Whitehorse Daily Star

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Photo by Vince Fedoroff

THERE ARE SAFER WAYS – Young people, notes Christine Hillis, seen Wednesday in Whitehorse, frequently resort to drugs, alcohol and other dangerous behaviour because they’re unaware of other coping methods which might work for handling life’s stresses.

Author shares advice on handling life’s manic periods

Everything about Christine Hillis screams openness

By Whitehorse Star on May 29, 2015

Everything about Christine Hillis screams openness—from the way she writes about her experiences with bipolar disorder, to the way she stands in front of a crowd, red cowboy boots separated with about a foot of space in between, arms open and fingers splayed as she talks.

Last fall, the Ontario native self-published a book, Seeing Through the Label, a kind of personal memoir recounting her experiences with sexual assault, an eating disorder, and unhealthy behaviour she encountered on the path to discovering she had bipolar disorder.

The story is written at the intersection of sufferer and counsellor, as Hillis herself is a mental health professional with the Canadian Mental Health Association.

Hillis wrote about her experiences with a unique perspective, as someone who had first-hand experience managing her own mental health.

“A lot of the time, it takes that first person to say something for it to become an approachable subject,” she said.

And she has tried to keep the conversation going.

The 23-year-old spoke at the Whitehorse Public Library on Wednesday, one of the final stops on her Canadian “tour”. Her final stop will be where she celebrates her 24th birthday, with 24 hours of sunlight in Nunavut.

Hillis kicked off her circuit during May’s Mental Health Week, starting in Ontario and going east and west to engage communities in conversations about mental health.

A lot of it starts with education—but not just textbook terms about disorders.

In her discussions, Hillis encourages people to do more self-reflection.

Mental health is a quintessential model of uniqueness; when one person under stress may benefit from going for a long run, another might find solace in painting or meditating.

“Everyone holds this true understanding of themselves, who they are and what they need,” Hillis says.

“I’ve had negative experiences with medical professionals, instead of letting that deter me from going into the profession, I use that as a fuel for wanting to go in and make more of a change.”

Instead of turning to medication from doctors, Hillis eventually learned to manage her manic emotions, with boxing becoming a major part of her coping method.

Part of the problem with youth, she says, is that they turn to drugs, alcohol and other dangerous behaviour because they don’t know what other coping methods might work for them.

That’s where she tries to help, by sharing what worked for her, and hoping that it might ignite more conversations among people.

When talking about mental health, Hillis uses that openness to create accessibility.

“You don’t need to use $10-words when you can say a five-cent word and still get your point across. Just say what you mean!” she laughs.

What can be a heavy subject may become a little easier to digest with some humour and positivity.

Hillis shared a story with the group of people in Whitehorse about what her manic periods were like for a time—she dropped out of university and abruptly started a baby clothing company, that evaporated as quickly as it started.

“That’s how mania works. I still have a ton of onesies. Now I just give them away as gifts at baby showers!”

This kind of openness encouraged Whitehorse citizens to speak up as well.

Some inquired about erasing stigma around mental health.

Others asked how they can best support their loved ones who are suffering from disorders like schizophrenia.

Hillis offered advice when she could, but also emphasized that everyone is unique, and although people might not win every battle with their mental health illnesses, reaching a place where it can be feasible to make it through the day is a big win.

There is a tattoo on Hillis’ left arm of a girl looking in a mirror and red flowers all around it.

There are two sides to the girl’s face, reminiscent of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde type of depiction.

The script below reads, “Seeing through the label”.

It is an artistic likeness of Hillis’ past, present and future with bipolar disorder, which she has shared through the pages in her book and through conversation with Canadians all over.

Comments (1)

Up 7 Down 31

Scott Morrison on May 30, 2015 at 11:09 am

I have the pleasure of working with Christine on our Crisis and Outreach Team here at CMHA Oxford. Isn' she amazing? !!!

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