Last month, I joined with friends and family, colleagues and neighbours, to celebrate my retirement from the Canadian Armed Forces. I did so after more than two decades in uniform, and with deep gratitude for the people and experiences that shaped me over that time.

What I haven’t spoken about publicly is that, over the past year, I finally asked for help.

Early in my career, I went through experiences that affected me more than I allowed myself to acknowledge. For a long time, I did what many of us do: carry it quietly, perform well, and push through. From the outside, I was high functioning. Inside, it was heavier than it needed to be.

Beginning treatment was a disciplined decision. It required honesty with myself. It required saying out loud that strength is not the same as silence.

That process ultimately helped me recognize it was time for me to “stand down”. I leave proud of my service. I also leave knowing that tending to your mental health — especially when it’s invisible — is not weakness. It is strength.

If you are carrying something quietly, I encourage you to talk to someone. Not because you’re failing. Not because you’re broken. But because you deserve support.

You do not have to wait until you are overwhelmed.

You do not have to prove how much you can endure.

And you do not have to do it alone.

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Canadian Armed Forces Member Assistance Program
https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/programs/member-assistance.html
1-800-268-7708

Defence Community Support and Resource Centre (formerly the CAF Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre)
https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/benefits-military/health-support/sexual-misconduct-response.html
1-844-750-1648

Canada.ca | Mental Health Support for Canadians
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/mental-health-services/mental-health-get-help.html

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8. Support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.