Toast to Success 2021 by Canadian Tamil Professionals Association

Message from our Chair On behalf of the Canadian Tamil Professionals Association, I’d like to welcome you to this year’s Toast to Success event! In our 13th year, our mission has continued to be to provide Tamil professionals with the tools and expertise they require to succeed in the Canadian workforce. This year, we have further expanded our mission by diversifying what it means to be a professional. This includes exploring non-traditional career paths to ensure we can maximize our impact on the community and create inclusivity. Today’s event focuses on how we can turn our passions and ambitions into a meaningful career. Regardless of how your plan may unfold, I hope today’s event will provide you with ways to adapt when things don’t go as expected and be resilient through the challenges and obstacles you will face. Throughout life’s ups and downs, we must always make time to Toast to our Success!

- GOBI BRODIE

thank you ,

TO OUR ANNUAL SPONSORS It is with their generous contributions and support that we bring forward remarkable experiences and opportunities. To learn more about sponsorship or partnership opportunities, email us at info@tamilprofessional.ca. PLATINUM SPONSOR

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MESSAGE FROM CHAIR & SPONSOR THANK YOU ABOUT US 2021 BOARD OF DIRECTORS CTPA OVER THE YEARS GUEST SPEAKER FEATURE: MAYA SHANKAR TOAST TO SUCCESS AWARDS 2021 FEATURE SURESH LAW’S JOURNEY WITH RESILIENCE A LOOK INTO PAALAM MENTORSHIP PROGRAM 2021 2021 EVENTS RECAP ELLIS DON: ALLIED OUTREACH TEAM EARNS SUPPORT FOR INDIGENOUS APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM COMMUNITY PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: ARAVANAI WOMEN, WORK AND THE PANDEMIC BY TAMIL WOMEN RISING A CLOSER LOOK INTO TORONTO’S NEW TAMIL COMMUNITY CENTRE MANAGING MENTAL HEALTH POST PANDEMIC BY AADHYA CANADA

UPCOMING EVENTS

FALL 2021

CAREER CONVENTION SOCIAL MIXER WITH YANCHAN PALAAM WEBINAR WEDNESDAY SERIES REAL ESTATE INVESTING WORKSHOP

WINTER 2022

TAMIL HERITAGE MONTH

VISIT US AT WWW.TAMILPROFESSIONAL.CA TO STAY UP-TO-DATE ON FUTURE EVENTS & SUBSCRIBE TO OUR EMAILS FOR MORE DETAILS.

ABOUT US The Canadian Tamil Professionals Association (CTPA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization focused on developing career opportunities for emerging and established Tamil professionals. For as long as CTPA has existed, the mandate has been to provide Tamil professionals with tools, training, and resources that maximize their potential and accelerate their success. Today, we continue to shape the future of Tamil professionals with innovative, forward-thinking programs that advance and support their profession at every stage of their career.

OUR MISSION To foster professional development by facilitating powerful conversations, creating opportunities and inspiring future leaders.

OUR VISION Provide all Canadian Tamils with the tools, resources, and support to overcome barriers to their professional growth.

2021 BOARD OF DIRECTORS We’re here to set the bar for excellence. Over the years, we’ve transformed the way our community fosters both traditional and unique careers.

Gobi Brodie Chair

Nancilyn Selvanayagam Director of Marketing

Ashwin Vadivelu Director of External Relations

Ahiraa Supeinthiran Director of Professional Development & Signature Events

Karthe Theivendrarajah Director of Internal Relations

Krishni Ganesan Director of Policy & Governance

Deluchini Sivagnanasuntharam Director of Mentorship

Janane Nagasivakumaran Director of Growth

2021 ADVISORY BOARD

Malency Wainwright

Sangeetha Punniyamoorthy

Haran Vijayanathan

LEARN MORE ABOUT CTPA

Thanusha Tharmakulasingam

CTPA OVER THE YEARS OUR JOURNEY Follow us on our journey from the beginning of our inception, to the launch of our core programs and events, and finally to the big milestones of today. We are very proud to have come this far and look forward to an even brighter future.

