Bell Let’s Talk Day 2026

January 21 is Bell Let’s Talk Day, and the theme for this year is “Taking a Moment for Mental Health.” It can sometimes be difficult to take time to care for your mental health or to support those around you, but it doesn’t need to be. If the idea of taking a moment for mental health sounds daunting, the first thing you can do is to STOP:

S – Stop.

Literally, stop whatever you are doing in the moment. Stop speaking, stop moving, take the thing you’re holding and put it down, just freeze for a moment. Before you say something hurtful, rush to offer an unwanted opinion, or do something reckless, dangerous, or impulsive, just pause for moment. Once you’ve stopped you are ready to…

T – Take a step back.

Try to create some distance between yourself and the situation that you are finding overwhelming. Take a few slow, calm, deep breaths. Give yourself time to calm down and think. Take a step back from the situation, mentally and/or physically. Allow yourself to put the issue on pause for a little while and to come back to it later. This is a hard situation you’re dealing with, but you have handled hard things before. You don’t need to stop caring, but taking a step back and creating some distance gives you a chance to…

O – Observe.

Notice what is happening around you and within you, what you are thinking and feeling, who is involved, and what other people are doing or saying. Whatever you observe can provide useful information. Rather than jumping to conclusions, trying to offer immediate solutions, or avoiding discomfort, try to gather relevant facts so as to understand what is going on and what your available options might be. Remain open, curious, and nonjudgmental as you…

P – Proceed mindfully.

Now that you have slowed yourself down, are approaching the problem from a different perspective, and have gathered more information, you can begin to ask yourself, “What do I want from this situation? What are my goals? What choices might make this situation better or worse? What are the kind, compassionate, effective ways to approach the difficulty I’m facing right now? What changes could I watch for to let me know that I’m on the right track, or that I need to change my strategy?” Consider your thoughts and feelings, the situation, and other people’s thoughts and feelings.

As you STOP and take a moment for mental health, it can be helpful to consider whether you are giving your challenges the time they deserve. It can be easy to get stuck in a problem and end up spending much more energy on it than you wanted. Maybe an argument from the morning still has you feeling upset and agitated in the evening, or a disappointment from last week or last month is still leaving you feeling discouraged.

By ruminating on the issue, you may find that you are “throwing more logs on the fire” that keep the discomfort burning. If you have given the discomfort the time and energy it deserves, allow yourself to say, “I’ve spent the time that’s needed on that. I’m ready to move on now.” Choosing to proceed mindfully and direct your energy to other areas may help get out of the spiral that leaves you feeling trapped.

At the same time, it can be tempting to ignore or downplay the hurts that you feel and pretend they don’t matter. Trying to move on without giving appropriate care to those emotions may fail to recognize and only prolong the very real pain that you’re feeling. Giving yourself permission to honestly acknowledge and feel the discomfort, take actions to resolve disputes, reach out and ask for help, or build community can be great ways to care for mental and emotional pain. If you’re curious about having conversations about mental health or asking for help but you’re not sure how, there are lots of helpful resources available here.

“Taking a Moment for Mental Health” can take many forms. But doing so thoughtfully, honestly, and with care can make sure that mental health remains an important part of the conversation.

 

This blog was written for the Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba by Kevin Kristjanson, Psychologist Candidate. CSCM athletes are reminded that they can access mental health support through CSCM. Please contact Kylo Harris, Performance Pathway & Athlete Services Manager, if you would like to be connected with a mental health professional.