Post session communication from Michael Landsberg:
Isolation Nation - Supporting Mental Health Through COVID-19From acting as a long-time ambassador for Bell Let’s Talk, to founding his own non-profit organization #SickNotWeak, Michael Landsberg has cemented himself as one of the nation’s leading voices in mental health advocacy. Most recently, the former host of TSN’s Off the Record has devoted himself to supporting mental health and wellbeing throughout the COVID-19 pandemic with a digital program called Isolation Nation. “For a decade I [have] tried to describe how mental illnesses like depression and anxiety feel. I spent a thousand hours trying to convince so many that depression is a sickness and not a weakness,” explains Landsberg. However, since the pandemic hit, many who could not have personally understood the impact of mental illness before, have since begun to feel its effects. Loneliness can have a profound impact on both our mental and physical health. In fact, a lack of social connection has been reported to heighten health risks as much as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day. Hoping to mitigate the dangers of social isolation, Landsberg takes the insights from his high-profile guests—ranging from Olympic gold medalists to city councillors, former paramedics, and relationship psychologists—and applies them to everyday life in the “new normal.” It is a talk that is as uplifting as it is educational, helping to effectively tackle the pandemic of mental illness that has followed the virus.
