142
MLCM
FALL/WINTER2016
“I went from being this very emotionally calm,
passionate and mentally stable person to the
complete opposite,” she says. “For the first two
years of my injury I was incredibly emotional
and in a very dark space mentally. I had zero
patience, was so irritable and would get really
angry or cry every day over the silliest things.
Anxiety and insomnia were constant friends. At
the time, I was too stubborn and confused to
realize or admit I was depressed. I had always
been a glass-half-full kind of girl.”
The long recovery time, while appearing outwardly
healthy, canalso contribute toa lossof compassion
or understanding from peers that leads to feelings
of alienation and depression. “Looking fine but
feeling like a disaster was no easy feat,” says
three-timeOlympian,MercedesNicoll, who suffered
a concussion riding halfpipe at the 2014 Winter
Games in Sochi. “Physically, I was strong last year,
but overcoming the mental struggle of starting
slowly and progressing graduallywas not easy.”
THESHADOWANDTHE
LIGHT
The probability of injury comes hand-in-hand
with risk, this is well understood in anymountain
town. While a broken ankle or torn knee are easy
to identify, and the repercussions of not taking
care of our bodies are easy to understand, the
beginning stages of depression and other mental
illnesses, however, are far less tangible. They also
havea lessnoticeableeffect onour everyday lives,
especially in a culture conditioned to hide them.
“One of the hardest things I see with clients
battlingmental health issues is their own shame
that compounds their struggles,” says Christine
Clark, a Registered Clinical Counsellor and action
sports enthusiast based out of Tofino, BC.
“People really judge themselves and believe that
they are in it alone.”
But they aren’t alone. The World Health
Organization reports that, globally, 350 million
people of all ages suffer from depression. And
their stories are being told.
“I think there is a shift happening,” says Greg
McDonnell. “More and more people are willing
to discuss their emotions and we are seeing the
noose of stigma loosening.”
Because the truth is, stress, depression and
mental illness don’t care what brand of goggles
you rock, howmany medals you have, or if you
have a mullet or not. They are indiscriminate
and hard to discuss, but we can change this
with a dedication to keeping our minds as well
maintained as the bases of our boards and a
courage as strong as our peak-to-creek quads. If
we are brave enough to create a dialogue around
mental health that’s as powerful as our appetite
for adventure, then we might be able to help
each other ride out the darkness and navigate
the ups and downs of real life in the mountains.
Because there will always be great reasons to
live our dreams. To carve the well-manicured
mountain playground, ride the high-speed six-
pack chairlifts with our homies, and tap into the
flow-state that comes from action andnature and
belonging.We just have to take care of ourselves
and each other. Because there’s no sense in
calling ourselves a mountain community if we
can’t make people feel safe, loved, and at home.
“I’mafirmbeliever inhome,”says JonRocker,who
continues to battle Bipolar Disorder and never
returned to the mountains. “Home is where the
heart is. It’s where you come back to centre. The
world can be rough, wild, disturbing, up, down,
andall over theplace, but forme, agoodhome to
come back to is most important. Times in my life
that have been most difficult are when I haven’t
felt at home in the world. You know you’re doing
okay when you can feel at home everywhere you
go. I always really felt that in nature, in Whistler,
deep in the forests, in the quiet beauty of it all.
Left alone but not ‘alone'.”
For a listofmental health resources in theSea-to-
Sky regionandsomemorewordsofwisdom from
thepeople in this storygo to
ca/inthisissue.
“I BELIEVEMANYOFTHE
THINGSTHATATHLETES
ENDURECONTRIBUTE
TOMAKINGTHEMMORE
ADAPTABLEANDRESILIENT
TO LIFECHALLENGES.AS
WEKNOW,SPORT ISA
MICROCOSMOF LIFEAND IF
WECAN 'SURVIVE'WITHIN
IT,PERHAPS ITCANHELPUS
THRIVEATTHECHALLENGES
OF LIFE.”
–GREGMCDONNELL,
COUNSELLOR
