Fast facts | The Canadian Mental Health Association breaks it down

Mental health and mental illness: what is the difference?

• Illness and health are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same thing.
• “Mental health” is a concept similar to “physical health”: it refers to a state of well-being. It includes our emotions, feelings of connection to others, our thoughts and feelings, and being able to manage life’s highs and lows.
• The presence or absence of a mental illness is not a predictor of being healthy mentally; someone without a mental illness could have poor mental health, just as a person with a mental illness could have excellent mental health.

Read more on the CMHA website!

What does this have to do with me?

It has really only been in my lifetime that we have started talking openly about this aspect of our wellbeing. If you are a little older, you may well remember a time when feelings simply were not discussed. Maintaining composure and bottling things up were signs of strength. We have moved beyond that, now. There is a growing permission to name what is true for all of us: we are resilient; we are vulnerable.

Our emotional and processing health needs the same attention we might give a tummy ache, a broken leg, or a migraine. Minding our emotions and overall wellbeing is as important as taking care of our cardiovascular system.

In wobbly times like these, turning attention inward is important. We are learning to take care of our self — maybe with some of the same compassion we are quick to offer each other!

How can I help my loved ones?

And that compassion that you so readily turn toward your friends and family is important. Do you need to tag in some extra support? Here are a few of the charities that we work alongside through vehicle donation:

Your local chapter of the CMHA

Breaking Free Foundation

Crisis Intervention & Suicide Prevention Centre of BC

Horizons For Youth

Kids Help Phone

Mental Health Foundation

Sunshine Therapy Dogs

Umbrella Society for Addictions & Mental Health

Westman Mental Wellness & Suicide Prevention

Your local Distress Centre

How you can help your mental health charity today

Perhaps you would like to give the cause you love a little extra back up? The charities named above are just a few — your car, you choice! You can gift your vehicle to ANY Canadian charity. Aid the work of the cause you love by donating your car, truck, van, SUV, or motorcycle. Re-sold or recycled, it will bring a valuable donation. The tow is always free. Moreover, you will receive a tax receipt from your charity, too!

Not quite ready to donate? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! There you will get an overall feel for how we care for each other and our charities. This is a caring community, here to serve you.

The post Mental Health in Canada appeared first on Donate A Car.

Mood disorders awareness | More than buzz words

‘Looking to participate in a caring community? The Mood Disorders Association of Ontario is one such place!

They offer free support programs to people across Ontario who are living with depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder. They have programs for family and loved ones of those living with mental health struggles, too!

MDAO’s Vision

Individuals and families affected by mood disorders recover and heal.

Their Mission

Recovery Supports and Programs: To support recovery and healing for individuals affected by mood disorders and their families by providing innovative, high quality supports and programs.

Entry and Navigation: To be responsive to the needs of individuals affected by mood disorders and their families by facilitating their entry to recovery and helping them to navigate to the services and supports they need.

Knowledge: To contribute to knowledge of the effectiveness of recovery supports and programs through evaluation.

Awareness and Outreach: To engage the community to increase awareness about mood disorders and reduce stigma and to communicate about the supports and programs that we offer.

Be part of the vision!

Did you know you can donate your vehicle for mood disorders awareness? In fact, you can give to any charity in Canada!

The process is simple, quick, and free. Free for you. And free for charities like the Mood Disorders Association of Ontario!

Click below to jump into your online donation form. This will take just a few minutes of your time. Or, call in to 1-877-250-4904! We are happy to assist in getting you set up with your free tow and tax receipt.

You are also invited to contact and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! From there, you’ll be able to keep up to date on our program as well as see posts that showcase our amazing donors and charities across the country!

The post Mood Disorders Awareness | Donate a Vehicle appeared first on Donate A Car.

Bell Let’s Talk | Changing how we talk about health

Let’s create meaningful change.

This year’s Bell Let’s Talk Day campaign highlights ways we can all create meaningful change and take action by doing one or more of the following:

• Choose a mental health organization to learn about or support
• Help a friend struggling with their mental health by learning how to support them
• Ask about how your school, workplace or community is creating change for mental health
• Nurture your own well-being by practicing and learning mental health strategies
• Get involved in a mental health initiative or organize an event to support mental health
• Engage in conversations about mental health to fight stigma

What does this have to do with me?

It has really only been in my lifetime that we have started talking openly about this aspect of our wellbeing. If you are a little older, you may well remember a time when feelings simply were not discussed. Maintaining composure and bottling things up were signs of strength. We have moved beyond that, now. There is a growing permission to name what is true for all of us: we are resilient; we are vulnerable.

Our emotional and processing health needs the same attention we might give a tummy ache, a broken leg, or a migraine. Minding our emotions and overall wellbeing is as important as taking care of our cardiovascular system.

In wobbly times like these, turning attention inward is important. We are learning to take care of our self — maybe with some of the same compassion we are quick to offer each other!

How can I help my loved ones?

