The co-founders of Iris Community Counselling and Consulting Inc., Marie Reinsborough-Wadden and Krista Royama, speak with CHMA to discuss COVID-19 and mental health.

Their conversation is available here:

To begin, Reinsborough-Wadden and Royama talk setting boundaries with friends and loved ones while Zone 1 remains in the orange phase.

Royama says that a friend or family member turning down an invitation during orange phase restrictions is often not personal.

"It has nothing to do with the person themselves," Royama says. "I’m sure the one who’s saying no would love nothing more, but it’s their comfort level."

Reinsborough-Wadden adds that, "there’s such a tendency and this encouraged social thing to plow through it, and push through it, and put the positive spin on all of it. Yet, it is really tough and it is really hard. I’m not sure that it’s healthy to ignore that."

Royama agrees, and adds that gentleness is important.

"We want to berate ourselves, because maybe we’re not feeling the motivation that we feel we should be feeling..." Royama says.

Reinsborough-Wadden describes the COVID-19 pandemic as a “shared, communal trauma.”

Both Reinsborough-Wadden and Royama remind those who are struggling to ask for help.

Iris Counselling can be reached online, and other resources in the area include:

The CHIMO helpline at 1-800-667-5005.

The Addiction and Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team at 866-771-7760.

LGBTQ2+ Youth Line, 1-800-268-9688.

Trans Lifeline, toll-free, 1-877-330-6366.