May 14, 2020
Osler held its third annual Mental Health Awareness Week on May 4-8, 2020, to coincide with the Canadian Mental Health Association’s annual campaign, which rallies communities, schools, workplaces and legislatures in a common push for mental health. This year, CHMA’s Mental Health Week campaign was focused on social connection and its importance for mental health and invited people to “#GetReal about how we feel and lean on each other for support, even if it has to be from afar,” which is integral in these days of isolation and distance from one other.
Throughout the week, Osler held a number of internal events to support mental health and connection, including invitations to participate on Osler Ensemble, a digital social tool that enables connection with colleagues; an introduction to meditation and mindfulness; and a webinar, “Building resilience through positive psychology,” delivered by Steven Cline, Osler’s Career Development Officer.
In the webinar, Steven discussed the importance of perception when it comes to positive psychology. He explained that the lens through which we view the external world is extremely important as it affects how we manage our own individual worlds. He also introduced participants to the seven principles of positive psychology that are found in Shawn Achor’s book, The Happiness Advantage, which explores how “rewiring our brain for happiness helps us achieve more in our careers and our relationships.”
Steven also discussed the theory that if we can enhance our own version of happiness, we are more likely to be successful in our own personal and professional lives, and walked through various ways we can control our view of the world and ultimately affect our happiness and build resilience.
As an addition to its Mental Health Awareness Week activities, on May 14, Osler offered firm members a wellness webinar by lawyer and psychotherapist Kara Hardin, which focused on supporting mental well-being during these challenging times. In the webinar, “Nourishing what's good: Mental health in the time of COVID-19,” Kara discussed concepts and practices that can help people process the everyday, seasonal and lifetime changes we are all experiencing, and provided ways in which we can cope with and understand disappointment, grief and loss. Participants were also able to learn more about how to develop skills that can affect how we interpret and process adversity, including embracing curiosity; practicing optimism, compassion and calm; and addressing and learning through moments as they are happening.