Breathe in, breathe out.
It’s one of the most primitive functions of the body, yet taking a deep breath is something many people forget to do, says youth worker Corey Reid.
That’s why this Friday, Reid, and dozens of other volunteers from the Langley Local Action Team (LAT), will be guiding hundreds of youth, parents and volunteers through mindful breathing exercises during the very first yoga in the park event.
Held at Douglas Park at noon, yoga in the park is part of the Langley Action 4 Mental Health day, a free community event to provide awareness and resources for young people battling mental illnesses.
“We need to reduce stigma, that’s a huge, huge thing. And we need to be able to teach youth how to self regulate a little more,” said Reid, who is also co-chair of the Langley LAT and a keynote speaker at the event.
“It kind of looks like yoga and meditation. It looks like learning how to take a real breath and not just breathing like we do as humans — learning how to take a real breathe when situations get sticky. Journaling and taking time for yourself to heal, and paying attention to your physical body as well as your mind.”
Reid, 28, empathizes with youth struggling with mental illnesses, as he was once consumed in the battle himself.
When his mental health issues first came to the surface, there were few resources available. Reid was “put through the system,” receiving advice and prescriptions from multiple doctors, therapists and psychologist, but nothing got to the root of his illness.
His several diagnoses — including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and psychosis — stem from a freak accident when he was just two-years-old. A man committing suicide jumped out of a window and landed on the pavement right beside Reid.
Since then, he has had night terrors, a fear of sleeping and severe anxiety. Unable to cope, Reid found one self-medication that worked.
“When I tired crystal meth at a really young age, I pretty much fell in love with the drug because I could go three, four, five days without sleeping, and whenever I did sleep, it was just my body essentially shutting down, I wouldn’t dream,” he said.
Eventually his mother asked him to leave their home, and it wasn’t until he had a daughter at age 17 that Reid realized he needed to change his life.
Going through the Langley Basic Lifeskills Training program for youth, Reid managed to quit drugs, sign up for disability and become a stay-at-home dad. Now, he is advocating for youth struggling with similar issues by sitting on the Langley LAT and sharing his story at various awareness events across B.C.
“There isn’t a box with mental health and addictions,” Reid said.
“I think we try and say that you’re in this box, and this is how we’re going to treat you. But if you’re in 20 different boxes, then how do we treat you? The system doesn’t really know how to treat someone with six or seven different diagnoses, it becomes more and more challenging.”
At the Langley Action 4 Mental Health day, youth will have direct access to the resources they need for getting help and education about mental illnesses. There will be a post-it wall with pledges for mental health, a “selfie” station, an open art studio, booths from local youth agencies, a BBQ put on by Township of Langley firefighters and prize giveaways for the winners of a youth poster contest. The first 200 attendees will also receive a free yoga mat.
Through the event, the Langley LAT hopes to lower the stigma and start conversations around youth mental health.
“There’s a real gap in services and education for children and youth with mental health issues,” said Ellen Peterson, executive director for Langley Division of Family Practice.
“We have youth at the (LAT) table that have been leading and guiding us to the fact that there isn’t really anywhere for them to go.”
Mental health among young people has been a growing issue, and the Langley LAT is making a commitment to do a better job of helping, Peterson said.
“We’re pretty concerned, we’re hearing from a lot of youth and a lot of teachers in the districts that we partner with that they are really struggling with what youth are dealing with at such a young age,” she said.
“And youth have told us repeatedly that attachment to an adult that cares about them is probably one of the biggest factors for helping ... It is a community approach that we need, and a break down of any barriers around talking about it.”
The Langley Action 4 Mental Health day is on from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more, visit the “Langley LAT” Facebook Page or search #LA4MH.