“I think this photo competition is a great idea – it serves as a forum to bring out the passion and the heart-felt concepts kept hidden & repressed in the shadows.” -Jerry
First Place: Hugh (Receives $100 in Gift Cards to DeSerres)
“This picture symbolizes the need for leadership in bringing people from the darkness of sickness to the light of wellness. The position of each person in the line of people depicted does not imply that some are more advanced (on the road to wellness) than the others. Each person is to be accepted as he/she is at this very moment, at this place, in a non-judgmental manner. The picture can refer, analogously, to a maxim followed in military history, that the leader (Pope, general, etc.) need to lead from the front. As a bibliography for these brief statements, you can Google “Bright light and wellness.” – Hugh
Runners Up (Caer and Karen – tied for 2nd place)
Entry 5
Caer
Receives metal VCH travel mug and a movie pass donated by Doris Peters.
Whether I choose to see my cup as half full or half empty is entirely up to me. My wellness is dependent on my perspective and my attitude. I understand that it’s in my hands. And feeling well, I can even choose to see and accept that that cup, my quandary about how to look at my life, is in itself a beautiful and natural thing as well. – Caer
Entry 26 Karen
Receives metal VCH water bottle and a movie pass donated by Doris Peters.
“Wellness is not just a concept, but a way of life” These eyes love me unconditionally. They are expressive beyond words. They belong to my dog “Fin” matched equally by his big heart. He makes me have fun, go outside, play and not take myself so seriously by putting former beliefs into perspective. I used to think to have fun meant it was to be deserved, I would have to earn it to be worthy. He starts each day fresh, uncomplicated, without an agenda, no regrets of things perfectly complete the day before. He allows me wellness by living him, I love myself. He forgives my mistakes when I dwell on them instead of moving forward with positive energy. I easily appreciate the good in others, now I can see I too have something to give as well. – Karen
Other Submissions from the Contest:
stand strong, stand tall Sam
Wellness is about recognizing and accepting that life is not always clear and certain. It is also seeing that life has lots of uncertainty in it and that very uncertainty holds much promise and a lot of opportunity to define my life however I choose. – Caer
Wellness is seeing and understanding that it doesn’t have to look like everyone else’s. I can see the opportunity to use whatever tools I possess and still make my life work very well. And because of doing it this way, and my way, I can be proud of my resourcefulness and ingenuity. I can feel a sense of accomplishment that raises my self esteem even more. Caer
Wellness is very much about taking time to reflect on things. It may also be very important to see things from a different perspective, even turning things upside down in some way in order to see the picture of my life more objectively. It just might open up my options. Caer
When I am well the world turns from gray and dull to vivid and bright, bursting with deep intense colour. I can also see the shadows, the light and the dark as they sit side by side and how they truly complement each other. When I am well I am willing to see the whole picture and how very rich my life is. Caer
Go and take challenge. Helen
Walk confidently in your direction. Don’t worry about you might fall down. People will help you even you don’t see them. You’ll reach your goal. Helen
Well Being means happy, active and enjoyable. Helen
I always tell mental health clients that the beginning of my therapy marked the beginning of a “New Me”. I patiently learned how to take advantage of my weaknesses to get stronger. Leo
With this picture, showing the moon, I try to emphasise that wellness means being able to create art, because by creating art we learn how to create our own destiny. Leo
With this picture, showing shadows and glares, I try to tell people that wellness means to accept the fact that life is a cycle, with a time of darkness and a time of light. Leo
With this unmovable man (The Inuksuk), I try to tell people that wellness means to recognize that we have an inner strength that pushes us to overcome the limitations we have and to accept life’s challenge to achieve our goals. Leo
Two characteristics of mental wellness are the abilities to love and to have fun. The animal kingdom is governed by instinct rather than education and planning. Animals are most content with their lot. They suffer little from mental illness. Love, governed by Mother Nature, has the proper amount of protectiveness to satisfy them and their recipients. Their enjoyment of life is unsullied by memories of panic attacks, depressions, uncontrolled rages, guilt and inferiority feelings. I received two little budgies when they were babies hardly able to fly. I have watched them grow, love and play. Their unconcerned fun has greatly benefited my own mental health. Lucille
With this picture of a web, I try to tell people that Wellness is measured according to the integration of our society. Leo
I always tell mental health clients that my therapist kindly asked me to do something easy at the beginning of my therapy: “Please, do not sabotage the therapy.” Once I became pro-active in my treatment, I started seeing the beauty of life everywhere I went. Leo
recovery takes it slow one step at a time Sam
recovery needs to look into the past and aim for the future Sam
1. I like to go on snowshoeing in the winter. 2. It gives me good exercise. 3. It also helps me on the way to wellness. 4. Yu also can enjoy the nature and scenery. 5. The fresh air up on the mountain may clear up your mind and refresh your feelings. 6. it was fun and challenges your skill to overcome difficulty. Serena
a dim signal in the darkness, leading you toward the better unknown Sam
Wellness. All the shapes represent – complexity of life within natural simplicity form. Wholeness Harmony Content Peace Tranquility Serenity Fit among others Free to prosper – Georges
I like to go to Crab Park at the foot of Main Street Downtown to relax and ease my mind. It relieves stress and has a calming effect. These old tugboats add charm to the harbour and seem to transport me back to a simpler time and my troubles drift away, and I feel good again. Geoff
The Lotus is a sacred flower for Buddhists. Mindfulness practice, inherited from the Buddhist tradition, is increasingly being employed in Western psychology to alleviate a variety of mental and physical conditions. I took a course in mindfulness meditation at Strathcona Mental Health to help relieve depression and stress, and I associate this lotus flower with mindfulness meditation and wellness. Geoff
To me wellness is about recognizing the importance of taking time to think about my life. To sit somewhere with few distractions. To be in a place where I can focus on my life and where I want to go now. It is a time to really look at my life and where I need to go next. – Caer
Wellness can mean recognizing the truth of letting go. It can be a time of understanding and accepting that there are some things in my life that have died in some way or that they must “die” in order for me to move on, like the petals on this flower. I can then appreciate the cycles of healing and of life itself and be just fine with it all. Caer
Wellness is understanding that I sometimes must be patient with life. I can come to understand that there are times that are not so great, when things are dull and gray. And I can know that the light and warmth and joy will come again. I just have to be patient. Caer
Wellness is understanding that I sometimes must be patient with life. I can come to understand that there are times that are not so great, when things are dull and gray. And I can know that the light and warmth and joy will come again. I just have to be patient. Caer
“This picture symbolizes the need for leadership in bringing people from the darkness of sickness to the light of wellness. The position of each person in the line of people depicted does not imply that some are more advanced (on the road to wellness) than the others. Each person is to be accepted as he/she is at this very moment, at this place, in a non-judgmental manner. The picture can refer, analogously, to a maxim followed in military history, that the leader (Pope, general, etc.) need to lead from the front. As a bibliography for these brief statements, you can Google “Bright light and wellness.” – Hugh
Karen
