Camino Santiago for Mental Illness
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Hello friends and family!
This July, I will be trekking the Camino de Santiago to create awareness about mental illness and start a fundraising effort for Island Community Mental Health (ICMH). After being profoundly affected by my Mum’s struggle with mental illness, I’ve decided to embark on an 800 km journey starting on the French side of the Pyrenees Mountains in St. Jean Pied de Port, and ending in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
This past year, I lost my Aunt in a fatal accident when she was riding her scooter home from the hospice where she worked. A man speeding to make the ferry ran a red light and the two collided. For anyone who has ever lost someone close to them, you can fathom what this kind of loss feels like. I wouldn't wish these feelings on anyone. The impact this had on my family is indescribable and is definitely the most difficult thing we've ever been through.
My Mum fell into a depression after this happened that was quite severe. Something that should have been much simpler to understand after a tragic loss was actually extremely challenging; depression is a tricky subject. It's nasty, it's victimizing, it's patronizing, and it can turn the people you love the most into complete strangers. As things progressively worsened, I wanted to talk about what I was going through with my Mum and her illness. The more I wanted to talk about it, the more I realized that conversations about mental illness do not have a place in our daily lives without stigma and judgment. Although my Mum is well on her way to recovery, the lasting effect is a deeper understanding of mental illness after watching her struggle. Not only does depression impact the person in question, but also family and loved ones.
I have decided to combine the Camino de Santiago with an awareness campaign about mental health and a fundraising effort to support recovery-based programs ran by Island Community Mental Health (ICMH). ICMH offers services for youth and adults battling mental illness to promote their full participation in society, and are focused on positive results and change in people’s lives. Taking care of emotional hygiene, having the tools to recover, and being able to talk about mental illness N.S.A. (no stigma attached) is absolutely crucial if we are going to change the way society views mental illness.
I believe that mental wellness is tied up with physical activity, and I know my Aunt did too. I’ll see if I still feel like that’s true after 800 km... In the meantime, I want to use this challenge to make change, take away taboos, and create a little bit more awareness about mental illness. And you can too! By sharing this post and by using your voice to join the conversation to break down the barriers associated with mental illness.
MUCH LOVE and thank you in advance!
Liv
This July, I will be trekking the Camino de Santiago to create awareness about mental illness and start a fundraising effort for Island Community Mental Health (ICMH). After being profoundly affected by my Mum’s struggle with mental illness, I’ve decided to embark on an 800 km journey starting on the French side of the Pyrenees Mountains in St. Jean Pied de Port, and ending in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
This past year, I lost my Aunt in a fatal accident when she was riding her scooter home from the hospice where she worked. A man speeding to make the ferry ran a red light and the two collided. For anyone who has ever lost someone close to them, you can fathom what this kind of loss feels like. I wouldn't wish these feelings on anyone. The impact this had on my family is indescribable and is definitely the most difficult thing we've ever been through.
My Mum fell into a depression after this happened that was quite severe. Something that should have been much simpler to understand after a tragic loss was actually extremely challenging; depression is a tricky subject. It's nasty, it's victimizing, it's patronizing, and it can turn the people you love the most into complete strangers. As things progressively worsened, I wanted to talk about what I was going through with my Mum and her illness. The more I wanted to talk about it, the more I realized that conversations about mental illness do not have a place in our daily lives without stigma and judgment. Although my Mum is well on her way to recovery, the lasting effect is a deeper understanding of mental illness after watching her struggle. Not only does depression impact the person in question, but also family and loved ones.
I have decided to combine the Camino de Santiago with an awareness campaign about mental health and a fundraising effort to support recovery-based programs ran by Island Community Mental Health (ICMH). ICMH offers services for youth and adults battling mental illness to promote their full participation in society, and are focused on positive results and change in people’s lives. Taking care of emotional hygiene, having the tools to recover, and being able to talk about mental illness N.S.A. (no stigma attached) is absolutely crucial if we are going to change the way society views mental illness.
I believe that mental wellness is tied up with physical activity, and I know my Aunt did too. I’ll see if I still feel like that’s true after 800 km... In the meantime, I want to use this challenge to make change, take away taboos, and create a little bit more awareness about mental illness. And you can too! By sharing this post and by using your voice to join the conversation to break down the barriers associated with mental illness.
MUCH LOVE and thank you in advance!
Liv
Organizer
Olivia Roma
Organizer
Powell River, BC