The CMHA's Mental Health Awareness week, during Canada's Mental Health Awareness Month, offers us a collective pause—a time to reflect not only on the state of our mental health systems, but on how we relate to our own emotional lives and those of others. This year’s theme, Unmasking Mental Health, invites us to reflect upon a powerful question: What are we masking and what might happen if we stopped?

We all wear masks, whether we realize it or not. We wear them at work when we smile through burnout. We wear them in relationships when we’re afraid our emotions might push people away. We wear them in public when we believe it’s safer to appear “fine” than to risk being seen in our vulnerability. These masks are often born from necessity and the need for safety. They make their appearance as coping strategies shaped by trauma, marginalization, or cultural messages that teach us to equate struggle with failure.

Masks can become heavy over time. When we wear them long enough, it can become harder to stay connected to what’s underneath. It can be both mentally and physically exhausting to carry the weight of our masks. 

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The Mask as Silence

One of the most common masks we wear is silence. Not speaking about what we’re going through can feel like self-protection. Maybe we’re afraid of being judged or discriminated against. Maybe we’ve been taught that we need to stay strong for others. Maybe we fear our truth will be “too much” for other people to hold.

In working so hard to protect ourselves, we may not realize that silence can become a heavy burden to carry. It can deepen our pain and make us feel alone. Over time, it can quietly distance us from others and from our own sense of agency. When we don't feel safe or supported enough to use our voice, it’s easy to believe we don’t have one.

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Reclaiming Voice, Reclaiming Self

Using your voice doesn’t always mean speaking loudly or publicly. It can look like telling a friend you’re struggling. It can be advocating for accommodations at school or work. It can be writing down your story, or simply giving yourself permission to feel what you feel. Unmasking mental health is to say: This is real, this is hard, and it matters.

Voice is not just a communication tool. When we use our voice, we interrupt the systems that tell us we should stay quiet. We challenge stigma. We open the door for others to do the same.

This is especially important for those whose voices have historically been dismissed or devalued—people living with complex health needs, neurodivergent folks, racialized communities, queer and trans people, survivors of violence... For many, unmasking is not just personal healing; it’s collective resistance. 

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A Different Kind of Strength

There’s a popular idea that being strong means pushing through pain without complaint. But what if strength looked different? What if strength was naming your needs, asking for help, or choosing rest when you’ve been taught that “the grind never stops”? What if using your voice wasn’t a last resort, but a first step? What if strength looked like baby steps to support your well-being? 

Unmasking mental health is about letting go of the pressure to be “okay” all the time. It’s about unlearning the messaging that taught us to stay silent. It’s about giving ourselves permission to show up with the full range of our human experiences, and trusting that our voice is valid—not because it’s perfect or meets a certain criteria, but because it’s real and ours. 

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The Fear of Being Seen

Of course, unmasking may come with risk. Many people are still navigating environments where vulnerability is not met with understanding, or where disclosure can lead to real consequences. That’s why the decision to unmask must always be ours. The goal isn’t to be raw or exposed for the sake of it—it’s to live with more authenticity, on our own terms. One voice can spark a chorus. One story can shift how someone sees their own. That is the quiet revolution of unmasking.

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How We Can Support Unmasking as a Society

• Listen without judgment. Give people the space to share without rushing to fix or minimize.
• Hold space for lived experience. Trust that people are the experts of their own unique stories.
• Learn about systems of oppression. Understand the social, economic, and historical factors that shape people's experiences and contribute to silencing and marginalization. 
• Challenge stigma. Use your voice to speak up when you hear hurtful or harmful language or assumptions. 
• Create spaces of safety. Make room for rest, flexibility, and mental health needs in workplaces, schools, and communities. 
• Make room for realness. Honour the full range of human experiences, even when they’re messy or uncertain. 

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The VOX Ethos

At VOX Mental Health, we believe in the transformative power of voice. It’s in our name (Vox = From Latin vōx “voice”). Whether through storytelling, one-on-one connection, or community advocacy, VOX Mental Health aims to create a space for people to share their truth with support. It’s not about performing recovery or pretending to be okay. It’s about making room for complexity, contradiction, and the messy, beautiful process of being human.

To learn more about masking, visit: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/basics/masking

To learn more about Mental Health week, visit:  https://cmha.ca/mental-health-week/