G U E S T S P E A K E R F E AT U R E

MEET MAYA SHANKAR

Dr. Maya Shankar is a cognitive scientist who served as a Senior Advisor in the Obama White House, where she founded and served as Chair of the White House Behavioral Science Team. She also served as the first Behavioral Science Advisor to the United Nations under Ban Ki-moon, and was a core member of Pete Buttigieg’s debate preparation team during his presidential run. Maya has a postdoctoral fellowship in cognitive neuroscience at Stanford, a Ph.D. from Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, and a B.A. from Yale. She has been profiled by The New Yorker and has been featured in The New York Times, Scientific American, and Forbes.

She’s also been the featured guest on NPR’s All Things Considered, Freakonomics, and Hidden Brain. She’s a former private violin student of Itzhak Perlman and graduate of The Juilliard School’s pre-college program. Maya is currently a Senior Director of Behavioral Economics at Google and the host of “A Slight Change of Plans,” a podcast about how we navigate change, produced by Jacob Weiss and Malcolm Gladwell’s audio company, Pushkin Industries.

The Toast to Success Awards of Professional Excellence honour two remarkable professionals in the Tamil community who have demonstrated professional growth and strong commitment to community. The two streams of nominations for the awards include: Emerging Professional and Established Professional. Please join us in celebrating our 2021 award recipients.

SAMANTA KRISHNAPILLAI

Emerging Professional 2021

Samanta Krishnapillai is a creative problem solver who actively challenges the status quo. While nearing the completion of a Master’s degree in Health Information Science from Western University (London, Ontario), she founded The On Canada Project. The On Canada Project is a grassroots initiative that meets millions of young Canadians where they are on social media and takes a conversational and compassionate tone to invite people into discussions that lead to critical discourse around how to engage as a collective community of Millennials and Gen Z in Canada. Sam’s passion stems from her lived experience as a first-generation Tamil-Canadian and as someone who intentionally took time to focus on her mental wellbeing in her early 20s which fundamentally changed her perspective of the world. Sam pairs her lived experience with her education in health equity, trauma and violence informed care, diversity and inclusion and system change, and her professional experiences working in advocacy in University student government and community building at nonprofits, to passionately drive change. Samanta strives to create critical and compassionate conversations, while building and amplifying the community around her. She challenges herself and the people around her to show up fully and unapologetically as their full selves. Samanta was named one of Best Health Magazines Women of the Year and 2020 Health Hero, and Tamil Canadian Centre for Civic Action named her a trailblazer in their 2021 Top 30 under 30 list.

SUGAN MANNAVARAJAN

Established Professional 2021

Sugan Mannavarajan is a purpose-driven professional with a diverse background progressively spanning various sectors, functions and regions across Canada. From Bay Street to the Arctic to our nation’s capital, over the past 15 years Sugan has been providing strategic advice and tactical support to senior management teams, executives and elected officials. Currently as the National Relationships Manager for Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation (CMHC), Sugan is actively working to co-create national capacity building efforts in our housing ecosystem through cross-sector collaboration and partnerships. Most recently, Sugan was instrumental in negotiating and securing $22-billion in private sector commitments toward socially responsible investments in affordable housing. Prior to this role, he was a Senior Policy Analyst at CMHC; here, he acted as key contributor to Canada’s first ever National Housing Strategy and was the policy pen in designing both Canada’s largest residential construction financing initiative and federal lands for affordable housing initiative. Sugan’s academic background includes urban planning, law and change management. With previous board experience and a unique career entered on community development, Sugan is passionately committed to social impact. In his personal life, Sugan is also a visual artist, an avid cook and an outdoors enthusiast residing in the Laurentian Mountains.

COMMUNITY PARTNER

In a world of opportunities and possibilities, there will always be hurdles to clear and miles to go before we can rest. Life never travels in a straight line, and at times the navigation becomes a challenge, which provides us an opportunity to thrive by overcoming the obstacles of life. That’s one of the reasons I like Ernest Henley’s quote, ‘I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul’, since it encourages us to take charge and steer our fate towards a better outcome. The Tamil sage Thiruvalluvar, in Kural 472 emphasizes the same moral, by saying ‘Nothing is impossible for those who perceive the nature and the means of their task, and proceed with determination.’ Resilience is a trusted life skill, and the hidden central theme in these quotes. It’s been said that, as much as talent counts, effort counts twice. That effort has to be well planned, analyzed, timed and presented. As well, obtaining talent and skills needs patience, dedication, and resilience. My journey is exceptional, and at times reaching these heights seemed impossible. The endurance I developed early on, from my love for long distance running, provided the perspective to the events that unfolded in life. The cocktail of stamina, discipline, mindset and hard work that was needed for distance running, influenced the rest of my journey. Most of the letters of higher learning that decorate my name were obtained under duress and struggle. However, they were key in embedding resilience into my efforts at looking at challenges in a more constructive way. Resilience should not simply elevate one’s own mind, but also enlighten the soul to be beneficial to the larger society. - Suresh Sriskandarajah

THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS! Volunteers are the roots of strong communities. Thanks to our volunteers and our professional community, CTPA has grown strong and resilient. Even the smallest volunteer effort leaves a profound and lasting trace in our organization. We are proud to have an amazing and talented group of volunteers at CTPA. A diverse group of community leaders, their dedication, insight, due diligence and passion for the community help us make an impact on the this organization. We sincerely appreciate all that they do and would like to extend our deepest thanks for their vision and leadership.

DEVELOP NEW SKILLS. MEET LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE. CREATE POSITIVE CHANGE.

“A s a young Tamil professional in Mathematics/Finance, it was difficult to acquire honest career guidance. Through university and the early part of my career, I found myself making decisions in isolation and often without a reliable network to consult for advice. A number of CTPA’s webinars and live events have enabled me to grow with my peers and learn from other people’s experiences. When many of us are experiencing the isolation caused by the pandemic, CTPA provides important touchpoints for growth at every stage of life. Many of us have arrived from different places, each with our own path travelled, and we are united by an intrinsic need to achieve common goals. The connections that we have created here are genuinely powerful, and I believe, everlasting. CTPA has been extremely influential to my personal development and has fulfilled my sense of belonging within a relatable community.”

– ANUSH, PAALAM MENTORSHIP LEAD

“I consider my role at CTPA, as Mentorship Events Manager, as a unique but an important one. It looks at ways to connect the organization more with the Tamil community in Canada through facilitating events and activities focused on knowledge sharing and mentorship, under our Paalam program. Paalam, to me, is about building connections and a more sustainable support system. Through connecting Tamil professionals across generations as mentors and mentees, our program gives back to the community by bringing it closer together. More importantly, considering the difficult times we currently are in, having a mentor or mentee to look up to for guidance and assurance, could be a positive addition to an individual’s support system. With a focus on building connections and stronger support systems, I ask myself the following questions when I lead events and activities. How can I coordinate mentorship and knowledge sharing activities and opportunities that are inclusive and facilitate deepened connection? What do these events and activities look like and why are they important? These questions guide the work that I do for CTPA. Answering them might not be easy but that challenge is what I find exciting and inspiring. It allows you to explore possibilities, draw from your lived experiences, and provides you with an opportunity to be innovative. When you also work with like-minded and talented peers, the experience becomes a lot more insightful and meaningful!”

- RUMYA, MENTORSHIP EVENTS MANAGER

INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING WITH CTPA? Watch our social feeds and website for 2021 volunteer opportunities!

The CTPA Paalam program is our mentorship program that connects emerging and established Canadian professionals in the Tamil community. It provides individuals at any stage of their career with the resources, guidance and training required for a meaningful mentorship experience. What does this all mean?

Paalam, meaning “bridge” in Tamil, is all about making connections between individuals in the Tamil community and sharing knowledge and expertise to help each other grow. It also means that, like a bridge, mentorship is a two-sided relationship where mentors and mentees both contribute to the relationship and in doing so, help one another further develop as individuals.

The Paalam program launched in March of this year and we saw a huge influx of mentee applications; more applications than we have seen in the past. As a result of the global pandemic, many individuals were looking for a mentor to help them grow in their careers, share their knowledge, and develop their skills. We had mentees apply from various backgrounds ranging from pharmaceuticals to marketing. We also had mentees apply from all over Canada and even globally! On the other side, we received more interested mentors looking to share their experiences and help their fellow Tamils Succeed. In the background, we have a dedicated team of Mentorship Relations Leads who were tasked with matching mentees with mentors. The process starts with our leads reaching out to those who applied to be a mentee and interviewing them further to gain insight as to what the mentee is looking for in a potential mentor. After these interviews, our leads take charge in finding a mentor that matches the needs of their mentee. This process takes quite a long time and involves looking through our database of mentors, searching through LinkedIn, and reaching out to various networks, until a mentor can be found. We take our time with the matching process because we want to create long-lasting bonds between mentors and mentees and ensure that they can be beneficial to one another’s development.

