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day,

Today is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, and this Unsinkable interview with survivor and educator Markie Dell discusses the topic of human trafficking and finding forgiveness. We invite our community to read it if it's the right time for them. If you need support, please call the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010 or contact the @crisistextline.

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I’m wondering, now that you’re an educator, if you can see looking back how you slipped through the cracks?

Absolutely. I was young and vulnerable, looking for love, friendship and attention. I thought that I found that in my pimp, and did whatever she wanted to have her approval. The money was enticing as well. I saw what she had, and to me, that was success. She was awful to me but I just wanted to be a good person in her life. I thought she needed better people.

Well, she probably did…

[Laughing] Right, I was naïve to think that I could fix her.

In terms of your family and community network, where did it go wrong? What did they miss seeing? This is not an attempt to blame anyone, but more for the purposes of supporting the education that you do.

It looked very similar as to what I was doing day-to-day. I had a couple girlfriends and I would stay at their place for a week at a time. That was normal, us girls would just stay at each other’s places for a week, switch houses, kinda do that thing. I was 19 years old. It wasn’t abnormal for me to be out of the house for long periods of time. The traffickers made sure that I kept in contact with my dad a little bit so he thought things were okay.

He knew something wasn’t right, but he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know a crime was taking place, he was more like, “Who are these people you’re living with?” I was already kind of pushing the limits with going to parties and stuff, so it didn’t seem any different.

You can continue reading Markie's Unsinkable story by visiting the link in our bio!

#humantraffickingawarenessday #humantraffickingawarenessmonth #endhumantrafficking

It is helpful to be reminded at the outset that an

It is helpful to be reminded at the outset that anxiety does serve an essential biological function to keep us safe. Meg describes, “When we first meet with kids we tell them that we don’t actually want to get rid of their anxiety and they’re totally surprised. Well, actually, first of all they’re a little suspicious because everyone else has been telling them they need to get rid of their anxiety, and they think, Oh, you can’t help me.

But then we start questioning them. We ask, ‘Why wouldn’t we want to get rid of your anxiety?’ and the answer that you can come to in a variety of different ways is: without anxiety we would not be safe… so they start to really quickly understand that we need that system in our brains and bodies to keep us safe. And for them we reframe it as their minds are now just too good at it. Their minds are interpreting things as threats that aren’t there. And they start to take a kind of pride in just how good their minds are at anxiety!”

But problems occur for children when this biological function can’t switch off and starts overestimating threat. As Katie says, “When it’s out of balance, even what we would perceive as the littlest thing, becomes a huge deal and they can’t manage. We’re seeing really extreme reactions to common everyday things.”

You can continue reading this article about how to spot anxiety in children by visiting the link in our bio! 💛

Just here to remind you that you are UNSINKABLE 💛

#affirmations #positiveaffirmations

First Meditation of the new year with @pammyfitzg

First Meditation of the new year with @pammyfitzg @pamela.fitzness.

Set intentions and cultivate awareness today. Learn the difference between resolutions and intentions.

Take time for you and your mental health.

#meditation #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #weareunsinkable #wellness #peace #yourtime #meditate

When your loss is significant, grief will never fu

When your loss is significant, grief will never fully go away. And I don’t think we ever fully want it to. Because if you move on from grief, it’s like you have moved on from love. If I stop hurting when I think about skiing, that would be the real tragedy because it would mean I have lost the love for it. You don’t want to ever leave behind or forget about your loss, but you want to move forward with it. Imagine a life where you haven’t loved and lost. It would be a life deprived of the full human experience. I am going to choose to live passionately with love in my heart, even though I know it means I will grieve again. And when that grief comes, I’ll move forward with it and gratitude will help.

Gratitude is so powerful is because it evokes a physical response that helps you change up how you feel. When you think about and embody gratitude for your experiences, it becomes a tool to help you move forward with your grief.

You can continue reading Mike's story by visiting the link in our bio 💛

#tedtalks #grief #gratitude

Joy is medicine for the soul 💛

Joy is medicine for the soul 💛

All of my life there were moments. I remember the

All of my life there were moments.

