We All Need Help Sometimes.
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SOME OF THE CHALLENGES WE FACE DAILY IN THE WATERFRONT INDUSTRY
Jobs run for varying periods of time: weeks and months, or not at all
Constantly shifting expectations
Long hours and travel
Lives become imbalanced - not enough time for ourselves or family
Lack of sleep and sleeping disorders
The uncertainty of our employment, never knowing where the next paycheck will be coming from
For all the benefits we receive doing this work that we love, life at work or off can leave us vulnerable to stress, feeling overwhelmed, anxiety, depression and developing serious mental health issues, including suicidal thoughts and actions. Turning to drugs and alcohol to keep going, manage stress, or ignore feelings becomes a way of life, and seems to work - until it doesn’t.
The transition between working and returning to “regular life” can be challenging for everyone involved, causing families to struggle to stay together. Feelings of isolation, loneliness, and depression can creep in even when we’re surrounded by those we love or care for.
THIS INDUSTRY IS UNIQUE, AND CHALLENGES OUR MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING LIKE NO OTHER.
We get it.
We know you need practical information, tools, and support to:
help take care of your own mental health, and
help your fellow longshore workers to take care of their mental health.
We need readily accessible information, skills, and resources to improve our mental health and wellbeing whether we’re on the job or living life outside of work.
We are all key players in helping others who might be struggling too. The more informed we are about our own mental health, the more we’ll be able to help the person beside us who:
has emotional dysregulation.
gets angry and defensive at the least little thing, or
drinks/drugs too much and comes to work hungover way too often, or
withdraws, shuts everyone out, and will not talk about what is going on, or
may need mental health counselling because they are on the verge of breaking down or harming themselves or someone else.
WHETHER IT’S YOU OR YOUR COWORKER, YOUR EAP HAS YOU COVERED.
You May Have Concerns Over:
mental fitness and mental illness
addictions of any kind
stress, anxiety, and overwhelm.
safety from suicide
trauma
managing your mind and emotions
the importance of self-compassion
relationships
advice on how to survive for the long haul in this industry.
WE ALL NEED HELP SOMETIMES.