Sometimes the process can take a week, sometimes it can take months! However, when the right mentor is ultimately found, they are pitched to our mentee, and if both parties agree to work together, then the mentorship relationship can begin! Something new we started this year is reaching back to matched pairs and holding feedback interviews. This involves talking to the mentor and mentee to see how their relationship is going an what we at CTPA can do to make their relationship better. So far, we have received nothing but positive feedback! Since 2013, CTPA’s Paalam Program has connected numerous mentors and mentees, some of whom still keep in touch to this day. Mentorship is not just about building your career but also about interacting with someone who will listen to your concerns, help you overcome barriers and reach your personal goals as well. Being a part of the Paalam community is a truly fulfilling experience. As Tamils living in one of the largest diasporas in our community, we have the responsibility to lean on one another and support the growth of the next generation. And through the Paalam program, we are able to create a stronger, resilient community of established Tamil professionals.

Interested in joining the Paalam Mentorship program? Our applications are still open!

LEARN MORE AND APPLY TO PAALAM 2021 APPLICAT IO N S C LO SE O N SE P TE MB E R 3 0

2021 EVENT RECAPS Missed out on our past events this year? We got you covered. Here’s a glimpse of how our year has unfolded so far. Hope to see you at our next event!

JANUARY 2021 Tamil Heritage Month

We started off 2021 with a captivating 2 day event showcasing our Tamil heritage. The theme was storytelling, and we had special guests Manivillie Kanagasabapathy, Shanmuganathan Ramaneekaran, and Vijay Saravanamuthu talk about their initiatives, focusing on Tamil identity and storytelling. All proceeds were donated to the Toronto Tamil Chair initiative.

FEBRUARY 2021 Let’s Talk Trades

The trades are not an often explored sector, but our event Let’s Talk Trades introduced the community to the various aspects of trades and construction. Jennifer Green spoke about women in trades, Patrick Rooney spoke about the educational path required to enter the field, Temo Cruz spoke about the cutting edge tech used in the field, and Aaron Campau spoke about becoming the ideal candidate for a job in the field.

JUNE 2021 Investing 101: Tools That Make Cents

Saru Thava joined us for an informative webinar, explaining the basics of investing and how we could use our money to generate even more money. Attendees were also given a worksheet that helped them develop their budgeting skills and keep some handy tips and tricks for how to invest wisely.

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PLATINUM SPONSOR

ALLiED Outreach Team Earns Support for Indigenous Apprenticeship Program JUNE 21, 2021

EllisDon’s employee-led group ALLiED (ALL inclusive at EllisDon) was formed with a commitment to unite people of all backgrounds, communities and identities to celebrate our differences all together to raise the bar for inclusivity making EllisDon an even better place to work. ALLiED is focused on 4 peer groups with a common goal of ALL Inclusivity working towards outreach, education, operational alignment and communication. On National Indigenous People’s Day, EllisDon was proud to announce ALLiED Outreach Team is focused on expanding opportunities for Indigenous people across Canada within the Construction Industry and has spent the last six months developing a model for Indigenous Apprenticeships in Alberta. The intent is that this model can be fine-tuned and launched in other areas across Canada where EllisDon can offer opportunities for the same growth and learning with their Indigenous partners. Hector Saldivida, Senior Health, Safety and Environmental Coordinator, leads the team, with help from Tom Chisholm, General Manager, Willow Spring Construction, Cory Raketti, Operations Manager, Craig Wiltse, Safety Director, Mirela Cupovic, Business Process Manager, and numerous other ALLiED members. They have created relationships with both Educators and Indigenous leaders to start a program of education and support leading to meaningful work for many Indigenous communities that otherwise would not have had access to these careers. In recognition of Indigenous People’s Day on June 21, EllisDon wished to celebrate the opportunities that lay ahead for our Indigenous partners, and commended the hard work and success of these teams thus far and shared the letter of endorsement generously offered by Staahtsisttayaaki Dr. Genevieve A Fox, Education Director of the Blackfoot Confederacy Nation in Alberta. With this endorsement, ALLiED will continue to forge both Indigenous and Educational relationships that will allow our Indigenous Apprenticeship program to flourish beyond the borders of Alberta, into other markets where EllisDon can impact the lives of these communities with the hope of creating meaningful careers in our industry.

