'LOOK AT WHAT YOU HAVE AND WHAT YOU CAN GIVE'

The threat of respiratory infections in children. A coronavirus that refuses to disappear. Fighting in Ukraine.

Stress in your life. And on and on. The fodder for feeling miserable seems endless.

So, what can you do with a season that's supposed to be jolly and bright?

Rebecca Shields, CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association York Region, suggests people focus on a gratitude approach.

"Look at what you have and what you can give, find belonging in the community and help oth

ers (are) all components of joy, happiness and well-being," Shields said.

One key is asking yourself what you can do, what you can control, and what you contribute, she said.

"Make donations, join a rally, donate Christmas hampers, try to be with people you love," Shields suggested as possible answers.

CMHA offers a free service called the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy program for people 15 or older. The program provides therapy to help people experiencing depression, stress and anxiety learn strategies and skills to improve their mental health. These services are based on cognitive behavioural therapy. Call 1-866-345-0224 for more details.

Shields says she has seen people who celebrate the holidays despite facing enormous challenges.

CMHA hosts holiday celebrations, and she is often amazed by clients' recovery.

"It's a special time. People who have become vulnerable and are struggling have had the support to come together with others in recovery. They put aside being ill and are being part of the community," she said.

For example, she has seen people who have trouble getting out of bed because of mental illness gather the strength to share a meal with others.

The Jewish festival of lights, known as Hannukah, is a wonderful holiday to turn to in times of darkness, said Rabbi Yossi Vorovitch, of the Chabad Jewish Centre of Georgina.

"Hannukah is a celebration of light over darkness, good over evil," he said. "We light the menorah to symbolize the fact that one small candle can dispel lots of darkness."

Even during the Holocaust, people celebrated under the harshest conditions, he said.

In Bergen-belsen, a concentration camp in Germany, inmates wanted to celebrate Hannukah but had no oil, candles or Hanukkah menorahs. They ended up using a wooden clog as a menorah, string from a uniform as a wick and shoe polish as oil. In the end, they sang blessings that captured the wonder of their holiday. (Source: "Hasidic Tales of the Holocaust" by Yaffa Eliach.)

Rabbi Vorovitch's candle lighting event is Sun. Dec. 18 at the ROC in Georgina at a time to be determined.

Pastor Gerrit Bruintjes also believes people can celebrate the holidays despite chaos or darkness.

The answer to hopelessness is believing in something larger than ourselves, like religion, said Pastor Bruintjes, of Richmond Hill's Bethel Canadian Reformed Church.

Bruintjes believes in the importance of giving. He participates in Operation Christmas Child each year, run by Samaritan's Purse, a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization. Samaritan's Purse collects shoeboxes filled with toys, school supplies, and hygiene items for children around the world. In the past, Bruintjes has also donated clothing and household items to Victim Services of York Region.

Bruintjes believes God provides

the answer to gloom and pain in scripture, acknowledging His own darkness, poverty and

suffering.

Look to the child born on Christmas Day, Bruintjes said. In him, that's the answer — new life.

In recognition of the challenges many face, he has started a sermon series, focusing on the book of Isaiah 1 to 12.

Isaiah offers a message of hope — a Messiah, who will come to establish God's Kingdom on Earth, Bruintjes said.

If you have hope, you will believe the future will be better and you will have a joyful expectation of the future, he said.

"For those with hope, God has created the capacity to work through suffering."

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: As the holidays approach, we couldn't ignore the fact that serious global issues have left many people feeling down or anxious. So how can we celebrate the season in the face of this global suffering? Reporter Simone Joseph decided to approach a mental health executive, a rabbi and a pastor for answers.