I remember the classmate in Grade One who went to the principal’s office for “bad behavior” almost every day. The teenager, known as “the loner”, who often crouched on the ground holding onto his knees, rocking back and forth while the rest of the kids played at the park. On residence council in university, I remember supporting students during Orientation Week having a particularly tough time with their first move away from home. In my early career years in government, I remember being on the frontlines in a Member of Parliament’s office where many “regulars” would drop in with chronic dilemmas looking for some form of human connection each day. There were, of course, several people close to me – friends, family, and neighbours – who were also struggling with something they couldn’t talk about. And those whose lives ended too soon, their memorials finally exposing that they had been suffering in silence for too long.

All of these stories have common threads – they speak to societal attitudes toward mental illness. The pervasiveness of stigma and the silence that it breeds. The isolation and lack of supports in our schools and workplaces. The deeply rooted prejudice and discrimination that has led to the marginalization of citizens and lack of supports.

When I first walked through the doors of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) a decade ago, I’m ashamed to say that none of these stories came to mind. I thought, like many do, that mental illness was something that affected other people, not me.

Stigma had successfully buried these stories about the people in my life, rendering them invisible...

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You can continue reading Lori's Unsinkable story by visiting the link in our bio 💛

Happy Self-Care Sunday 💛 💛 What do you nee

Happy Self-Care Sunday 💛 💛

What do you need today to take care of your mental health?

Happy New Year!! 🎉 🙌 ✨ We're starting of

Happy New Year!! 🎉 🙌 ✨

We're starting off 2022 filled with purpose and intentions 💛

What is one thing you want to accomplish this year? Let us know in the comments so you don't forget 💛

It's about how we navigate the journey 💛

It's about how we navigate the journey 💛

Wondering how to get started on this journey? Here

Wondering how to get started on this journey? Here are some strategies that have worked for me.

- Start noticing what you’re eating.
Notice which foods provide you with lasting energy and which simply leave you hungry for more. I found it helpful to keep a food diary as opposed to merely relying on my memory (which, as it turns out, is pretty fallible when it comes to remembering what I’ve eaten). Maybe you might find this strategy helpful, too.

- Challenge yourself to move a little more.
Start with a walk around the block (or whatever feels possible for you right now) and see if you can build on that over time.

- Treat yourself with self-compassion.
Be at least as kind to yourself as you would be to a friend who was struggling to improve their health. Think about what you would say to that friend if they were feeling frustrated or discouraged. Odds are you would say something kind and encouraging. It’s simply a matter of training your brain to say those same types of things to yourself as opposed to treating yourself like your worst enemy.

- Find a buddy.
You don’t have to make this journey on your own. In fact, it’s easier (and a whole lot more fun) if you don’t: find a way to journey with other people. Who knows? Maybe you know someone else who is trying to make some health changes. And, if you do, maybe you could be a support to one another. Or maybe you could tap into support online.

- Think progress, not perfection.
It’s not a question of whether you’ll have a bad day, but when—and, most importantly, what you’ll do when that happens. It’s okay to have a bad day or even a string of bad days. Everyone does. What matters is that you have a game plan for picking yourself up, learning from the experience, and helping yourself to get back on track. My game plan involves treating myself with kindness—reminding myself how far I’ve come on my journey to better health and how much I’ve learned along the way. Because here’s the thing: I don’t have to be perfect. I just have to keep trying.

- Ann Douglas 💛

Friendly reminder that it's ok to slow down whenev

Friendly reminder that it's ok to slow down whenever you need to take a break. Rest is also productive 💛

I used to be the poster child for self-neglect. I

I used to be the poster child for self-neglect.

I used to live my life as if I didn’t have a body: as if the basic rules of human biology simply didn’t apply to me.

Sleep? Who had time?

Exercise? I didn’t see the point.

Nutrition? My food groups were caffeine, alcohol, and simple carbs.

But, as my 50th birthday approached, I realized something had to change—and that something was myself.

I was dangerously overweight—“morbidly obese” to be precise—and I knew that carrying all that added weight put me at risk of developing any number of diseases and chronic health conditions.

I wanted to live a long and healthy life. I just wasn’t quite sure how I was going to get there. After all, I’d tried—and failed—so many times before.

Somehow I managed to find the courage to try one more time. I think it came down to this simple yet powerful realization: that I was the only one who had the power to change my own life...

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You can continue reading Ann's Unsinkable story by visiting the link in our bio 💛

We feel incredibly grateful to have the support of

We feel incredibly grateful to have the support of a community filled with the most amazing humans that this world has to offer 💛

Thank you for being here, thank you for supporting us and thank you for being YOU 💛

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