COMMUNITY PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

Aravanai is an organization founded in 2018, catered towards providing support to the youths of underprivileged communities via Education, Entrepreneurship, and Employment. To fulfill Aravanai’s mission, we set out a few goals to achieve by the end of 2021. Our goals consisted of the following: creating the first cohort for a student exchange program with students from Canada and from underprivileged communities in Sri Lanka; identifying a minimum of 100 mentors that were readily available for our start-ups; and hosting 10 virtual talks on a variety of entrepreneurial topics. As of now, instead of launching our first cohort, we have collaborated with a University from Sri Lanka to educate the students on emerging technologies. We have over 50 mentors signed up and have conducted 6 of 10 successful talks in our Aravanai Tamil Leader Speaker Series, with the help of CTPA. We have had over 400 signups from 15 different parts of the world who have attended our Speaker Series. We are excited to take Aravanai to the next step, and assist entrepreneurs, educate, and employ professionals across the globe.

Women, Work and the Pandemic W R I T T E N B Y TA M I L W O M E N R I S I N G

By now, we’ve all witnessed the disproportionate impact the pandemic has had on working women. The last 18 months has finally led to some recognition of the challenges women continue to face in the workplace. The pandemic highlighted what working women have faced all along – they are breadwinners, homemakers, teachers, caregivers and much more. In some instances, the struggle has led women to give up employment all together to manage the home. What lessons can we take from the pandemic to ensure women continue to stay and thrive at work?

Here’s what five Tamil women leaders have to share about their experiences with the pandemic, the world of work and the future of work:

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The pandemic revealed the unpaid labour of women, and many women quit their jobs to support their children so their partners could work. I had a baby during the pandemic which is both lonely and exhilarating. On the one hand, all my new found time during the pandemic has been taken up by this baby. On the other hand, it has been difficult to share the joy of having a baby with family and friends as well as connect with other new moms and find resources. As I think about returning to work, without these connections, I am concerned about finding appropriate daycare. I wonder if women who became moms during the pandemic will find themselves in a position of not returning to work. I hope one of the lessons we learn from the pandemic is to recognize the unpaid labour of women, and I hope governments step up to support affordable daycare options for families so women can return to and thrive at work. - KEERTHANA RANG DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, RADICAL VENTURES

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An Angus Reid survey conducted in 2020 suggests that two-thirds of Canadians who worked from home during the pandemic, expect that to continue post-pandemic. Increased remote work could benefit women, however, it can also limit career advancement and increase the gender gap. Mentorship, networking, and informal opportunities to build relationships such as lunches remain important. Employers will need a proactive approach to ensure there is space for these opportunities. - VINITHA GENGATHARAN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT, YORK UNIVERSITY

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Baby boomers have been known to hold senior level positions well beyond the necessary years of service. These positions are also predominantly held by white men. The pandemic saw an increase in the introduction of new technologies, new ways to stay connected and having to be adaptable to change. This ultimately also saw an increase in retirements. As more senior positions became available, organizations started to really evaluate their stance on appointing women, specifically women of colour, into these roles. Diversity in senior leadership positions takes a lot of planning and intent. For many young, underrepresented women entering the workforce after a hiatus, seeing more women that look like them at the head of the table will be a positive enforcement. Many organizations are also looking into incorporating a hybrid working schedule which will see employees work from both the office and at home – this will give women a better choice to remain in the workplace and push their career forward. - SHAMINI SIVATHASAN

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT ADVISOR, REAL PROPERTY CENTRE OF EXPERTISE, ONTARIO REGION, CANADA REVENUE AGENCY

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When I think of the past year and half of women working from home, one word that stands out is “burnout”. I think women are either burnt out or are burning out in this pandemic. Not only have professional demands increased for most women during this pandemic, but then add in the loss of childcare and/or full time homeschooling, and you have the perfect conditions for burnout. Though working from home may be our “new normal” in either a full-time or part-time capacity, we need to recognize all the balls in the air that women are being asked to juggle at this moment, and identify what means of support are needed. Whether this means ensuring childcare and in-person learning are seen as a necessity, or employers consider flex hours instead of the traditional 9-5, we need to realize that women need support right now. This will prevent what will be a large exodus of women leaving their careers in order to meet the needs of their families during this time. - VAISHNA SATHANANTHAN

ASSOCIATE NATUROPATHIC DOCTOR AT SILVER SPRUCE NATUROPATHIC CLINIC & PART-TIME ACADEMIC FACULTY AT THE CANADIAN COLLEGE OF NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE

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It is imperative that women ensure their partners are taking equal responsibility for parenting and household duties. Women feel guilt about not doing their absolute best for their kids. Take the time to address the needs of the family as a team and allow everyone to take responsibility. The wage gap cannot fix itself and the needs of women to remain valued and rewarded outside the home is just as important to the well being of the family unit. Although working from home may seem to be a panacea to the work-life balance challenge, there are several good reasons to be visible at work. We need to mentor and be mentored. Young women entering the workforce would benefit greatly from learning from seasoned female leaders. For your own growth, it is critical that your network continues to grow such that you have the right support and sponsorship when you are looking for that next lateral move or career advancement. - KUMI SOMASKANDAN FINANCIAL SERVICE LEADER

A closer look into Toronto’s new Tamil Community Centre I N F O R M AT I O N P R O V I D E D B Y T H E T C C B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S .

For over a decade, the Tamil community has been making strides towards the creation of a community centre to address the gap in services available to them in the GTA. In the last two years, those efforts culminated in a project to create a Tamil Community Centre in northeast Scarborough. Although the Tamil community has defied expectations as a refugee population, there is still a large portion of the community that lives in poverty, and there is a gap in the services that are catered to the community.

In March 2019, a community town hall with over 30 Tamil community organizations was held to have an organic and in-depth conversation on the needs and problems faced by the community. A team was put together by the community, building on more than a decade of foundational work done by longstanding community organizations and business leaders, to oversee the feasibility process for the design, construction, and operation of a Tamil Community Centre (TCC). The TCC will be a dynamic, innovative, multi-purpose, and non-denominational facility incorporating spaces and services to help address the current and growing needs of the diverse Canadian Tamil community by acting as a community hub. The centre will offer recreation facilities in the form of a gym and outdoor playing fields, cultural facilities in the form of a library, museum and auditorium, and multipurpose spaces that can facilitate community hubs through educational and networking programming. Public consultations are helping the TCC define the kind of programming that will be in the community centre. Two consultations have been done so far reaching over 1,000 people and 145 community organizations. The TCC is also committed to working collaboratively with Indigenous communities to make this project a success. TCC is in regular communication with representatives from the HuronWendat and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation to continue building relationships and provide updates on the project.

Through working with the Toronto City Council, City of Toronto and CreateTO, the City of Toronto’s real estate agency, TCC identified 311 Staines Road as the future location of the Tamil Community Centre. At 16,722 square metres or 4.13 acres, the land is valued at approximately $25 million. A land lease is being finalized between the two parties this year with the annual rent of $1.00, plus HST.

This summer, the TCC was accepted for the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) funding by the provincial and federal governments, resulting in $26.3M in funding from the governments. The community will contribute $9.6M through a fundraising campaign which will be launched in the coming months. The cost of the construction of the Tamil Community Centre project is estimated to be $40M, including HST. This is an ambitious plan. The community is building a 37,000 sq/ft multi-purpose facility that will be a living, physical symbol of community consultations, our Tamil heritage, environmental sustainability, Indigenous placemaking, and local resident amenities. Over the next year, the TCC will be looking for members of the community to join committees where they can provide their input into the design, development, and programming of the TCC. Thank you to the TCC Board of Directors, and to the many community organizations who’ve lent their support for the TCC!

Stay up to date on the project www.tamilcentre.ca

Managing Mental Health Post Pandemic - life lessons to take away from the pandemic W R I T T E N B Y A A D H YA C A N A D A It’s no surprise that no one prepared us for what 2020 would have us all experience and endure together. Although we’ve all experienced this pandemic separately in different ways, collectively we have still experienced great loss together, and many of us are still processing how to grieve, even 18 months later. Here’s our take on a few life lessons to take away from the pandemic. 1. Telling Our Loved Ones that We Care About Them: If there’s one thing we’ve learned during this pandemic, it’s that our lives can change overnight. Many of us have experienced loss, or know of someone who has experienced loss during this pandemic. Often many of us are reminded of someone’s significance after when it may seem as though it’s too late, and regret that we have not expressed our love for them. As we were accustomed to a fast-paced life, many of us have taken moments and folks for granted. We assumed that they were always going to be there, or that there would be another opportunity to express our thoughts and feelings.

privileged with an opportunity to safely talk about their mental health openly in their own direct communities, let alone feel safe to seek support. Quality connection is incredibly important for our wellbeing, it helps provide an opportunity for folks to share and seek support, laugh together, and help one another cope through difficult emotions.

