It's Important to Feel Included to Prevent Depression and For Better Mental Health

Depression has haunted me since my family moved to Vancouver in 1988.  Over nearly 30 years of intermittent therapy and continuous self-reflection I've figured out the deeper human emotional need that triggered my mental illness.  

The summer of 1988 was in between grade 6 and 7.  I was torn away from my own group of friends whom I'd known since kindergarten and thrown into the last year of elementary school as the outsider.   I came from a province that nobody understood, Saskatchewan (it isn't all flat) and competed in a sport that my peers thought was easy, cross country skiing. ​  I wasn't welcome on the local soccer pitch either because my classmates also on the community teams and one of their fathers was the coach. 

This year of being shut out by all but two people started a cascade of bullying and years of low-self confidence and self-worth. Watch the video to learn which basic human need I discovered on my journey to better mental health. ​ It influences my business, my parenting and how I interact with others.

Why I Became a Kinesiologist Specializing in Chronic Disease and Disabilities