And that compassion that you so readily turn toward your friends and family is important. Do you need to tag in some extra support? Here are a few of the charities that we work alongside through vehicle donation:

Your local chapter of the CMHA

Breaking Free Foundation

Crisis Intervention & Suicide Prevention Centre of BC

Horizons For Youth

Kids Help Phone

Mental Health Foundation

Sunshine Therapy Dogs

Umbrella Society for Addictions & Mental Health

Westman Mental Wellness & Suicide Prevention

Your local Distress Centre

How you can help your mental health charity today

Perhaps you would like to give the cause you love a little extra back up? The charities named above are just a few — your car, you choice! You can gift your vehicle to ANY Canadian charity. Aid the work of the cause you love by donating your car, truck, van, SUV, or motorcycle. Re-sold or recycled, it will bring a valuable donation. The tow is always free. Moreover, you will receive a tax receipt from your charity, too!

What does this have to do with me?

It has really only been in my lifetime that we have started talking openly about this aspect of our wellbeing. If you are a little older, you may well remember a time when feelings simply were not discussed. Maintaining composure and bottling things up were signs of strength. We have moved beyond that, now. There is a growing permission to name what is true for all of us: we are resilient; we are vulnerable.

Our emotional and processing health needs the same attention we might give a tummy ache, a broken leg, or a migraine. Minding our emotions and overall wellbeing is as important as taking care of our cardiovascular system.

In wobbly times like these, turning attention inward is important. We are learning to take care of our self — maybe with some of the same compassion we are quick to offer each other!

How can I help my loved ones?

And that compassion that you so readily turn toward your friends and family is important. Do you need to tag in some extra support? Here are a few of the charities that we work alongside through vehicle donation:

Your local chapter of the CMHA

Breaking Free Foundation

Crisis Intervention & Suicide Prevention Centre of BC

Horizons For Youth

Kids Help Phone

Mental Health Foundation

Sunshine Therapy Dogs

Umbrella Society for Addictions & Mental Health

Westman Mental Wellness & Suicide Prevention

Your local Distress Centre

How you can help your mental health charity today

Perhaps you would like to give the cause you love a little extra back up? The charities named above are just a few — your car, you choice! You can gift your vehicle to ANY Canadian charity. Aid the work of the cause you love by donating your car, truck, van, SUV, or motorcycle. Re-sold or recycled, it will bring a valuable donation. The tow is always free. Moreover, you will receive a tax receipt from your charity, too!

The post Bell Let’s Talk Day appeared first on Donate A Car.

There’s a buzz in the air! It’s Back to School Time!

I’m writing from a unique vantage point. My desk overlooks a busy small town street in Alberta, Canada. I’ve been watching the leaves turn and the skies dance as Autumn settles in. Early (It feels so early for Fall to be nipping at our heels!) The cool, smoke-free air is welcome and I’m getting that familiar squiggle in my tummy: it’s a new school year!

Today, the local elementary school is doing a staggered orientation. Girls and boys are scurrying down the hill, parents close at their heels, to meet their teachers. There are babes-in-arms, and moms juggling tiny hands clenching theirs. ‘So many dogs trundling along beside, oblivious to book learning, but so excited about their humans and the smells-along-the-way.

There is relief in the air (The kids are going back to school!). And there is uncertainty, too. We still don’t know what protocols really need to be in place to keep kids, teachers, and families healthy. We’re reaching for something, “normal.” Familiar. Safe. Uninhibited.

We’re finding our way together. ‘So many bumps along the way as we all learn how to hold differing views while continuing to be kind.

Our charities are adapting, leading, serving

Donate a Car Canada is honored to serve almost 1,000 Canadian charities. This is a diverse roster! Many of our receiving charities hold children and families as their top priority. Education. Services. Supports. Safety. Mental health resources.

If you are considering donating a car, truck, or van this autumn, take a look at some of the charities that would welcome your donation dollars:

Alma Children’s Education Foundation: play-based and project-based education programs utilizing local indigenous knowledge and language.

Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids: make and deliver free healthy lunches for students who would otherwise go hungry.

Kids Help Phone: free, confidential and expert mental health support in English & French, 24/7/365.

Learning Disabilities Association of Manitoba: programming, support and advocacy for individuals impacted by learning disabilities and ADHD.

The Canadian Safe School Network: reduce youth violence and make our schools and communities safer.

The Legacy Children’s Foundation: Legacy’s “Gift of Music” programs mirror programs are assisting youth to complete school and refrain from criminal behaviour.

Phoenix Education Foundation: provide unique learning opportunities for families so that each young person may develop into a life-long learner and an active, responsible global citizen.

Variety – The Children’s Charity of BC: steps in where health care ends, providing direct help to children with special needs in BC. For over 50 years they have ensured that children have the support to reach their potential and thrive.

How you can help during the Back to School months

The charities noted here are just a few of Donate a Car’s partners.

Choose the charity you love and visit their webpage. Check out their social media (Face Book, Instagram, Twitter). There are so many ways to give — even if you don’t have dollars to spare! Donate time, ideas, or resources.

If you have an unused or unwanted vehicle, we’re the team for you!

Our donation form takes 10 minutes to fill in.

The tow (or pick-up by hiker service) is free.