The pandemic has taught us this can change and we may not have control over it. It also taught us the importance of sharing our appreciation and love for our loved ones when we feel it needed to be said, not waiting for the ‘right moment’. Letting folks know you care about them, can not only make them feel appreciated, but can also be a joyful experience for you as well. It only takes a few seconds out of our day to make someone feel valued and seen, and it can really make a difference in someone’s life.

If you are worried about someone and unsure what to do, know that you don’t have to deal with it alone. Crisis services, 24/7 hotlines, text services, are all available free of charge across the GTA. Sometimes starting a conversation with someone is all you need to help save a person’s life and let them know they are valued. If you’re struggling with mental health, needing support finding a local community group, or needing more one-on-one support, reach out to us and we can help direct you. You do not have to go through it alone.

2. Checking in on your loved ones: Many of us have had to experience isolation for a long period of time, for the first time, leading to experiencing challenging emotions such as fear and loneliness. More and more individuals are now struggling with their mental health as a result of the pandemic. Many folks have not been

We recognize that not being able to see our loved ones in person can make it challenging for us to know if someone is not doing well. However, trust your instincts; if you feel like someone may be struggling, reach out. Keep it simple, not everyone is willing to talk about their mental health openly, and that’s ok.

3. Practicing Gratitude: Gratitude. We’ve all heard this word over and over in the course of this pandemic, however, have you truly been implementing it into your life? Practicing gratitude can provide a significant and positive impact on our mental health and wellbeing. Despite the challenging circumstances, there are many things to be thankful for, and practicing gratitude is rewarding. You can start by listing out the ‘big things’ in your life you’re grateful for (food, water, shelter, steady income), and then when you feel comfortable, to focus on the small things (friendships, smiles from your loved ones, your comfort food/show). To be clear, we want to stress that it’s okay, and you’re allowed to feel grief, be angry, to feel hopeless. This pandemic has left us all in a state of heightened emotions and stress which has consumed us. However, we believe that by making small changes and putting in effort to appreciate things to be thankful for, you will likely feel more joy and be more willing to notice the other positive things in your life. Gratitude is the thankful appreciation for positive things we go through, from major life moments and achievements to simple pleasure we take for granted, including people around us that we fail to appreciate in our lives. Practicing gratitude is a powerful tool to help you shape the narrative of your life and establish a more positive balance of acceptance and appreciation. 4. Prioritizing Your Wellbeing - Selfcare is not Selfish: You come First! The pandemic has caused many to feel powerless, which has affected our overall well-being. Intense emotions such as sadness, fear, anger, and irritability are all common and expected reactions to stressful situations. We may feel the need to help others during a stressful time, and this is a great way to build community. It’s also important to ensure your own needs are met and made

a priority. We at Aadhya believe in prioritizing yourself first, before helping others, which may sound selfish. Self-care is not selfish, which is easier said than done. Think about in an airplane for example: when the safety demonstration happens, you are instructed to put the mask on yourself first, before you reach to help anyone else; we live by that philosophy and encourage it to anyone willing to listen. Self-care is more than a trip to the salon or a bubble bath, it is something we must do for ourselves to continue to stay well. If you are not taking care of yourself, you are not able to help others to the best of your capacity. We recognize that it is important to check in with yourself, establish a routine that works for you and stay connected to your mental and physical health. Taking a moment to acknowledge your feelings, validate, and address your needs can be a powerful tool against feeling as if you are out of control. Making time for your own mental, physical, and emotional well-being is more important now than ever. Although it may feel as though this pandemic is never-ending, know that you are not the same person you were at the beginning of March 2020. You have experienced so much, and yet you are still here, you are strong, resilient, and an absolute asset to our communities. When things feel overwhelming, remember: You are worthy. You are capable of great things. Be kind to yourself. Do not compare yourself to others. Take things one thought at a time. One task at a time. One day at a time.

With love, Aadhya Empower Yourself.

Aadhya Empower Yourself seeks to challenge and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health among members of the Tamil community. We hope to foster an environment where Mental Health and wellbeing of individuals will become a normalized and ongoing conversation, free of stigma and judgment in the Tamil Community. @aadhycanada | aadhya.canada@gmail.com | www.aadhyacanada.ca