Taking care of mental health is such an important part of everyone’s well-being.

Mental illnesses are varied and take on many forms, but there’s one common thread among them: suffering from any mental illness darkens day-to-day life.

For those who’ve never had to deal with anxiety issues, depression, eating disorders or addictions, it can be really difficult to understand what it’s like to be trapped under what can feel like the darkest and heaviest cloud.

October 10 is World Mental Health Day and is another chance for us all to talk about ways we can find help or support our loved ones going through difficult times. There are many resources out there to help anyone who’s suffering and for anyone who knows someone suffering and wants to lend a hand.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the Canadian Mental Health Association are both excellent places to start.

The CAMH website has information specific mental illnesses and digital tools that can help people cope. If you’re in the Toronto area, the organization also offers many programs and services, some particularly for Aboriginal people.

The Mental Health Commission of Canada and the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health also offer useful information and resources.

Recovering from or managing an illness doesn’t happen in one day, or in one special week when more people might be talking about mental health and wellness. It takes work, it takes reaching out for help and it can often take a lot of time. But managing a mental illness is possible.

Recovery is possible too, and is always worth the struggles that might come from taking the first few steps out from under the dark cloud of mental illness.