You’ll receive a tax receipt for the net proceeds from the re-sale or recycling of your car, truck, or van.

And your kids’ charity will receive your donation dollars!

Ready to make a difference this school year?

The post Back to School appeared first on Donate A Car.

Finding peace in a disrupted time is tough. For many of our receiving charities, that’s they’re work-a-day gig. They companion people in disrupted life circumstances.

What is peace, anyway?

The word peace may mean something different to you than it does to me. For some, peace is a feeling of calm, or the absence of conflict. Some people experience peace as the lack of any emotion at all. Others feel at peace when they have a sense of control in their lives.

I’ve come to identify peace as a quiet heart. Sometimes that means a feeling of spaciousness in my mind, heart, or even body. Another way of describing that is the ability to take a deep, deep breath — a feeling of relaxation and permission even when circumstances are very difficult.

That seems to be an important thing about peace? It is a sense of rightness, quiet, or well-being even when things all around are wobbling. Maybe even downright awful.

Can I find calm…even now?

What has the COVID-19 Pandemic been like for you? Are you having difficult finding peace in the midst of global fear? There are resources near you that can give you a little back-up if that’s what you need. Seek them out. Your mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health are worth the effort.

You may be someone who has had a gentle experience of this unprecedented upheaval. If so, might you be one who offers peace to others? You may be one of the helpers. If so, thank you! Please take care of your Self while you’re reaching out to others. And if you’re having moments when a quiet heart is illusive, reach out for your own supports, ok? We need you to keep getting your own cup filled up so that you can continue to share with others.

What DACC is doing to help

Here at Donate a Car Canada we continue to work through this crisis time to aid Canadian charities in their ongoing work. Sometimes cool cash is the best way to bring calm into the midst of a storm. Part of our role in all of this is to keep right on processing vehicle donations. Those donations result in the much-needed dollars our charities depend on to keep purveying goodness in our hurting world. Thank you for considering how you might be a part of that!

The post Peace in a Pandemic appeared first on Donate A Car.

Mindfulness: Buzz word? Lifestyle? Flavor-of-the-month feel good nonsense? Where it meets grit (You are so resilient!) and a little luck, it may prove to be enough to bring true comfort.

Simply put, mindfulness is just paying attention. Waking up. Attending to the sensations in our physical, emotional, and spiritual self. It can be spiritual (in a traditionally religious sense); more likely it’s spiritual in that we are beings who seem quite curious about answers to difficult questions. Questions like, “Why I am here?” or, “Why do people suffer?”

It is as simple as noticing that when it’s cloudy out (Which it is today. ‘Days on end of brilliant sunshine. One morning without and I’m feelin’ it for real!) I feel a little glum.

‘Noticing that I’m tired, or taxed, or curious.

That I’m hungry, or anxious, or indignant.

Just noticing.

Mindfulness matters because…?

What good, the noticing? We’re affected by the stirrings and whirrings in ourselves whether we notice them or not. By paying just the slightest attention to them we sort of assign them a healthy degree of influence. So, if I notice that I didn’t get enough sleep last night, I may be a bit more gentle with myself when I feel inexplicably sad or irritable. I won’t excuse poor behavior, and I’ll be able to acknowledge that there’s a reason I’m feeling off.

If I notice that opening up my email inbox stirs a wave of nausea, I might take a minute to address the reality that there are a couple of people I’m really nervous about hearing from, rather than assigning a general feeling of anxiety to the whole of the many voices of my Gmail account.

Am I really hungry, or do I need a big drink of water?

Is it really Joe that’s peeving me off, or is it that Joe reminds me a lot of a rude teacher from junior high?

Is that knot in my stomach caution to go a different direction, or a bundle healthy nerves that can just be noticed and set aside as I pursue a new opportunity?

So I notice stuff? Then what?

Mindfulness as a practice (meaning, we work it like a muscle or a piece of music that needs a tweek) starts with noticing, and moves to letting go, and to letting things be.

Some of the things we’ll notice (I’m hungry, thirsty, bored…) can be tended to easily.

Other things have a little more psychological weight to them. By just paying attention we start to become aware that our sniping at the kids and the husband may not have anything to do with either the kids or the husband: sitting with the irritation for just a minute may show that there’s a more complicated disgruntle at play. We can be mindful of both the surface frustration, and awake to the deeper concern. And from there we can get curious. What’s really going on here? What do I need? What do I want?

Are there stressors and trouble spots where I can let something go? Are there some things that just need to honored as they are (even if they’re very difficult), things I need to let be?

Mindfulness and your mental health

We’re just skipping rocks over the surface of some deep stuff here. Maybe you find yourself noticing that you’re feeling wobbly mentally and emotionally. Winter months can take a different toll than the rest of the year, and you’re not alone if you’re feeling the emotional chill.

Check out our charities page for a robust list of organizations that are set up to help with all aspects of mental health care. Your whole health matters, so if you’re feeling like you could use a little back-up there are people ready to go the distance with you.

The post Mindfulness | What does your You need right now? appeared first on Donate A Car.